Flexible lifestyle portable communications device

• US 8,463,253 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chipalkatti, Renu, Stinson, Willis D. III, Getchius, Jeffey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US11/766,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/435.1, 455/461, 455/563, 455/550, 455/414.1, 455/418, 379/142.04, 713/100, 715/745
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains

Abstract

A method may include receiving a call at a portable communication device, entering a first mode when the call is directed to a first device identifier associated with the portable communication device; and entering a second mode when the call is directed to a second device identifier associated with the portable communication device, wherein the first mode provides access to a first set of applications and a first set of user data and the second mode provides a second set of applications and a second set of user data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a state of a portable communications device, wherein the state includes information about previous communications;

comparing the state to a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules include one or more conditions regarding previous communications, wherein each of the plurality of rules is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of modes, and wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a corresponding one of at least two billing attributes; and

changing a mode of the portable communications device, based on the comparison, to one of the plurality of modes,

wherein the information about previous communications includes a first device identifier of a previous telephone call and a first email address of a previous email, and

wherein the one or more conditions regarding previous communications includes a second device identifier, a second email address, and a time window.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two billing attributes is associated with a different device identifier, each device identifier identifying the portable communications device, and wherein changing the mode includes changing the device identifier.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the at least two billing attributes include a personal billing account and a business billing account.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different skin, wherein changing the mode includes changing the skin, and wherein changing the skin includes changing a background color or a background pattern of a display of the portable communications device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different set of applications and a different set of corresponding application data, and wherein changing the mode includes changing the set of applications and the set of corresponding application data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different contact list.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the state includes a current time of day or a current day of week, and wherein comparing the state includes comparing the current time of day or the current day of week.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the state includes a current location and wherein comparing the state includes comparing the current location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the state includes a device identifier of a called device of an outgoing phone call from the portable communication device.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the time window is a first time window associated with the second device identifier, and wherein the one or more conditions regarding previous communications includes a second time window associated with the second email address.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the time window ends at a present time and begins at a predetermined time period before the present time.

10. A system comprising:

a portable communications device including;

a transceiver to transmit and receive user communications;

a memory to store a plurality of rules, each of the plurality of rules associated with one of a plurality of modes, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with one of at least two billing attributes; and

a processor to determine a state of the portable communications device based on words used in the user communications, compare the state to each of the plurality of rules, and change a mode of the portable communications device, based on the comparison and based on a location of a called party, to one of the plurality of modes associated with one of the plurality of rules,

wherein the words used in the user communications include words spoken in a phone call by the user of the portable communications device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the at least two billing attributes is associated with a different device identifier, each device identifier identifying the portable communications device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different skin, wherein the processor is configured to select the skin based on the comparison, and wherein the portable communications device further comprises:

a display for displaying a background simultaneously with a plurality of icons associated with applications, wherein the processor instructs the display to change, based on the selected skin, a background color or a background pattern.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different set of applications and a different set of corresponding application data, and wherein the processor changes the set of applications and corresponding application data based on the comparison.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with a different contact list.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the state includes a current time of day or a current day of week, and wherein the processor compares the current time of day or the current day of week.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the state includes a current location and wherein the processor compares the current location.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the state includes a device identifier of a called device of an outgoing phone call and the processor compares the device identifier of the called device of the outgoing phone call.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the words used in the user communications includes words appearing in an email sent from or received by the portable communications device.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor instructs the display to change, based on the selected skin, a window border size, a button size, or a text size.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a state of a portable communications device based on words transmitted or received in user communications including words spoken in a phone call by a user of the portable communications device;

comparing the state to a plurality of rules, each of the plurality of rules associated with one of a plurality of modes, wherein each of the plurality of modes is associated with one of at least two billing attributes, each device identifier identifying the portable communications device;

selecting, based on the comparison and based on a location of a called party, a mode from the plurality of modes; and

changing a mode of the portable communications device to the selected mode.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein each of the at least two billing attributes is associated with a different device identifier, and wherein changing the mode includes changing the device identifier.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the at least two billing attributes include a personal billing account and a business billing account.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting a mode based on a priority associated with each rule when the comparison results in a conflict between the plurality of rules.