Method and apparatus for improving identification of a party in a communication transaction

• US 8,649,489 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mornhineway, David, Walter, Edward, Karnalkar, Anup D., Pearson, Larry B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US11/549,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,678 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/567, 4554121-420, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 4554561-466, 4555501-560, 4555751-5759, 455 901- 903, 379/88.16, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 37914201-14218, 709201-207, 709217-248, 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improving identification of a party in a communication transaction is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a terminal device having a User Interface (UI) element that presents an image identifier that identifies one among a calling party in at least one among an unanswered call and a voicemail message, and a called party in a dialed call. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in a terminal device, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

populating a call log with information related to a plurality of communications, wherein each of the communications is one of an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, and an outgoing call, the information comprises an image identifier portraying a party involved in each of the communications and at least one of a phone number and a name of the party involved in each of the communications, and the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a moving image; and

presenting for display the call log populated with a respective entry for each respective communication of the plurality of communications, each respective entry including at least one of the phone number and the name of the party involved in the respective communication, along with the image identifier portraying the party involved in the respective communication and a graphical indication as to whether the respective communication is an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, or an outgoing call.

2. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the communication is an unanswered incoming call and the storage medium further comprises computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

detecting a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party associated with the unanswered incoming call and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieving the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

3. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the communication is an outgoing call and the storage medium further comprises computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

detecting a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party associated with the party and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieving the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

4. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a still image.

5. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

presenting, as part of each respective entry within the call log, selectable graphical user interface (GUI) elements with the image identifier to interact with the respective entry in the call log.

6. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 5, wherein the selectable GUI elements comprise at least one of a contact book icon, a voicemail icon, a call back icon, a memo icon, and a delete icon.

7. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 6, further comprising computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

presenting at least one entry in a contact book in response to an end user of the terminal device selecting the contact book icon;

retrieving a voicemail message in response to the end user selecting the voicemail icon;

initiating a call to the party in response to the end user selecting the call back icon;

generating a memo in response to the end user selecting the memo icon; and

deleting the information related to the communication from the call log in response to the end user selecting the delete icon.

8. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the image identifier is received in the communication.

9. A terminal device, comprising:

a transceiver;

a display;

a processor in communication with the transceiver and the display; and

a non-transitory storage medium in communication with the processor, the non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

populate a call log with information related to a plurality of communications, wherein each communication is one of an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, and an outgoing call, the information comprises an image identifier portraying a party involved in each of the communications and at least one of a phone number and a name of the party involved in each of the communications, and the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a moving image; and

present via the display the call log populated with a respective entry for each respective communication of the plurality of communications, each respective entry including at least one of the phone number and the name of the party involved in the respective communication, along with the image identifier portraying the party involved in the respective communication and a graphical indication as to whether the respective communication is an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, or an outgoing call.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the communication is an unanswered incoming call and the non-transitory storage medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

detect a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party associated with the unanswered incoming call and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieve the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

11. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the communication is an outgoing call and the non-transitory storage medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

detect a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieve the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

12. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory storage medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

present, as part of each respective entry within the call log, via the display selectable graphical user interface (GUI) elements with the image identifier to interact with the respective entry in the call log;

wherein the selectable GUI elements comprise at least one of a contact book icon, a voicemail icon, a call back icon, a memo icon, and a delete icon.

13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory storage medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

present via the display at least one entry in a contact book in response to an end user of the terminal device selecting the contact book icon;

retrieve a voicemail message in response to the end user selecting the voicemail icon;

initiate a call to the party in response to the end user selecting the call back icon;

generate a memo in response to the end user selecting the memo icon; and

delete the information related to the communication from the call log in response to the end user selecting the delete icon.

14. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a still image.

23. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory storage medium further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive the image identifier in the communication.

15. A method, comprising:

populating a call log with information related to a plurality of communications, wherein each respective communication of the plurality of communications is one of an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, and an outgoing call, the information comprises an image identifier portraying a party involved in each of the communications and at least one of a phone number and a name of the party involved in each of the communications, and the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a moving image; and

presenting for display the call log populated with a respective entry for each respective communication of the plurality of communications, each respective entry including at least one of the phone number and the name of the party involved in the respective communication, along with the image identifier portraying the party involved in the respective communication and a graphical indication as to whether the respective communication is an answered incoming call, an unanswered incoming call, or an outgoing call.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the image identifier portraying the party involved in at least one of the communications comprises a still image.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting, as part of each respective entry within the call log, selectable graphical user interface (GUI) elements with the image identifier to interact with the respective entry in the call log.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selectable GUI elements comprise at least one of a contact book icon, a voicemail icon, a call back icon, a memo icon, and a delete icon.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting at least one entry in a contact book in response to an end user of the terminal device selecting the contact book icon;

retrieving a voicemail message in response to the end user selecting the voicemail icon;

initiating a call to the party in response to the end user selecting the call back icon;

generating a memo in response to the end user selecting the memo icon; and

deleting the information related to the communication from the call log in response to the end user selecting the delete icon.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication is an unanswered incoming call and the method further comprises:

detecting a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party associated with the unanswered incoming call and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieving the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication is an outgoing call and the method further comprises:

detecting a match between at least one of the phone number and the name of the party associated with the party and an entry in a contact book; and

retrieving the image identifier from the entry in the contact book.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the image identifier in the communication.