Automatic response option mobile system for responding to incoming texts or calls or both

• US 9,100,809 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Julia Olincy Olincy, Ronald Craig Fish
• Original Assignee: Julia Olincy Olincy, Ronald Craig Fish
• Inventors: Fish, Ronald Craig, Olincy, Julia Olincy
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US13/691,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20140057610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 976 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/556.1, 701/1, 701/527, 701/533, 370/330, 370/241
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A cell phone with software to provide options to auto-respond to incoming text message or phone calls with a pre-stored text message or audio message. In some embodiments, the auto-response text message can be one selected by the user from among a plurality of pre-stored text messages. In other embodiments, the user can also choose an auto-response audio message to play to callers. In some embodiments, the cell system makes a determination of the speed at which cell phones in the system are moving for at least phones to which incoming text messages or phone calls are directed, and automatically determines whether or not to send an automated response message. In some embodiments, the cell phone makes a determination of its speed and asks the user if he or she wants to auto-respond to incoming texts or calls or both if moving at driving speed.

Claims

1. A cellular phone having an automated response system comprising:

a cellular phone including cellular telephony transceiver circuitry, short message service transceiver circuitry, memory and a touchscreen and a microprocessor programmed by software to control said cellular telephony transceiver circuitry, said short message service transceiver circuitry, said touchscreen display and said memory, said microprocessor controlled by an operating system or kernel to;

determine when an incoming cellular call is arriving and display on said touchscreen an option to auto-respond to said incoming cellular call by answering said incoming cellular call by diverting said incoming cellular call to voicemail and send a predefined text;

sense when said user of said cellular phone has touched said touchscreen with at least two touches in a predetermined sequence, the first touch occurring within a predetermined interval to indicate a desire to send said predefined text message to the caller who initiated said incoming cellular call; and

retrieve said predefined text message and send said predefined text message to said caller.

2. A subsystem for use in a cell phone having a system for providing auto-response options to respond to incoming texts and/or phone calls, comprising:

first circuitry including a display, a microprocessor controlled by an operating system of said cell phone and/or other software of said cell phone, said microprocessor controlling said display and audio circuitry including voice synthesis circuitry coupled to an audio CODEC which converts digital signals to analog sound signals which are fed to the input of an audio amplifier the output of which is coupled to a speaker and/or headphone output jack, said first circuitry functioning to receive notification of an incoming text or phone call including information identifying the sender of the text or the caller and to cause an audible announcement of the identity of said sender or caller to be made using said voice synthesis circuitry and causing a query to be posed to the user of said cell phone as to whether said user wants to auto-respond to the incoming text or call, said query posed to said user either audibly using said voice synthesis circuitry or visibly using a display of said cell phone controlled by said microprocessor and said operating system, or posed by both means; and

second circuitry including a keyboard or touchscreen display and a microprocessor controlled by an operating system of said cell phone and/or other software of said cell phone and which is controlled by said operating system to receive input from said keyboard or touchscreen display, said operating system and/or other software of said cell phone including voice recognition software which receives digital input signals from audio input circuitry including an audio CODEC coupled to an audio amplifier coupled to a microphone which picks up voice commands given by a user of said cell phone, said second circuitry functioning to receive one or more voice responses or one or more key presses on said keyboard or one or more touches of one or more predetermined areas of said touchscreen display as responses to said query, and process said one or more voice responses using said voice recognition software or analyze said one or more key which were pressed or analyze said one or more areas of said touchscreen display which were touched to determine when said user wishes to auto-respond to said incoming text or phone call or not, predetermined words or phrases spoken by said user or a press of a predetermined key or presses of a predetermined key sequence or a touch of a predetermined area or a predetermined sequence of touches of areas on said touchscreen display each being adjudged an affirmative response indicating a desire by the user to auto-respond to said incoming text or phone call.

3. A cell phone programmed to display an auto-response text message which can automatically be sent back to a caller or sender of an incoming text whenever an incoming cellular call is detected, and programmed to determine if a user of said cell phone touches one or more predetermined areas of a touchscreen of said cell phone three or more times in a predetermined sequence, said predetermined sequence including a requirement that at least the first two touches have to occur within predetermined intervals, and wherein said cell phone is programmed to interpret said predetermined sequence of touches as a command to send as an automated response to said incoming cellular call a predefined, user-selected text message to the caller who placed said incoming cellular call.

4. The cell phone of claim 3 wherein said cell phone is programmed, in response to an incoming cellular call and occurrence of said predetermined sequence of touches having occurred to display several predefined auto-response text messages which can be sent, each with an area of said touchscreen which, when touched, is interpreted by an operating system of said cell phone to be a command to send that particular auto-response text message as said predefined, user-selected text message.

5. A cell phone programmed to respond to an incoming text message by displaying a plurality of auto-response text messages, each auto-response text message displayed in a separate area of a touchscreen of said cell phone, and wherein said cell phone is programmed to interpret as a command to send whatever auto-response text message is touched in response to an incoming text message and display of said plurality of auto-response text message, said cell phone programmed to send whichever one of said auto-response text messages is touched in response to an incoming text message, and wherein said cell phone is further programmed to respond to an incoming cellular call by displaying a plurality of auto-response text messages, each auto-response text message displayed in a separate area of a touchscreen of said cell phone, and wherein said cell phone is programmed to interpret as a command to send whatever auto-response text message is touched in response to an incoming cellular call and further programmed to send whichever one of said auto-response text messages is touched in response to said incoming cellular call to the caller who placed said call.

6. A cell phone programmed to respond to an incoming text message by displaying an auto-response text messages which will be sent to the sender of said incoming text message when an auto-response is ordered by the user of said cell phone, said cell phone further programmed to audibly announce the identity of the sender of said incoming text message and display said identity on said touchscreen of said cell phone, and said cell phone further programmed to monitor for either an audible command to auto-respond by sending said auto-response text message or to determine when said user has touched said area of said touchscreen which said cell phone has been programmed to interpret as a command to send said auto-response text message, and when a command to send said auto-response text message is received, sending said auto-response text message to the sender of said incoming text message.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said cell phone is further programmed to display a plurality of possible predefined auto-response text messages which can be sent to the sender of an incoming text, each said auto-response text message having an area on said touchscreen which, when touched, said cell phone is programmed to interpret as a command to send that particular predefined text message as said auto-response text message, said cell phone further programmed to determine which auto-response text message area was touched and to said send as said auto-response text message to the sender of said incoming text message whichever predefined auto-response text message corresponds to the area of said touchscreen which was touched.