Method and apparatus to implement themes for a handheld device

• US 20060173911A1
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syniverse ICX LLC
• Original Assignee: Syniverse ICX Corp. (Syniverse Corp.)
• Inventors: Swinton, William G., Levin, Bruce Jay
• Granted Patent: US 7,571,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the delivery, administration and application of themes to a cellular telephone device. The apparatus, in one embodiment, comprises an inbox to receive a multimedia message (MM) containing a theme, a filing logic to place the MM in a themes folder, a themes folder available to the user to browse the theme MMs, and a client-side application to apply the theme to the user'"'"'s cellular telephone device. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes notification logic to notify a web page associated with the user to change its display to match the theme applied by the user to the cellular telephone device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a multimedia message (MM) from an MMSC;

identifying the MM message as a themes MM; and

automatically filing the MM in a theme folder in the user'"'"'s inbox.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a theme folder, if a theme folder is not already present on the user'"'"'s system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting the user to browse the MM messages in the theme folder using the same user interface mechanism as for regular MM messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each MM message includes a representative theme image, to enable to the user to visually identify the theme associated with the MM message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a representative image for the theme MM, and adding the representative image to the visible message header.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the theme type, wherein the theme type includes a static theme, a rotating theme, and a dynamic theme; and

in a visible message header associated with the theme message, indicating the theme type.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the user selects a theme MM, applying the theme to the user'"'"'s device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the user applies a theme, sending a message to a web interface to cause the web interface to apply a corresponding theme.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a theme folder if the theme folder does not already exist.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing a theme message after it expires.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

deleting the theme folder, if there are no theme messages in the theme folder.

12. A handheld device capable of supporting themes, the handheld device comprising:

an inbox for receiving multimedia messages, the inbox including a theme folder for theme messages; and

a filing logic to automatically file theme messages in the theme folder.

13. A handheld device capable of supporting themes, the handheld device comprising:

a receiving logic to receive a theme;

a theme client to install the theme onto the handheld device; and

a messaging logic to send a message to a web interface associated with the handheld device to trigger the web interface to add a corresponding theme.

14. The handheld device of claim 13, further comprising:

a filing logic to place a multimedia message encompassing the theme in a theme folder in the user'"'"'s inbox.