Wireless communication device with automatic destination telephone number validity checking

• US 6,256,516 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Herman, Jeffrey, Jellinek, Herbert, Booker, Susan, Wagner, Annette
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Application Number:
  US09/405,818
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 455/564, 455/565, 455/566, 455/550, 455/419, 455/462, 379/354, 379/355
• US Class Current: 455/565
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A portable telephone provides a graphical user interface (GUI) using a high-resolution display. The GUI provides a Universal Mailbox for storing both electronic mail and voicemail messages, either of which can be accessed by a user from the same display screen. An automatic reply feature allows a user to initiate an outgoing reply to a received message with the touch of a button. For a reply to a voicemail message, the GUI accesses Caller ID information to automatically identify and dial out to the phone number of the sender of the original message. For an electronic mail reply, the GUI automatically displays a reply form addressed to the source address. Reply forms may be generic, custom designed for a specific source address, or provided by the sender. An advanced call control feature automatically checks a destination telephone number against a database to determine whether the phone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called . Alternative or more-appropriate phone numbers may be retrieved from the database and suggested to the user. An animated call duration indicator indicates the length of telephone calls. A ticker-tape display automatically displays scrolled text messages according to the context of what the user is doing.

Claims

1. In a wireless hand-held telephone communication device, a method of processing outgoing telephone calls, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user inputs for initiating an outgoing call, the user inputs specifying a destination telephone number of a party to be called;

in response to the user inputs, automatically referencing the destination telephone number against a profile of the party to be called to determine whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called; and

outputting a message to the user of the device according to whether the destination telephone number is determined to be currently appropriate for the party to be called, wherein said outputting comprises outputting an alternate telephone number for the party to be called if the destination telephone number is determined not to be currently appropriate for the party to be called.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of outputting a message to a user according to whether the destination telephone number is determined to be currently appropriate for the party to be called comprises the step of outputting the message prior to executing the outgoing call.

3. A method according to claim 2, the method further comprising the steps of waiting for a second user input before executing the call, wherein the second user input is in response to the outputting of the message.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the profile is included in a database maintaining a plurality of telephone numbers for a corresponding plurality of parties and a set of times for which each of the telephone numbers is appropriate for the corresponding party.

5. A method of enabling a wireless hand-held telephone communication device to process outgoing telephone calls, the method comprising the step of transmitting sequences of instructions from a host processing system to the communication device, the sequences of instructions including instructions which, when executed on the communication device, cause the portable communication device to perform the method recited in claim 1.

6. A portable telephone comprising:

means for receiving user inputs for initiating an outgoing call, the user inputs specifying a destination telephone number of a party to be called;

means for accessing a database to determine if the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called, the database including a set of telephone numbers and a set of times for which each of the telephone numbers is appropriate for a corresponding party to be called; and

means for outputting a message to a user of the telephone according to whether the destination telephone number is determined to be currently appropriate for the party to be called, wherein said outputting comprises outputting an alternate telephone number for the party to be called if the destination telephone number is determined not to be currently appropriate for the party to be called.

7. A portable telephone according to claim 6, further comprising:

a display device; and

means for generating a graphical user interface using the display device.

8. A wireless telephone communication device comprising:

an input control;

a transceiver to send and receive telephone calls; and

control circuitry coupled to the input control and the transceiver, wherein the control circuitry is configured;

to recognize user inputs applied at the input control for initiating an outgoing call, the user inputs including inputs specifying a destination telephone number of a party to be called,

to respond to the user inputs by determining whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called, and

to output a message to a user of the device according to whether the destination telephone number is determined to be currently appropriate for the party to be called, including outputting an alternate telephone number for the party to be called if the destination telephone number is determined not to be currently appropriate for the party to be called.

9. A wireless telephone communication device according to claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called based on a time at which the outgoing call is initiated.

10. A wireless telephone communication device according to claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called by referencing the destination telephone number against a database, the database maintaining a plurality of telephone numbers and a set of times for which each of the telephone numbers is valid for a corresponding party.

11. A wireless telephone communication device according to claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is further configured:

to wait for a response to the message from the user of the device; and

to execute the call using the alternate telephone number in response to receiving second user input from the user of the device, wherein the second user input is responsive to the message.

12. In a wireless hand-held telephone communication device, a method of processing outgoing telephone calls, the method comprising:

receiving user inputs from a user of the device, the user inputs for initiating an outgoing call, the user inputs specifying a destination telephone number of a party to be called;

in response to the user inputs, automatically referencing the destination telephone number against a profile of the party to be called to determine whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called, the profile containing one or more telephone numbers of the party to be called and one or more time periods for which each said telephone number is appropriate;

if the destination telephone number is determined not to be currently appropriate for the party to be called based on the profile, determining whether the profile contains an alternate telephone number that is currently appropriate for the party to be called;

if the profile contains an alternate telephone number that is currently appropriate for the party to be called, then outputting a message to the user of the device prior to executing the outgoing call, the message including the alternate telephone number and indicating that the alternate telephone number currently may be more appropriate than the destination telephone number for the party to be called;

waiting for a response to the message from the user of the device;

executing the outgoing call using the destination telephone number if an input accepting the alternate telephone number is not received from the user of the device within a timeout period; and

executing the outgoing call using the alternate telephone number if an input accepting the alternate telephone number is received from the user of the device within a timeout period.

13. A wireless telephone communication device comprising:

an input control;

a display device;

a transceiver for sending and receiving telephone calls; and

control circuitry coupled to the input control and the transceiver, wherein the control circuitry is configured;

to recognize user inputs applied at the input control by a user of the communication device, for initiating an outgoing call, the user inputs including inputs specifying a destination telephone number of a party to be called;

to respond to the user inputs by automatically referencing the destination telephone number against a profile of the party to be called to determine whether the destination telephone number is currently appropriate for the party to be called, the profile containing one or more telephone numbers of the party to be called and one or more time periods for which each said telephone number is appropriate;

to determine whether the profile contains an alternate telephone number that is currently appropriate for the party to be called, if the destination telephone number is determined not to be currently appropriate for the party to be called based on the profile;

to output a message on the display device to the user prior to executing the outgoing call, if the profile contains an alternate telephone number that is currently appropriate for the party to be called, the message including the alternate telephone number and indicating that the alternate telephone number currently may be more appropriate than the destination telephone number for the party to be called;

to wait for a response to the message from the user;

to execute the outgoing call using the destination telephone number if an input accepting the alternate telephone number is not received from the user of the device within a timeout period; and

to execute the outgoing call using the alternate telephone number if an input accepting the alternate telephone number is received from the user of the device within a timeout period.