Communication network terminal supporting a plurality of applications

• US 6,370,389 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Miettunen, Juhani, Nykanen, Petri, Gustafsson, Patrik, Isomursu, Pekka, Lehtonen, Arto, Lietsalmi, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/183,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/556, 455/557, 455/466, 455/31.3, 455/38.1, 455/186.1, 455/575, 455/412, 455/413, 455/414, 379/216, 379/354, 379/355, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 379/93.23, 379/90.01, 379/93.09, 709/206, 709/218, 709/332, 709/337, 709/313, 709/317, 709/319, 709/329, 345/300, 345/334, 345/339, 345/352, 345/351, 235/375, 376/311, 376/318, 376/320, 376/349, 359/172, 359/159
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• 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: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a terminal (1) for a communication network, the terminal being capable of supporting a plurality of applications (17, 18) and having means of communicating user messages. The terminal comprises means for receiving user messages having data and a header relating to one of the applications (17, 18) and means (8) for addressing the data to a respective application according to the header. In an embodiment the user messages are short messages and the data comprises characters in the short message.

Claims

1. A method of transferring electronic business cards between a first device and a second device, the second device being remote from the first device, and the first device being one of a mobile station of a mobile communications network, and of a computer having a connection to the mobile communications network, and the second device being another mobile station of the mobile communications network, the method comprising:

retrieving an electronic business card from a business card application of the first device, said business card application containing a plurality of electronic business cards each having a number of data fields, said electronic business card having at least a name as one of the data fields and a phone number as another one of the data fields;

transmitting said business card to the second device via the mobile communications network; and

storing the received business card in a corresponding business card application of the second device, and using at the second device the name and the phone number of the received electronic business card to short dial.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data fields are separated by field separators which can be recognized by the second device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic business card has at least a name as one of the data fields and a phone number as another one of the data fields.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting said business card in a user message.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the user message includes an identifier identifying the message as an electronic business card.

6. A mobile station of a mobile communications network, the mobile station having means for wireless communication over the mobile communications network, the mobile station comprising:

a memory for storing electronic business cards each having a number of data fields,

means for sending one of the electronic business cards via the mobile communications network,

means for receiving an electronic business card via the mobile communications network and for storing received electronic business cards in the memory,

wherein at least one of said received electronic business cards has at least a name as one of the data fields and a phone number as another one of the data fields, and

means for using the name and the phone number of the at least one of said received electronic business cards to short dial.

7. A mobile station according to claim 6, and further comprising means for sending said electronic business card in a user message.

8. A mobile station according to claim 7, wherein said user message is one of a short message, a message according to the standardized SMS message, a message according to the standardized R data field message, a message according to the standardized USSD message, a message according to the standardized SOC message, and a message according to a wireless packet radio service.

9. A mobile station according to claim 6, wherein said user message comprises ASCII characters.

10. A mobile station according to claim 6, wherein said user message comprises an identifier identifying said user message as an electronic business card.