Method and apparatus for improved personal communication devices and systems

• US 7,310,416 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellect Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intellect Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Henderson, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US11/045,677
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/41.2, 455/414.1, 455/575, 455/90, 455/344, 455/351, 455/556
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile

Abstract

A system for adding or updating contact data in a wireless communication device, cellular telephone, pager or personal digital assistant (PDA) is shown. Contact data associated with actual or potential communicants may be entered into a database in the wireless communication device using a detachable input interface, a touch display, a personal computer or a wireless receiver. The contact data may include name, telephone number, fax number, address, email, image or sound data associated with actual or potential communicants. In one embodiment, data may be entered or modified from a detachable keyboard while viewing a cursor location that is presented within a small touch display in the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may include a cellular or paging link and can receive Caller ID data originating from the public switched telephone network over a wireless communication system.

Claims

1. A wireless portable communication device comprising:

a CPU;

a portable receiver operably coupled to receive a message from a message center over a wireless connection, the message including a non-facsimile picture supplied by the message originator and a caller ID automatically provided by a communications network that identifies the telephone number of the message originator, the message originator sending the caller ID with the picture to the message center, the portable receiver coupled to the CPU;

a memory that stores (1) Caller ID data received and (2) data associated with actual or potential communicants in a database, wherein the data represents at least one of;

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) address; and

,

d) picture information;

a small display coupled to and operable by the CPU that allows viewing data stored in memory that is associated with actual or potential communicants or received Caller ID data;

a connector; and

a detachable input interface that is releasably connected to the connector that is utilized to add or modify the stored data associated with actual or potential communicants.

2. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 that further includes a plurality of data fields maintained within the database that allows for entry or modification of data in the data fields at a cursor location that is presented within the display.

3. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the small display is a touch display.

4. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the small display includes a graphical user interface.

5. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 3 where the small touch display includes a graphical user interface.

6. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the data associated with actual or potential communicants is PIM data.

7. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the communications network includes a cellular system and the wireless portable communication device includes one of a cellular telephone device or a two-way communication device.

8. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the communications network includes a paging system and the wireless communication device is a pager.

9. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 that displays at least some of the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant and Caller ID data at the same time.

10. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 9 that displays at least some of the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant and Caller ID data at the same time and in response to receiving the Caller ID data from the wireless communication system.

11. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein the wireless portable communication device includes a personal digital assistant.

12. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 7 wherein the wireless personal communication device includes a personal digital assistant.

13. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 8 wherein the pager includes a personal digital assistant.

14. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where the connector is one of:

a) a serial interface;

b) a parallel interface; and

c) an infrared interface.

15. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 where at least one of (a) the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant or (b) Caller ID data received is used to generate a signal for the called party to return a call to an actual communicant.

16. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 7 wherein for the cellular telephone device or two way communication device at least one of (a) the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant or (b) Caller ID data received is used to generate a signal for the called party to return a call to an actual communicant.

17. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 8 wherein for the pager at least one of (a) the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant or (b) Caller ID data received is used to generate a signal for the called party to return a call to an actual communicant.

18. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein for the personal digital assistant at least one of (a) the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant or (b) Caller ID data received is used to generate a signal for the called party to return a call to an actual communicant.

19. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 13 wherein for the personal digital assistant at least one of (a) the stored data associated with an actual or potential communicant or (b) Caller ID data received is used to generate a signal for the called party to return a call to an actual communicant.

20. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein the stored data associated with a potential communicant is used to generate a signal to place a call.

21. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 7 wherein for the cellular telephone device or two-way communication device the stored data associated with a potential communicant is used to generate a signal to place a call.

22. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 8 wherein for the pager device the stored data associated with a potential communicant is used to generate a signal to place a call.

23. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein for the personal digital assistant the stored data associated with a potential communicant is used to generate a signal to place a call.

24. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein for the personal digital assistant the stored data associated with a potential communicant is used to generate a signal to place a call.

25. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein for the wireless portable communication device the detachable input interface is at least one of (a) a detachable keyboard and (b) a connection to a personal computer.

26. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein for the cellular telephone device or two-way communication device the detachable input interface is at least one of (a) a detachable keyboard and (b) a connection to a personal computer.

27. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 8 wherein for the pager device the detachable input interface is at least one of (a) a detachable keyboard and (b) a connection to a personal computer.

28. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein for the personal digital assistant the detachable input interface is at least one of (a) a detachable keyboard and (b) a connection to a personal computer.

29. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 13 wherein for the personal digital assistant the detachable input interface is at least one of (a) a detachable keyboard and (b) a connection to a personal computer.

30. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein the receiver may also receive a wireless signal containing data associated with actual or potential communicants, and wherein the data represents at least one of:

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) address;

d) e-mail address; and

,

e) image.

31. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 7 wherein for the cellular telephone device or two-way communication device the receiver may also receive a wireless signal containing data associated with actual or potential communicants, and wherein the data represents at least one of:

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) address;

d) e-mail address; and

,

e) image.

32. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 8 wherein for the pager device the receiver may also receive a wireless signal containing data associated with actual or potential communicants, and wherein the data represents at least one of:

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) calendar; and

,

d) sound picture information.

33. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein for the personal digital assistant the receiver may also receive a wireless signal containing data associated with actual or potential communicants, and wherein the data represents at least one of

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) calendar; and

,

d) picture information.

34. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 13 wherein for the personal digital assistant the receiver may also receive a wireless signal containing data associated with actual or potential communicants, and wherein the data represents at least one of:

a) telephone number;

b) name;

c) calendar; and

,

d) picture information.

35. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein the memory includes a portable data card.

36. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 7 wherein the memory includes a portable data card.

37. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein the memory includes a portable data card.

38. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 12 wherein the memory includes a portable data card.

39. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 13 wherein the memory includes a portable data card.

40. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 1 wherein data associated with an actual or potential communicant is entered or updated in response to a prompt that a person is not listed in the database stored in the personal communication device.

41. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 2 wherein data associated with an actual or potential communicant is entered or updated in response to a prompt that a person is not listed in the database stored in the personal communication device.

42. A method of periodically updating a database in a two-way wireless personal communication device, comprising:

initiating a message from a message originator to a message recipient under the control of the message originator;

receiving at a message center coupled to a communications network both message originator information provided automatically by the communications network as the caller ID identifying the telephone number of the message originator, and a non-facsimile picture obtained from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to a wireless portable communication device;

causing the communications network to wirelessly transmit the caller ID and the picture from the message center to the wireless portable communication device;

creating, maintaining and storing in memory of a computing device updated and/or new database information including at least one of name, telephone number, address and calendar data associated with potential communicants;

transmitting from the computing device to a two-way wireless personal communication device the updated and/or new database information using a two-way wireless communication system; and

receiving and storing in memory of the two-way wireless personal communication device the updated and/or new database information.

43. A wireless portable communication device for use by a message recipient for receiving a picture from a message originator having a telephone number, comprising:

a receiver operably coupled to receive a message from a message center over a wireless connection, the message including a non-facsimile picture supplied by the message originator with a caller ID automatically provided by a communications network that identifies the telephone number of the message originator;

a memory that stores caller ID data received and a received picture;

a display for displaying the received picture and the received caller ID; and

a controller operably coupled to display data that is stored in memory.

44. A wireless portable communication device as in claim 43 wherein the memory stores data associated with actual or potential message originators and further including:

a connector operably coupled to the memory and to the controller; and

a detachable input interface that is releasably connected to the connector that is utilized to add or modify the stored data associated with actual or potential message originators.