Integrated mobile phone ring scheduler

• US 7,953,453 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boyd, Martha Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US12/025,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/401, 455/456.1, 379/82
• US Class Current: 455/567
• 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 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

A mobile telephone comprises a ringer to provide an audible alert of an incoming telephone call. The mobile telephone has a ringer control schedule. The ringer control schedule indicates times at which a parameter of the ringer is to change. The mobile telephone further comprises a ringer controller to automatically change the parameter of the ringer according to the ringer control schedule.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising:

a transceiver to receive incoming telephone calls;

a ringer to provide an audible alert of the incoming telephone calls according to a parameter;

a ringer controller to automatically set the parameter of the ringer to a value of a parameter indication of a day-time instance in a ringer control schedule, the ringer control schedule indicating a plurality of successive day-time instances, each day-time instance including the parameter indication that is set to one value of a plurality of values; and

a control to instruct the ringer controller to override the automatically set parameter of the ringer to another value,

wherein the ringer controller is adapted to automatically set the parameter of the ringer by matching a day and time of an incoming call to a day-time instance of the ringer control schedule on a call-by-call basis.

2. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein each of the day-time instances further includes a day of a week and a time of the day.

3. The mobile telephone of claim 2, wherein the ringer control schedule includes at least two successive day-time instances for a day of a week, a first successive day-time instance including a first time of a first day and the parameter indication that is set to a first value of the plurality of values and a second successive day-time instance including a second time of the first day and the parameter indication that is set to a second value of the plurality of values.

4. The mobile telephone of claim 3, wherein the first value indicates the parameter of the ringer is to be set to off and the second value indicates that the parameter of the ringer is to be set to on.

5. The mobile telephone of claim 2, wherein the ringer control schedule includes one day-time instance for a day of a week, the one day-time instance including a time of a day and the parameter indication that is set to a null value.

6. The mobile telephone of claim 5, wherein the null value indicates the parameter of the ringer is not to be set for the day of the week.

7. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the value of the parameter of the ringer indicates one of turning the ringer off, turning the ringer on, changing a ring tone, and changing a ring volume.

8. The mobile telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device;

a user input device; and

a ringer schedule interface adapted to receive at least part of the ringer control schedule via the user input device, the ringer schedule interface further adapted to display at least a part of the ringer control schedule via the display device.

9. The mobile telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface to an external device; and

a ringer schedule interface adapted to receive at least part of the ringer control schedule from the external device via the interface.

10. The mobile telephone of claim 9, wherein the interface is one of a wireless interface and a wired interface.

11. A machine-readable medium including instructions executable by the machine to control a mobile telephone, the machine-readable medium causing the machine to:

receive incoming telephone calls via a transceiver;

provide via a ringer an audible alert of the incoming telephone calls according to a parameter;

automatically set the parameter of the ringer to a value of a parameter indication of a day-time instance in a ringer control schedule, the ringer control schedule indicating a plurality of successive day-time instances, each day-time instance including the parameter indication that is set to one value of a plurality of values; and

override the automatically set parameter of the ringer to another value,

wherein the parameter of the ringer is automatically set by matching a day and time of an incoming call to a day-time instance of the ringer control schedule on a call-by-call basis.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the day-time instances further includes a day of a week and a time of the day.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the ringer control schedule includes at least two successive day-time instances for a day of a week, a first successive day-time instance including a first time of a first day and the parameter indication that is set to a first value of the plurality of values and a second successive day-time instance including a second time of the first day and the parameter indication that is set to a second value of the plurality of values.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first value indicates the parameter of the ringer is to be set to off and the second value indicates that the parameter of the ringer is to be set to on.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the ringer control schedule includes one day-time instance for a day of a week, the one day-time instance including a time of a day and the parameter indication that is set to a null value.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the null value indicates the parameter of the ringer is not to be set for the day of the week.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the value of the parameter of the ringer indicates one of turning the ringer off, turning the ringer on, changing a ring tone, and changing a ring volume.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions causing the machine to receive at least part of the ringer control schedule via a user input device and to display at least a part of the ringer control schedule via a display device and further comprising instructions causing the machine to receive at least part of the ringer control schedule from an external device via an interface.