Alphabetic telephone

Details Alphabetic telephone Alphabetic telephone

2001-08-31

2004-06-29

Chiang, Jack (Department: 2642)

Telephonic communications

Terminal

Housing or housing component

C379S433060, C379S368000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06757388

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present subject matter relates: generally to telephones possessing dynamic memory repertory call signal generation (379/356); more particularly to such telephones further capable of transmitting digital message signals over a telephone line and having a visual display (379/93.17); and most particularly to such telephones (379/356 & 93.17) further possessing the capability of alphabetic character generation in addition to numeric character generation with a conventional, twelve key, keypad augmented by four additional function keys.
II. Prior Art
Telephones are considered to be well known devices which permit spoken conversation between remotely located individual persons utilizing conversion of voice, i.e. audio waves, to electricity and vice versa. Each conversation relies upon a ‘line’ connection between at least two telephonic devices each identified by a ‘telephone number’ or code. Initiation of a ‘telephone call’ hence requires entrance of the code identifying the device desired and a keypad possessing twelve keys is typically provided on each telephone for this purpose. Keypads are considered to be well known particularly for generation of numeric characters, or numerics for sake of brevity, upon a variety of devices including calculators and telephones.
It is noted that prior to the prevalence of digital technology telephones typically were equipped with dials possessing ten different radially spaced apertures determining the length of an analog tone corresponding to the ten digits 0-9. The typical modern twelve key keypad commonly found on digital telephones today is recognized as a descendent of this previous analog dial and the source of the term ‘dial tone’ which is heard when a telephone is activated for use and which indicates that a serviceable connection to a public branch exchange (PBX) has been activated and that entrance of a valid telephone number will ‘ring’ another telephonic device identified by that number if operably connected to that or another PBX.
The standard twelve key telephone keypad has three columns and four rows with the uppermost or first row comprised of the numeric digits 1-3, the second row comprised of the numeric digits 4-6, the third 7-9 and the last or bottom row ‘*’, ‘0’ & ‘#’. Each of these twelve characters is typically printed upon one key with the numbers 2-9 further having three English alphabetic characters, i.e. letters, printed upon or proximate the key concerned beginning with ‘ABC’ below the ‘2’ key and ending with ‘WXY’ below the ‘9’ key wherein the letters ‘Q’ and ‘Z’ are omitted and the ‘0’ key is reserved for ‘operator’.
The ‘*’ and ‘#’ keys or asterisk and number keys are more commonly known as ‘star’ and ‘pound’ keys. Star is used as a commonly recognized symbol and pound, a quaint designation of the old English and only currently American unit of weight, is utilized to distinguish this key from the actual numbers represented by other keys. The original purpose of the ‘star’ and ‘pound’ keys is unknown to the present author but for present purposes this is unimportant. Each of these keys is now utilized as a ‘function’ key in that each generates a digital ‘tone’ or signal which can be interpreted in any variety of ways by any system. ‘*’ and ‘#’ keys are, in other words, wild cards which can signify anything desired and which are generally recognized as being useful for signalling the termination of a code comprised of a series of numeric signals generated by the other keys.
The alphabetic characters associated with the numerics 2-9 also derive from a now archaic system from the earlier analog age whereby the ‘exchange’ comprised of the first three numbers of the old, local, seven digit United States system was selected on the basis of the name of a locality. For any given city or other essentially regional PBX possessing and identified by the same ‘area code’ or the first three digits of the still current, though its days are numbered, ten digit number system utilized in the United States, individual localities or neighborhoods were commonly known by names reflected in the ‘exchange’ number. These alphabetic characters where hence intended as an aid in remembering multiple digit telephone numbers, and are today used by many as an aid in remembering personal identification numbers (PINs). These alphabetic characters were intended to support the use of mnemonics: to assist people in remembering numbers by association with names which were and are still today considered more easily remembered than numbers.
It is for this reason that, even today in the ‘digital age’, manually inscribed directories in which names are alphabetically organized are considered a commonplace. ‘Electronic organizers’ with dynamic memory, visual displays, and alphanumeric keyboards are also a commonplace but the fact remains that the device, which for present purposes is the digital equivalent to a manually inscribed directory or address book, is another device which is separate from a telephone. And it is recognized that the presently concerned subject matter requires certain attributes of an electronic organizer including dynamic memory for variable input of names and telephone numbers in a directory, a visual display, and a key input device capable of generating alphabetic and numeric characters.
The electronic organizer, however, possesses an alphanumeric keypad with a greater number of keys than is generally considered desirable on a telephone. Portable ‘laptop’ computers are also known which further possess the capability of sending digital messages over telephone lines, even through a radio frequency (RF) connection in the manner of a portable RF telephone. However, a telephone, in contrast to electronic organizers or laptop computers, primarily supports voice derived signal communication in transmission and reception with telephonic addresses being obtained with a numeric series code, i.e. a ‘telephone number’, and does not readily accommodate an alphanumeric keyboard owing to physical dimensional restrictions.
A conventional telephonic keypad, as discussed above, has only twelve keys. Modern ‘cellular’ RF telephones, wherein the ‘cell’ is the area encompassed by an RF transponder, are commonly equipped with more than twelve keys but invariably still possess a basic twelve key keypad possessing the numerics 0-9, and the two symbols ‘#’, and ‘*’ which function in the manner expected in telephonic communications digital or otherwise. Additional keys are provided for power state, commencing transmission, commencing reception, and other functions essential to operation. A visual display of the ‘telephone number’ being entered for transmission is also a common attribute of portable RF telephones and this feature further readily accommodates visual display of an incoming ‘telephone number’ prior to ‘picking up’ or commencing reception. The conventional twelve key numeric keypad, however, is inherently unsuited to alphabetic character generation as the alphabetic characters thereupon were only intended in support of mnemonics.
As mentioned earlier the conventional twelve key telephonic keypad omits the letters ‘Q’ and ‘Z’. It is considered that even with correction of this defect with addition of these characters to the ‘1’ key, for example, with a mode change accomplished by stroking the ‘*’ key and entrance with stroking of the ‘#’ key the fact that three alphabetic characters are associated with most of the keys requires entrance of three separate strokes of each key to generate the third character. This arrangement, moreover, is considered typical of current alphabetic character generation with a conventional twelve key keypad. Aside from any other disadvantage presented by the conventional telephonic keypad using the basic alphabetic designation thereupon three separate keystrokes for the generation of a single alphabetic character is simply considered excessively awkward in operation.
In deference to this inherent difficulty current portable RF telephones with a

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