Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-19
2001-03-06
Le, Thanh Cong (Department: 2749)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S566000, C455S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198939
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The invention is related to man-machine interfaces with menu structures supporting various functions and in particular facilitating user interaction with the menu structure for setting or activating functions associated with handheld or cellular mobile phones through use of the menu structures.
As mobile phones have become increasingly complex, a great number of additional features have been included with mobile phones giving users an increased number of options and capabilities for use with their phones. A mobile phone herein after refers to any portable radio communication equipment such as mobile stations, communicators, so called electronic organizers or the like. In order to activate any function associated with the phone, it is typically necessary for a user to push a series of buttons on the phone in order to set or activate the desired function. Alternatively, some phones are provided with displays having menus that require the user to make a number of selections by stepping through a number of menu layers in order to find and set the desired function.
Menus are typically hierarchical containing various levels of associated functions. When using the menu in mobile phones to activate or set a function, it is possible to step through the menu by pressing arrow keys, or the like, for functions in the same level and <YES> or <NO> between the levels, for example. It should be noted that mobile phones with a graphical display typically present the top level of the menu through the use of icons, or the like. An example of such a mobile phone with graphically display menu is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,656.
However, with the increasing number and variety of functions provided in association with mobile phones, it is often impossible for a user to keep track of or even know all of the functions that are associated with any particular phone. As a result, if the user wishes to utilize a function that is unfamiliar, the user must carefully search and read through an extensive operator's manual or attempt to use the function from memory through a series attempts by pushing buttons or activating menu screens through trial and error. Furthermore, it is often impossible for novice users to even be aware of all functions or capabilities of the phone that can be accessed through the menu structure associated with the phone.
Also, new and experienced users both may have difficulty in remembering how certain functions are denoted and accessed because different companies may use slightly different names for commands and functions associated with their phones. For example, if a user wishes to have incoming calls transferred to another phone when the user's phone is busy, the user would want to know if this function is provided by their particular mobile phone and if so how to activate it. In this situation a user must either refer to the operator's manual or rely on previous experience. User interviews illustrate that the common user is normally reluctant to “look things up” in a reference manual and, as a result, many of the phone's features are not used and the mobile phone's capabilities are not exploited to their fullest extent.
Additionally, even if a user is familiar with a function it is often difficult for the user to remember the exact position of every function in the hierarchy of levels of the menus. This requires the user to step through a number of menus by trial and error to find the desired function.
Even if the user is familiar with the location of a function within the menu structure, in order to activate the function the user must still step through a number or series of menus in order to reach and set the desired function. This can be frustrating to a user of a mobile phone with a large number of functions, requiring the user to spend an undue amount of time to set or change the desired functions. This can also lead to functions going unused and result in the mobile phone being used in less than an optimal manner.
SUMMARY
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve and facilitate overall use of mobile phone functions.
It is another object of the invention to allow the user to use desired features and functions of the phone quickly and reduce the overall number of entries or steps needed to activate or use any particular feature, function, or command.
It is a further object of the present invention to allow a user of a phone to easily locate and set desired functions of the phone regardless of whether the user remembers how to use or activate the desired functions.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the foregoing and other objects are accomplished through implementation of a man-machine interface (MMI) help and search tool in association with a menu structure and selection capability.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile phone and more specifically the MMI are provided with a help search function to instruct the user how to find, activate, or select a desired function of the phone by placing the mobile phone in a “search-mode”. According to this embodiment, the help function is implemented through a search feature allowing the user, for example when the phone is powered on, or, after a change of the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), to enter a command or, alternatively a question can be displayed to the user such as, “Do you wish to search for a command?” The user may now search for any and all commands regarding a specific subject of interest to the user.
According to this embodiment an intelligent search tool is provided in the phone such that various commands and features can be identified through a user entry for a specific command or may also implement a search based on various comparison abilities to provide listings and instructions for any number of series of related commands in a specific subject area. When the user has found the desired command the search tool can point out how the command may be accessed and activated and also provide for the user to automatically go to that menu or execute that command if the user wishes to. According to an exemplary embodiment the search tool can easily be accessed from any number of menus for example, via a hard or soft button. According to this solution, the search tool enables new as well as experienced users to access functions of the phone in a fast and convenient manner even if the user is unfamiliar with the phone in question.
In addition, according to another exemplary embodiment, an improved menu access structure is provided in which the key pad of a mobile is used in the search mode to enter the initials of the functions as a search approach for finding the desired function quickly. According to an exemplary embodiment, by pressing a button, for example, a clear button, (or in the case of an idle mode use of volume keys on the side of the mobile phone by pressing the up or down button) the mobile phone can be placed in the search-mode. Accordingly, the user does not need to remember the exact position or function names of functions in the menu structure in order to access or use a certain function. In addition, the number of buttons or entries needed to find the functions in the menu is reduced resulting in faster access of the menu functions and increased user friendliness and satisfaction.
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Holmström Tomas
Isberg Johanna
Mahini Hassan
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Cong Le Thanh
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
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