Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-04
2001-07-17
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262735
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for utilizing information contained in a character-based message in a device comprising several applications. Correspondingly the invention relates to a device for handling applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A function is prior known from the user interface of a mobile telephone, by using which function a telephone number can be picked from a received text message to the display of the mobile telephone, after which pushing a Call-button (Send button, lift handset) activates a call to said telephone number. As an example of this it is assumed that a short-message arrives to a mobile telephone, which message contains a telephone number, for example:
Message in answering machine (1 speech, 0 fax)
Call +358-50-555 123456
In such a case for example using Nokia 2110 mobile telephone said message can be read in the display of the telephone and the menu comprises command “Pick number”, after which in response to this command, an application locates the number from within the message, copies it to the memory means, clears the display and pastes said telephone number from the memory means into the display, in which case the display shows only the telephone number, i.e.
+358-50-555 123456
to which a call can be activated by pushing the Call-key. The problem of this existing function is however that it only operates when calling numbers are to be picked from text messages.
Nowadays such so called communicators are known which, in addition to conventional mobile telephone functions, include a data processing section facilitating e.g. maintaining a calendar, sending a facsimile message and transmitting E-mail and for example the browsing of WWW-pages (World Wide Web). An example of such a device is Nokia 9000 Communicator. Also conventional mobile telephones are beginning to include several applications.
Such a device comprises several different applications (such as listed above) and facilitates contacting a certain address over several different applications and it facilitates entering data into the different applications. In such a case it is possible to send information relating to different applications using text messages. The user of a communicator may receive for example a message as follows: “Meeting next Friday at 13 o'clock in room Red. The location of the room can be familiarized with on; URL address. Call +358 3 123 4567 if the time does not suite you.”
Having received the message the user of a communicator performs a number of task steps using his device, for example as follows:
1) Opens a calendar application
2) Selects the date of next Friday
3) Checks whether time 13:00 is free
4) If the time is suitable, the user returns to the text message application in order to read the contents of the text message
5) Copies the URL-address (Uniform Resource Locator) from the text to the clipboard
6) Opens a WWW-page browser
7) Pastes the URL-address from the clipboard to the URL-box of the WWW-page browser
8) Initiates a connection to the URL-address and after receiving the WWW-page on a page of the device, reads the location information.
Alternatively, step 3) is followed by steps 4a)-8a) instead of steps 4)-8):
4a) If the time is not suitable, the user returns to the text message application to read the contents of the message
5a) Copies the telephone number (+358 3 123 4567) to the clipboard
6a) Opens the telephone application
7a) Pastes the telephone number to a number to be called-field
8a) Initiates a call (for example using Call-button)
In this way the user of such a device has to perform quite a number of operations if a received text-message contains information relating to different applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Now such a device and a method has been invented, with which the utilizing of information from a character-based message relating to different applications is made more convenient compared with the above. The invention relates to a device which is capable of supporting several different applications and which is capable of receiving and displaying different character-based messages and which device has means for searching certain character combinations in a character-based message and means for recognizing character combinations connected with the different applications in said character-based message, which message may comprise character combinations connected with several different applications, and means for activating or launching an application determined by a certain character combination contained in said message, based upon said character combination and for executing the command connected with said character combination in the activated application.
The search of a character combination in a device according to the invention is realized preferably in such a way that the user of the device is allowed to move the cursor in said character-based message, said character-based message has preferably been divided into different lines, in which case the line is searched on which the cursor is at the moment, and a combination connected with any of the applications is searched for. The search can be limited to concern only a certain number of characters around the cursor, for example 10 characters to the left and to the right of the cursor. It is possible to proceed in such a way when it is assumed that the user recognizes said application-specific character combinations in a message, i.e. the user is expected to set the cursor on said character combination, in which case the device (the program in it) registers the character combination by reading the surroundings of the cursor.
The executing of the command determined by a character combination is performed in a device according to the invention preferably in such a way that the user tells the program that the user wants the command menu to be displayed, in which case the program at first performs the above presented search of the character combination and adds the command based upon the character combination found the search to the command menu, after which the command menu is brought in the display for viewing by the user, from which menu the user can select a command to be executed. When the user does this, the program activates the application determined by the command and executes the function according to the command in the activated application.
The invention preferably relates to a device suited for mobile communication comprising or being capable of supporting several different applications, comprising for example both communication applications (such as call, facsimile, E-mail) and organizer applications (such as address information, calendar, memo (notepad)) and in which communication device a program automatically picks from a character-based message, stored in the device or arriving to it, certain information in order to be used as a command in another application. Such commands can be for example a call to a certain telephone number, a facsimile transmission to a certain telephone number, sending of electronic mail to a certain address, checking or updating of a calendar at a certain date and time.
A character-based message means in this context a message which is displayed to the user in characters. Thus the invention comprises messages formed of ASCII-characters, and facsimile messages formed graphically, for example as a bit map, which all in any case can be shown to the user, for example in a display, in characters.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method for utilizing, in a device having several different applications, information contained in a character-based message, which method comprises
receiving a character-based message,
displaying the message to the user, the method being characterized in that it comprises
allowing the user to point out a position in the message,
searching for a certain character combination in the message in the proximity of the position pointed out by the user,
upon finding the character combination, detecting the usability, in one of
Bayerl Raymond J.
Hailu Tadesse
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
Perman & Green LLP
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