WO2001041406A1

WO2001041406A1 - Method and apparatus for visually identifying incoming communications on a communication device

Info

Publication number: WO2001041406A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/032670
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jason B. Kenagy; Jonathan J. Tyler
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 1999-12-01
Filing date: 2000-11-30
Publication date: 2001-06-07
Also published as: WO2001041406A9; AU1938101A

Abstract

A communication receiver for identifying an incoming calling group, and a method of identifying a caller making an incoming call to a receiver in a communication system, are disclosed. The communication receiver includes a communication receiver, and a visual display which is responsively connected to the communication receiver, wherein the visual display displays thereon at least one indicator in response to an incoming call on the communication receiver. Each indicator uniquely corresponds to one call group. The method includes receiving an incoming call at the communication telephone, receiving information based on a generation point of the incoming call, checking for a correspondence between the received information and a list of known information stored at the receiver, and indicating, at a visual interface, the correspondence.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VISUALLY IDENTIFYING INCOMING COMMUNICATIONS ON A COMMUNICATION

DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to telephone caller identification and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for visually identifying incoming calls on a telephone.

Description of the Background

Caller identification is the most important element in allowing a telephone user to prioritize and screen telephone calls. Without caller identification, calls originating from parties with whom the user does not wish to speak, or calls received from an outside party while a user awaits an important call from a second outside party, will severely hamper the user's ability to make effective use of the telephone.

In order to provide caller identification, units which display the incoming number, and units which provide audio tones signifying the origin of the incoming call, have been introduced. However, such units are not useful where the user does not remember the telephone number of every possible incoming caller, in the case of a number display unit, or is hearing impaired or lacks the ability to differentiate between closely related audio tones, in the case of an audio tone unit.

Therefore, the need exists for a caller identification unit that identifies callers using only visual signals, and which does not require a user to recollect the telephone number of every possible incoming caller. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a communication device, for example, a telephone, for identifying an incoming call by an originating group, including a telephone receiver, and a visual display which is responsively connected to the telephone receiver, wherein the visual display displays thereon at least one indicator in response to an incoming call on the telephone receiver. Each indicator uniquely corresponds to one originating group, and each indicator may be at least two LEDs, a flashing pattern, or a graphical icon. The present invention also includes a method of identifying a caller making an incoming call to a receiver telephone in a telephone system. The method includes receiving an incoming call at the receiver, for example, a telephone, receiving information based on a generation point of the incoming call, checking for a correspondence between the received information and a list of known information stored at the receiver telephone, and indicating, at a visual interface, the correspondence.

The present invention solves problems experienced with the prior art because it provides a caller identification unit that identifies callers using only visual signals, and which does not require a user to recollect the telephone number of every possible incoming caller. Further, where large graphical icons are used, the present invention allows a user to recognize the origin of an incoming call from a great distance from the telephone unit. Those and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the present invention to be clearly understood and readily practiced, the present invention will be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a communication device for visually identifying an incoming call by its originating group; FIG. 1A is a schematic illustrating a specific embodiment of a communication device for visually identifying an incoming call by its originating group; and

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the method of identifying incoming calls in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements found in a typical telephone system. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are desirable and /or required in order to implement the present invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein. Further, although described herein for use in a telephone system, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other forms of communication devices, such as pagers, may also benefit from the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a communication device, such as a telephone 10, for visually identifying an incoming communication by its originating group. The telephone 10 includes a telephone receiver 12 and a visual interface 14. The telephone receiver 12 is of the type commonly used in the art. The telephone receiver 12 may be placed into a telephone base 16 when the receiver 12 is not in use, or is awaiting an incoming call, and the base 16 may be included as part of the telephone 10. The base may be of any size or shape, and may have thereon buttons numbered 0 through 9, * and # buttons, and /or telephone feature buttons (such as "HOLD"). As defined herein, the receiver 12 includes all receiving electronics and the telephone handset, irrespective of a case wherein the receiving electronics are mounted within the base 16, and may include thereon buttons numbered 0 through 9, * and # buttons, and /or telephone feature buttons (such as "HOLD"). The base 16 is defined solely as a cradle for the receiver 12. The telephone receiver 12 may be a conventional receiver wired to a telephone wall jack for acquiring telephone service, a cordless telephone which is remotely connected to a telephone wall jack for acquiring telephone service, or a mobile telephone in communication with a mobile telephone station, such as a PCS telephone.

The visual interface 14 is responsively connected to the telephone receiver 12. The visual interface 14 is, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a visual display screen. In one embodiment of the present invention, the visual interface 14 may be a unit separate from the telephone receiver 12, and may be connected using electrical connections 20 or radio connections to the telephone receiver 12. In other embodiments of the present invention, the visual interface 14 may be mounted to the telephone receiver 12, or may be mounted to the telephone base 16 in an embodiment including a telephone base 16. The visual interface 14 displays thereon at least one indicator 24 in response to an incoming call on the telephone receiver 12.

The indicator 24 displayed on the visual interface 14 uniquely corresponds to one originating group. The indicator 24 is displayed in response to receipt of an incoming call, and is non-numeric. Non-numeric, as used herein, is defined as not corresponding digit-for-digit with the incoming phone number. The indicator 24 may be at least two LEDs, a flashing light pattern, or at least one graphical icon. The LEDs may be lit in a combination which uniquely signals one of several call types. The LEDs may be in any pattern, such as, but not limited to, a rectangular grid of LEDs, as is known in the art. The flashing pattern may be a light, a plurality of lights, or backlighting which uniquely signals one call type. The graphical icon or icons may be displayed on a visual display of any type used in the art, such as a CRT or LCD display, and may be of any non-numeric shape, type, or design which can uniquely correspond to one calling group. For example, a briefcase icon 24 may be displayed in response to an incoming call received from a business associate of a user, as is shown in the Figure. In one embodiment of the present invention, an incoming call from .in unknown number would cause a blank display, signifying the unknown origin of the call. The graphical icons may be displayed in an oversized format, for example, a format larger than the character size that is normally displayed on a given CRT or LCD display, thereby allowing the user to identify an incoming caller at a great distance from the visual interface.

The originating calling group to which each indicator 24 corresponds may be chosen by the user. Each calling group may correspond to, for example, one of a family, friend, business associate, club member, church member, accountant, broker, attorney, or unknown, in relation to the user of the telephone, or to an individual caller, whether known or unknown to the user. Additionally, the user may define custom user-define an originating calling group, each member of which shares a common indicator. Each originating calling group may correspond to an identifying entry in a stored phone book, which identifying entry is a representation of the aforementioned individual caller selected from a plurality of stored individual callers, or of the aforementioned calling group selected from a plurality of calling groups. The stored phone book is stored in a memory unit 26, such as those used in the art for numerical storage. The user may be provided with the opportunity to select which incoming calls from first time callers are entered into the memory unit 26, and to what indicator 24 calls from that caller will correspond in the future. The indicator 24 may be selectable from a variety of indicators pre-entered into a library of indicators within the memory unit 26. The memory unit 26 may be mounted within the visual interface 14, within the telephone receiver 12, or within the telephone base 16 in an embodiment including a telephone base 16.

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustrating a specific embodiment of a telephone

10A for visually identifying an incoming call by its originating group. The telephone 10 A of this specific embodiment is a cellular telephone. The telephone 10A includes a telephone receiver 12A and a visual interface 14A. In the illustrated embodiment, the receiver 12A is internally connected 20 A to the visual interface 14 A. The receiver 12 A of this embodiment may alternatively be connected 20A over the air to a remote visual interface 14A. The non-numeric indicator 24A is displayed on the visual interface 14A in response to an incoming call substantially as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 100 of visually identifying incoming calls. The method 100 for visually identifying a member of a calling group making an incoming call to a receiver, for example, a telephone, in a communication system includes the step 102 of receiving an incoming call at the receiver telephone, the step 104 of receiving information based on a generation point of the incoming call, the step 106 of checking for a correspondence between the received information and a list of known information stored at the receiver telephone, and the step 108a, b of indicating, at a visual interface, the correspondence. The received information may include a telephone number at the generation point of the incoming call.

The visual interface may include a visual display, and is substantially as discussed hereinabove with respect to the communication device for visually identifying an incoming originating calling group. The indicating 108a, b at the visual interface includes displaying a unique indicator representing an originating call group. The originating call group corresponds to the correspondence between the received information and the known information as found in the checking for correspondence 106, and may be, but is not limited to, family, friends, business associates, individuals, and unknowns. The indicator is substantially as discussed hereinabove with respect to the telephone for visually identifying an incoming call type, and may be, but is not limited to, at least two LEDs, a flashing light pattern, and at least one non-numeric graphical icon. This checking for correspondence 106 may be performed using methods known in the art for comparing pieces of information, such as hardware or software comparators, data storage units, or software routines. For example, the received information may be compared, using a comparator, to each piece of information stored in a data storage unit, one piece of information at a time, until a match is found, according to a protocol. If no match is found, the call is of unknown origin.

The method of the present invention may also include the step 110 of storing the received information in order to check for correspondence with future received information. This storing 110 may be performed by a memory unit within the visual interface, or within the telephone receiver. An incoming call from a first time caller may or may not be stored in the memory unit, at the discretion of the user, and may correspond to a new indicator pre-entered into the memory unit, at the selection of the user.

The method 100 of the present invention is applicable to any type of telephone, including, but not limited to, a conventional telephone, a cordless telephone, or a cellular telephone, such as a PCS telephone.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented. For example, with minor modifications, the present invention could serve as an element in a telecommunication device for the hearing impaired. The foregoing description and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A communication device for identifying an incoming communication by an originating group, comprising: a communication receiver; a visual display which is responsively connected to said communication receiver, wherein said visual display displays at least one non-numerical indicator in response to an incoming communication, and wherein each non- numerical indicator uniquely corresponds to one originating group.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication receiver is a mobile telephone.

3. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising a telephone base in which said communication receiver is placed when awaiting the incoming communication.

4. The communication device of claim 3, wherein said visual display is mounted to said telephone base.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said visual display is mounted to said communication receiver.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said visual display is electrically connected to said communication receiver.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-numerical indicator is selected from the group consisting of at least two

LEDs and a flashing light pattern.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-numerical indicator is at least one graphical icon.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the graphical icon is an oversized graphical icon.

10. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the originating group is selected from the group consisting of family, friends, business associates, user-defined, and unknowns, in relation to a user of the telephone.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the one originating group corresponds to an individual caller.

12. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the one originating group corresponds to an identifying entry in a stored phone book.

13. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the stored phone book is stored in a memory unit within said communication receiver.

14. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the stored phone book is stored in a memory unit within said visual display.

15. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the identifying entry corresponds to one of at least two caller groups.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the originating groups are selected from the group consisting of family, friends, business associates, user defined, and unknowns, in relation to a user of the telephone.

17. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the identifying entry corresponds to one of a plurality of individual callers.

18. The communication device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of individual callers includes unknown.

19. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the indicator corresponding to unknown is a blank indicator.

20. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication receiver is a cellular telephone receiver.

21. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication receiver is a PCS receiver.

22. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication receiver is a cordless telephone receiver.

23. A method for identifying a caller making an incoming call to a communication receiver in a communication system, comprising: receiving an incoming call at the communication receiver; receiving information based on a generation point of the incoming call; checking for a correspondence between the received information and a list of known information stored at the communication receiver; and indicating, at a visual interface, the correspondence using a non- numerical indicator.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the received information includes a telephone number at the generation point of the incoming call.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the visual interface is a visual display.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the visual display is mounted to the communication receiver.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the visual display is mounted to a base into which the communication receiver is placed when not in use.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the display is electrically connected to the communication receiver.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the non-numerical indicator represents an originating group, the originating group corresponding to the correspondence between the received information and the known information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the non-numerical indicator is selected from the group consisting of at least two LEDs and a flashing light pattern.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the non-numerical indicator is at least one graphical icon.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the originating group is selected from the group consisting of family, friends, business associates, user-defined, and unknowns.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the originating group is one individual selected from a plurality of individuals stored as the known information.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the known information is stored in a memory unit.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the memory unit is within the visual interface.