Abstract:
When a contact in an electronically-stored phone book has more than one telephone number associated with the contact&#39;s name, a user is permitted to define times (and if desired day/dates) for which each number is to serve as the default number for the contact, so if the user selects the contact&#39;s name from a list or enters the contact&#39;s speed dial shortcut number, the number called by default changes depending on the time of day/date.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to temporally-defined contact default numbers for telephones. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Mobile telephones can store multiple telephone numbers for each contact in the address book of the phone, but as understood herein the number used as default when a user, e.g., selects a speed dial shortcut associated with the contact remains static. The present invention recognizes that the best primary number with which to reach a contact can vary with date and time. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A telephone has a communication interface, a processor controlling the communication interface, and a computer-readable storage medium accessible by the processor. The telephone also has a visual display receiving signals from the processor and a data input entry keypad communicating signals to the processor. A user can associate at least first and second telephone numbers with a contact. The processor establishes which of the first and second telephone numbers is the default number for the contact based on one or more temporal parameters selected from the group of temporal parameters consisting of: time of day, date, day of the week. 
         [0004]    The interface can be, without limitation, a wireless telephony interface or a voice over Internet communication interface. The temporal parameter typically is received from the keypad. In some embodiments the first and second telephone numbers are each correlated to at least one respective default temporal parameter. 
         [0005]    In non-limiting implementations the default number is called in response to a user selecting a name of the contact from a list of names and then commanding the telephone to commence a transmission. In other non-limiting implementations the default number is called in response to a user selecting a speed dial shortcut associated with the contact and then commanding the telephone to commence a transmission. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, a tangible computer readable medium stores logic to cause a processor to store plural contacts. For at least one contact, the processor is caused to store more than one telephone number associated with it and to also store a respective temporal parameter for each telephone number associated with the contact. The parameter defines when the associated telephone number is to be called when a user selects to call the contact. 
         [0007]    In still another aspect, a telephone automatically and dynamically changes a default number that will be dialed when a user selects to call a contact based on at least one temporal parameter predefined by the user. 
         [0008]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic front elevational view of a telephone in accordance with present principles; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an example data structure that can be used by the telephone of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart of example logic that the telephone of  FIG. 1  may use; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows two screen shots presented by the telephone of  FIG. 1  for the same contact and speed dial shortcut at different times of day. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]    A telephone  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  that may be a wireless telephones in which case the telephone  10  can have a communication interface  12  that is a wireless telephony interface such as but not limited to a code division multiple access (CDMA) receiver/transmitter or global system for mobile communication (GSM) receiver/transmitter or time division multiple access (TDMA) receiver/transmitter or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) receiver/transmitter or space division multiple access (SDMA) receiver/transmitter or wideband-CDMA receiver transmitter or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) receiver/transmitter, in any case an interface typically mounted in a mobile hand-held housing  14 . The telephone  10  may not be wireless, but may be, e.g., Internet-enabled, in which case the interface  12  can be, without limitation, a voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) receiver/transmitter. The telephone  10  may even have an interface  12  that is a plain old telephone system (POTS) receiver/transmitter. 
         [0014]    The telephone  10  can have a processor  16  that accesses logic and stores data on a tangible computer readable medium  18  which may be, without limitations solid state storage, optical or hard disk storage, etc. The processor  16  can receive user input from a keypad having, without limitation, number keys  20 , an asterisk key  22 , a pound sign key  24 , a send or transmit key  26 , and end transmission key  28 , a clear entry key  30 , and an OK or enter key  32 . The processor  16  can output information on a visual display  34 , typically a small matrix-type display. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows an example non-limiting data structure  36  in tabular form that can be stored in the medium  18  based on logic of  FIG. 3  discussed further below. A speed dial column  38  and name column can together correlate a speed dial shortcut (such as the numeral “1”) with a name (such as “Joe”). The name can be correlated to plural telephone numbers in a contact number column  42 . A default time column  44  can correlate a default time (which term includes “time period”) to each number in the number column  42  as shown. If desired, a default date column  46  can further correlate dates (which term includes both calendar dates and days of the week) for the default times in the time column  44 . 
         [0016]    Using the contact entry “Joe” as an example, the data structure  36  indicates that regardless of the date, Joe&#39;s cell phone number is to be used as the default from 4 P.M.-7 P.M. should the user of the telephone  10  enter a desire (by, e.g., inputting speed dial shortcut “1” or selecting Joe&#39;s name from a list presented on the display  34 ) to call Joe. Likewise, regardless of the day if the user inputs a command to call Joe during the period 7 P.M.-6 A.M., the processor  16  will use Joe&#39;s home phone number as the default number to call. During the period between 6 A.M. and 4 P.M., on Monday-Friday only, Joe&#39;s work telephone number will be set as default. It is to be understood that instead of or in addition to days, specific dates may be entered in the date column  46 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 3  shows example logic that can be used to generate and then use the data structure of  FIG. 2  At block  48 , the processor  16  receives a telephone number input by, e.g., a user manipulating the number keys  20 . At decision diamond  50  it is determined whether the user wants to save the number, e.g., by selecting a “save” element on a GUI presented on the display  34 , and if so the logic saves the number to, e.g., the data structure  36 . 
         [0018]    At block  52 , a name to be correlated to the number is received in response to, e.g., a prompt on the display  34  to “enter name”. This name is saved and then at block  54  a prompt for a label such as “home”, “work”, cell” can be presented on the display  34 . The label as input by the user is received at block  56  and stored. It is to be understood that the name can be associated with a speed dial shortcut number if desired in accordance with principles known in the art. In effect, after block  56  data has been entered in the first three columns  38 ,  40 ,  42 , or at least the second and third columns  40 ,  42  of the data structure  36  shown in  FIG. 2  if no shortcut it to be used with the name under test Block  58  indicates that for each label, a prompt can be made to appear on the display  34  for the user to enter a time and/or time period and/or date at which the label becomes the default number of the particular contact, and the user&#39;s decision is received at block  60  and stored in the last two columns (when time and date are entered) or second to last column (when only time is used) of  FIG. 2 . A user interface that may be presented on the display  34  to this end can include (for time) a watch face from which a user can select, using the entry keys shown in  FIG. 1  times during which the number is to be set as default. Or, the numeral keys  20  may be used to input time directly. A calendar can be presented in the case of date/day entry. Other user interfaces can be used to permit the user to define times and dates in accordance with present principles. 
         [0019]    The data structure  62  is updated accordingly at block  62 . Completing the logic at block  64 , when a designated time/date has been reached for a particular contact, the processor  16  automatically switches the default for that contact to the number correlated to the existing time/date. 
         [0020]      FIGS. 2 and 4  illustrate. When a user enters speed dial shortcut numeral “1” (or when the user otherwise enters a desire to call “Joe”) and the present time is 5 P.M., the processor automatically dials Joe&#39;s cell phone, since the time column  44  in  FIG. 2  indicates that for all dates, during the period 4 P.M.-7 P.M. Joe&#39;s cell phone is preferred. Essentially, when a user enters a contact to call, the processor  16  looks up which number associated with the contact to default to. Unless the user scrolls through Joe&#39;s other numbers to select an alternate number from Joe&#39;s list, manipulating the “send” key  26  causes the phone  10  to dial the current default number, in this example, Joe&#39;s cell phone, as shown in the left-hand screen shot of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0021]    In contrast, if the current time is 8 P.M. as shown in the right-hand screen shot of  FIG. 4 , the processor  16  presents Joe&#39;s home number as default and calls it in response to a “send” command. This is because, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the user has defined Joe&#39;s home number to be the default number for Joe between the hours of 7 P.M. and 6 A.M. In other words, the processor  16  automatically and dynamically changes the default number that will be dialed when a user selects a contact to call based on the time of day and/or date and/or day of the week as predefined by the user. 
         [0022]    While the particular TEMPORALLY DEFINED CONTACT DEFAULT NUMBER FOR TELEPHONE is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.