Abstract:
A handy, lightweight computerized phone book includes a main memory partitioned into various compartments for storage of residential phone numbers and business phone numbers that are inputted manually or from a disc whereupon the numbers and addresses whereupon the numbers and addresses are segregated by number, business address, emergency numbers, and frequent/favorite numbers all of which are quickly accessible by the user manually pressing one or more buttons located on the face and which include a resident button, a business button, an emergency button, a list button, a disc button and a help button and then following simple and minimal screen promptings to retrieve the desired number and/or business address.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention pertains to electronic methods and apparatus for the storage and retrieval of digitally stored phone numbers, and more particularly pertains to a computerized phone book having digitally stored phone numbers accessible through various parameters. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Digital storage and retrieval of information is common in today&#39;s society. Whether the information is stored in the form of thousands of songs on a music playing device or favorite songs recorded on a personal cd, it is the easy access and retrieval of the information that is the paramount benefit. Among the most common types of information stored on electronic devices (cell phones, pda&#39;s) are telephone numbers. The telephone numbers can range from personal and business numbers to emergency numbers and frequently called numbers. However, only a limited number of telephone numbers can be stored, and access is usually attained through a sequential scrolling through a limited directory. Moreover, it is often the case that the individual needs to find a telephone number that is not stored in his/her limited directory, but the individual is not handy to or located near a complete telephone book. The individual may also not be near a wireless Internet site that would provide access to telephone numbers via an Internet site such as AOL or an Internet search engine such as Google. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a preferably portable and hand-held device having a large number of telephone numbers (ranging across categories such as residential, commercial, business, government and private) stored within the device and easily accessible through a minimum of screen commands and promptings. Thus, the prior art discloses a number of systems and devices for receiving, storing, and retrieving upon request information such as telephone numbers. 
         [0003]    For example, the Gelfer et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,596) discloses a phonebook that includes a database constructed by the user&#39; input and a user voice actuated search engine. 
         [0004]    The Mugura et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,921 B1) discloses a method and apparatus for displaying an electronic phonebook that includes a main menu for displaying primary information and a secondary menu for displaying a name associated with the information displayed at the primary level. 
         [0005]    The Guerlin patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,934 B1) discloses a radio communication device programmed to receive and store data from a radio communication. 
         [0006]    The Chmaytelli et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,311 B1) discloses a handset phonebook having search and replace features for receiving data packets from cell sites and automatically updating the phone book. 
         [0007]    The Mitsuoka et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,508 B1) discloses a mobile communication terminal having various services that can be accessed and transmitted between a sender and a recipient. 
         [0008]    The Saarinen et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,483 B1) discloses a method for searching an electronic phonebook of a cellular phone wherein searching is conducted by matching one or more templates to given alphanumeric strings. 
         [0009]    Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above devices, there remains a need for a computerized phone book that can easily and quickly retrieve personal names and business addresses and phone numbers with little or no directory searching or scrolling. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention comprehends a computerized phone book that allows the user to quickly and easily access and retrieve phone numbers and addresses by various designations or categories. The computerized phone book allows the user to input phone numbers and addresses manually by initiating and then following display screen prompts or by inserting a disc for inputting and updating address and phone number information. 
         [0011]    A number of buttons are mounted on the case or housing of the computerized phone book, and are interconnected to a cpu for accessing and retrieving phone numbers or addresses. The primary buttons include a resident button for retrieving residential phone numbers, a business button for retrieving commercial and business phone numbers, an emergency button for retrieving emergency phone numbers (fire, police, paramedic, medical, etc.), and a favorite/frequent button for retrieving frequently used numbers or favorite numbers (family members, relatives, friends, etc.). 
         [0012]    In addition, other buttons include a disc button that permits the user to access the disc drive for inputting and updating information to the phone book (main memory storage), a help button that provides step-by-step instructions for the various functions of the computerized phone book, a clear button for clearing the screen and a light button for lighting the LCD screen thereby providing the user with day and night use for the computerized phone book. 
         [0013]    It is an objective of the present invention to provide a computerized phone book that is convenient, handy, and lightweight. 
         [0014]    It is another objective of the present invention to provide a computerized phone book that enables the user to quickly and easily access any telephone number or address anywhere in the United States. 
         [0015]    It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a computerized phone book that is adaptable for both personal and business use. 
         [0016]    It is still yet another objective of the present invention to provide a computerized phone book that can be updated as needed with the most recent, up-to-date information as needed. 
         [0017]    These and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures and appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the computerized phone book of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a cd disc for inputting and updating information to the computerized phone book; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a representative initial screen display following pressing of the resident button on the computerized phone book; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a second screen display following pressing of the resident button on the computerized phone book; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating the display of the requested phone resulting from the entries shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  on the display of the computerized phone book; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a representative initial screen display upon the user pressing the business button on the computerized phone book; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a second screen display following the screen display first shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating the display of the requested business phone number resulting from the entries shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  on the display of the computerized phone book; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a representative screen display resulting from the pressing of the emergency button of the computerized phone book; 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is a front elevational view of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating a representative screen display resulting from the pressing of the list button of the computerized phone book; 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating some of the components of the computerized phone book; 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  is a representative flowchart for the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating the sequence of steps that occur when certain of the buttons of the computerized phone book are engaged; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  is a representative flowchart for the computerized phone book of the present invention illustrating the sequence of steps that occur for inputting information to the computerized phone book. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0031]    Illustrated in  FIGS. 1-13  is a computerized phone book  10  that stores telephone numbers divided or segregated by or into various categories such as residential phone numbers, business phone numbers, frequently called or favorite phone numbers or emergency phone numbers. The computerized phone book  10  is lightweight, portable, handy and easy to use by both adults and children for looking up and retrieving phone numbers stored in main memory storage. 
         [0032]    Thus, shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is the computerized phone book  10  that includes a rectangular-shaped casing or housing  12  having a front panel surface  14  and surrounding side panel surfaces  16 . Located on the front panel surface  18  is an LCD screen  20  and a number of other function buttons for initiating and operating all the functions of the computerized phone book  10 . In addition, located on one side panel surface  16  is a disc drive slot  22  into which a cd disc  24  (and in the alternative a DVD disc) can be inserted for reading and inputting information therefrom in the form of nationwide phone numbers—arranged alphabetically by state—to keep the computerized phone book  10  up-to-date. 
         [0033]    Among the manually operable buttons located on the front panel surface  14  are a resident button  26  for retrieving a residential phone number, a business button  28  for retrieving a selected business phone number, an emergency button  30  for entering and retrieving an emergency phone number, a list button  32  for entering, storing, and retrieving favorite and/or frequently-called phone numbers. A disc button  34  allows the user to access a disc  24  inserted into the disc slot  22  for updating the phone book  10  and a help button  36  can be pressed to guide the user through the various functions in a step-by-step process. For entering, adding, updating, and retrieving phone numbers a standard qwerty keyboard  38  is centrally arranged on the front surface panel  14 . A power on/off button  40  is located to one side of the LCD screen  20  while a light control button  42  is located on the opposite side of the LCD screen  20  for manually regulating the dimness and brightness of the LCD screen  20  (and lights the LCD screen  20  at night) so that the user can use the computerized phone book  10  at nighttime or in enclosed dark locations or areas. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  the computerized phone book  10  includes a clear button  44  for clearing the LCD screen  20 , a shift button  46  for shifting functions of the computerized phone book  10 , a back button  48  to delete one space, a next button  50  to move or transfer to different screens or functions, an enter button  52  to enter information (updated residential and business phone numbers) to main memory, and a cursor button  54  that allows the user to move the cursor up and down and left and right and a capitalize button  55 . 
         [0035]    Illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5  are representative screen displays that result when the user first pushes the resident button  26  to initiate the retrieval of a desired residential phone number.  FIG. 3  shows an initial screen display  56  wherein the user has typed in the city and state “Pittsburgh, Pa.” to commence the search for the telephone number. The user then presses the enter button  52  to bring up the next (second) screen display  58  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The screen display  58  of  FIG. 4  requests that the first name and last name of the individual whose phone number is to be retrieved should be entered. The user then presses the enter button  52  and the (third) screen display  60  shown in  FIG. 5  comes up that lists the requested and retrieved phone number. As an additional check, the name of the individual and the city and state are shown on the screen display  60  along with the requested and retrieved telephone number. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 6-8  illustrate representative screen displays for retrieving a requested business phone number. Thus,  FIG. 6  illustrates a (first) screen display  62  upon the user pressing the business button  28  and typing in the city and state. After the appropriate city and state “Pittsburgh, Pa.” appears, the user hits the enter button  52  thereby allowing the user to type in the name of the business: “Acme Thread” on the next screen. This screen (second screen)  64  is shown in  FIG. 7 . Finally, the user presses the enter button  52  and the requested business phone number appears, as shown in the screen display  66  of  FIG. 8 . In addition, the entries—city, state, and business name—from the prior screens  62  and  64  also appear as a means of verifying that the desired business in the right city and state was initially entered. 
         [0037]      FIG. 9  illustrates a representative screen display  68  that results from pressing the emergency button  30 . After pressing the emergency button  30  the user then presses the enter button  52  and the screen prompts appear requesting entry of the new or updated emergency phone numbers. Two representative emergency phone numbers  70  are shown being entered through the screen display  68  shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 10  illustrates a representative screen display  72  that results from the user pressing the list button  32  to enter favorite and frequently called numbers. The screen display  72  of  FIG. 10  shows the entry of two favorite/frequently numbers. A tag or marker such as a name or designation would be attached to and entered with each name to facilitate the retrieval of the numbers. 
         [0039]      FIG. 11  illustrates a representative block diagram  74  of the basic electronic components of the computerized phone book  10  and their various interconnections, data communication and transfer pathways and routes. Thus, the computerized phone book  10  includes a cpu  76  interconnected to main memory storage  78 . The main memory storage  78  is further segregated and subdivided into several subsidiary storage compartments. The subsidiary storage compartments include a main telephone number storage compartment  80  whereupon pressing the resident button  26  or the business button  28  initiates retrieval of the telephone numbers stored therein; an emergency number storage compartment  82  for storing any and all emergency phone numbers; a frequent/favorite telephone number storage compartment  84  for storage therein of all the frequently dialed and favorite telephone numbers; and a telephone number retrieval buffer  86  that serves as an intermediate and temporary storage area during data input, retrieval, and transfer. 
         [0040]    A bus  88  is interconnected to the cpu  76  and serves to route, sequence, and organize signals, communications, and data transfer from and between main memory  78  and the cpu  76  and the other primary components: the I/O interface  90 , the disc drive  92 , the keyboard  38  and the LCD display screen  20 . The disc drive  92  reads the information on the disc  24  loaded into the disc drive slot  22  so that the information can be transferred and stored to the main memory  78 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  is a representative flowchart  94  setting forth the basic operations or functions of the computerized phone book  10  upon the user pressing the resident button  96  to retrieve and display a desired resident phone number  98 , pressing the business button  100  to retrieve and display a desired business phone number  102 , pressing the emergency button  104  to either retrieve a desired emergency phone number  106  or enter a new emergency phone number  108 , and pressing the list button  110  to retrieve and display a favorite/frequent phone number  112  or enter a new favorite/frequent phone number  114 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 13  illustrates a representative schematic or flowchart  116  illustrating the steps for inputting and updating information to the computerized phone book  10  by using the representative disc  24  containing the range of phone numbers to be added to the computerized phone book  10 . As a first step the disc button  34  is pressed and then a screen display  118  would appear requesting disc update of the phone book either manually or from the disc  24 . The user would enter “N” and then a screen display  120  would appear requesting insertion of the disc into the disc drive  92 . After the insertion of the disc  24  into the disc drive  92 , a screen display  122  would appear requesting “Save to main storage,” and the user would then press the enter button  52  thereby commencing the transfer and updating of the phone numbers to the main memory storage  78 . 
         [0043]    The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only, and any modifications, alterations, and variations possible and practicable to those skilled in the art may be made while remaining within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.