Patent Publication Number: US-7917127-B2

Title: Apparatus for changing the behavior of an electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/133,612, filed Jun. 5, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/786,039, filed Feb. 26, 2004, the contents of both are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present application relates generally to electronic devices and more particularly to a method for changing the behavior of an electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The world has grown accustomed to the presence of mobile telephonic devices (MTD) such as cell phones and phone-based Personal digital assistants (PDA&#39;s). These devices function in a wireless network where one or more such devices communicate using voice or data to each other or to external services. Services can include making external phone calls to land-line voice networks, making phone calls to other cell phones, leaving or retrieving voice mail messages or exchanging data messages. Despite the prevalence of MTD&#39;s, however, more and more people are finding problems with MTD&#39;s as they interrupt people at inopportune times to notify the user of various events such as the receiving of a phone call. MTD&#39;s can, for example, ring a number of times before the user responds, the call ends, or the call goes to voice mail. Such ringing, although useful in alerting users of various events, can also be a source of constant interruption, annoyance and even embarrassment. For example, cell phones ring loudly in the middle of lectures, exams, movies, performances or various ceremonies, causing embarrassment to the user of the device, interrupting the event and distracting the other participants. Moreover, in circumstances where there is a live performance, a lecture or an actual person performing a ceremony, the ringing (or any other loud method of notification) distracts the lecturer or the performer and can ruin the event. 
     These problems have become so widespread that organizers of events have started speaking out and some have started taking precautions. For example, most lectures and movie theatres post signs asking people to turn off their cell phones and personal digital devices. Also, it is not uncommon for the chair of meetings, or the first speaker of any proceeding to politely remind all participants to turn off their cell phones or other electronic devices. 
     In an effort to solve this problem, manufacturers have come up with different mechanisms where users can swiftly turn notification off, for example, by pressing an icon or a special key to stop notification or they can request all calls be forwarded to voice mail. However, although this mechanism puts a stop to the interruption, by the time the user has a chance to turn notification off, the event is already interrupted. 
     In another effort to solve this problem, manufacturers have come up with devices that have different modes of notification, such as vibrations and visual alerts, so that users can change the mode of notification when attending functions where interruptions are a serious problem. However, one of the shortcomings of these devices is that the user has to remember to manually change the method of notification at the right time. Many users do not put their mind to changing the method of notification, until the device goes off in the middle of the event and causes the embarrassments, interruptions and distractions described above. Moreover, in an effort to change the method of notification, users may mistakenly choose an even louder or just as distractive mode of notification and do not notice their mistake until the device goes off and interrupts the event. 
     Another problem is that if the user has set the MTD to a quiet mode and does not intend to answer any calls, the caller is forced to wait on the line for several rings until the call can be re-routed to a voice mail server within the network structure, and the caller is able to leave a voice mail. This can be very frustrating for callers, who, for example, may know the person is unavailable and are only interested in leaving a voice mail. As a result, such callers may give up and hang up, and the user and caller miss an opportunity to communicate. 
     It is known to provide means for recording a voice mail both at a switch or other location operated by the service provider or to record the voice mail locally at a telephone voice mail or locally at a wireless telephone device. See WO 02/05527, entitled “Method and System for Call Answering”, assigned to Soma Networks, Inc., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. WO 02/05527 is, however, primarily directed to bandwidth optimization and does not address the problems of certain unwanted interruptions. Despite the various means for recording a voice mail, it is still common for devices to ring before rolling to voice mail, thereby interrupting the event, unless the subscriber remembers to turn off the device, or otherwise effect forward settings to force incoming calls directly to voice mail. 
     Additionally, electronic devices can provide a variety of functions including notifying users of various events throughout the day. As mentioned, events that can require notification include receiving a telephone call by a cell phone or a regular telephone. Other events can include receiving an e-mail or fax by a chiming of the daily alarm or alarm notifying the user of an upcoming appointment. 
     Although notifications are useful in alerting users of various events, they can also be a source of constant interruption, annoyance and even embarrassment. Users of devices with notification functions can face constant interruption and distraction as the devices ring or vibrate loudly at inappropriate times and places. For example, cell phones ring loudly in the middle of lectures, exams, movies, meetings, performances or various ceremonies. Such inopportune ringing causes embarrassment for the user of the device, interrupts the event and distracts the other participants. Moreover, in circumstances where there is a live performance, a lecture or an actual person performing a ceremony, the ringing (or any other loud method of notification) distracts the lecturer or the performer and can ruin the event. Another example is the chiming of the notification function on an electronic device during an important meeting, perhaps in the middle of an intense conversation or during court proceedings or cross-examination of witnesses. Once again, the chiming of the notification function can cause embarrassment to the owner of the device, can interrupt the mood of the event and can generally disrupt the entire event. 
     These problems have become so widespread that organizers of events have started speaking out and some have started taking precautions. For example, most lectures and movie theatres post signs asking people to turn off their cellular phones and personal digital devices. Also, it is not uncommon for the chair of meetings, or the first speaker of any proceeding to politely remind all participants to turn off their cell phones or other electronic devices. 
     In an effort to solve this problem, manufacturers have come up with devices that have different modes of notification, such as vibrations and visual alerts, so that users can change the mode of notification if they are attending functions where interruptions are a serious problem. However, these devices fall short of solving the problem of audible notifications in inappropriate times and offer only a limited control for the user to reduce the problem. One of the short comings is that the user has to remember to manually change the method of notification at the right time. Many users do not put their mind to changing the method of notification, until the device goes off in the middle of the event causing the embarrassments, interruptions and distractions described above. Moreover, in an effort to quickly change the method of notification, users may mistakenly choose an even louder or just as distractive mode of notification and do not notice their mistake until the device goes off in the middle of the event, causing the same embarrassments, interruptions and distractions referred to above. The user needs to manually invoke these alternative notification methods each time s/he wants to change the method of notification. Another problem arises because the mode of notification does not get switched back to the “default” mode after the event is over. The user has to remember to turn notification back on to “default mode”. Many users forget to turn notification back to the “default mode” and end up missing important appointments, phone calls or voicemails. Further, the user may turn off the device prior to the event, and may forget to turn the device back on, causing notifications to be visible instead of audible. This may have consequences for users that are very dependant on their electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object to provide a novel system, apparatus and method for changing the behavior of an electronic device that obviates or mitigates at least one of the above-identified disadvantages. 
     According to one aspect, there is provided a computing device comprising a microcomputer that receives live communications and processes various events in the device. Whenever the live communication is received during one of these events, the device makes a determination as to whether to accept the live communication, reject the communication and/or direct it to a message application. This determination is made based on a set of criteria that can be associated with the event or that can be associated with a combination of the event and the live communication. Examples of such criteria include time and duration of an event and/or communication, whether the event and/or communication include a predefined string or whether the communication is being originated from a predefined person or location. 
     The live communication can be any type of communication that is live and enables at least two people to communicate in real-time. Telephone calls and “instant text messages” such as those found in “chat” systems are examples of live communications. Similarly the message application can consist of any type of voice mail application or text messaging system such as pagers or email and can be either internal or external to the device. 
     It is contemplated that the microprocessor be operable to execute the voicemail application and the device include a storage device to store live communications whenever live communications are directed to the voice mail application. It is further contemplated that the criterion used to direct the live communication to the voice mail application be based on at least one criterion that is associated with either the live communication and/or the event. The voice mail application can be capable of automatically accepting the incoming caller, playing a selected outgoing message and recording the incoming voice for a pre-determined length of time. As a variation, different steps can be taken with the same effect of eliminating, or reducing, interruptions to the user. For example after automatically accepting the call and playing the out going message, the call could be re-routed to another device to record the incoming voice. As a still further variation, after auto-accepting the incoming caller and playing an outgoing message the user is told they can leave a call back number using Dual Tone Multi Frequency (“DTMF”) tone sequences. This later case might be useful if the computing device is running out of memory and wants to conserve memory. 
     It is also contemplated that the event can be an appointment in a calendar application or that it can be a task in a task application. The electronic device itself can be a cell phone, a smart telephone, a desktop computer or a laptop having telephony equipment and a personal digital assistant with cell phone features. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of certain internal components within the device in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the main menu screen displaying a plurality of applications including a calendar, a call-forwarding setup and a phone call manager; 
         FIG. 4  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the calendar application displaying a plurality of individual appointments for the date of Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 5  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the call-forwarding setup application displaying a plurality of modes of operation; 
         FIG. 6  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the phone call manager application displaying an incoming phone call at 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, as well as, a plurality of voice mail recordings; 
         FIG. 7  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the phone call manager application having received an incoming phone call at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 8  shows a flow chart depicting a method for changing the behavior of an electronic device in accordance with another; 
         FIG. 9  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the calendar application, showing that at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device is at a departmental meeting; 
         FIG. 10  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the phone call manager application recording a voice mail corresponding to the incoming phone call in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the phone call manager application having received an incoming phone call at 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 12  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the calendar application, showing that at 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device is in the middle of a dentist appointment; 
         FIG. 13  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the phone call manager application having received an incoming phone call at 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 14  shows the device of  FIG. 1  with the calendar application, showing that at 1:15 p.m, on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device does not have any appointments scheduled; 
         FIG. 15  is a schematic representation of an electronic device for modifying notifications in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 16  is a block diagram of certain internal components within the device in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the main menu screen displaying a plurality of applications including a calendar, a notification setup, a message reader and a daily alarm; 
         FIG. 18  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the calendar application displaying a plurality of individual appointments for the date of Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 19  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the notification setup application displaying a plurality of default modes of notification; 
         FIG. 20  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application displaying a plurality of emails received; 
         FIG. 21  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the daily alarm application displaying a designated time and an ON/OFF setting for the alarm; 
         FIG. 22  shows a flow chart depicting a method for modifying notification settings in accordance with another embodiment; 
         FIG. 23  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application having received a new email at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 24  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the calendar application, showing that at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device is in a departmental meeting; 
         FIG. 25  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application notifying the receipt of the email in  FIG. 23  by a flashing light from the LED indicator; 
         FIG. 26  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application receiving a new email at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 27  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the calendar application, showing that at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device is in the middle of a dentist appointment; 
         FIG. 28  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application notifying the receipt of the email in  FIG. 26  by producing a sound from the speaker; 
         FIG. 29  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the message reader application receiving a new email at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 30  shows the device of  FIG. 15  with the calendar application, showing that at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, the user of the device does not have any appointments scheduled; 
         FIG. 31  is a schematic representation of another embodiment with the notification setup application displaying a plurality of methods of notification; 
         FIG. 31   a  shows the device of  FIG. 31  with the calendar application displaying a plurality of individual appointments for the date of Jan. 31, 2000; 
         FIG. 32  is a schematic representation of yet another embodiment with the main menu screen displaying a plurality of applications including an application called profile string matcher, as well as the calendar, notification setup, message reader and daily alarm applications; 
         FIG. 33  shows the device of  FIG. 32 , with the profile string matcher application displaying a plurality of strings, each associated with a different mode of notification; 
         FIG. 34  shows the device of  FIG. 32 , with the calendar application displaying a plurality of individual appointments for Feb. 1, 2000; 
         FIG. 35  shows a flow chart depicting a method for modifying notification settings in accordance with another embodiment; 
         FIG. 36  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the message reader application having received a new email at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000; 
         FIG. 37  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the calendar application, showing that the description of the appointment at 4:30 p.m. includes the word “meeting”; 
         FIG. 38  shows a flow chart depicting a set of substeps that can be used to perform one of the steps shown in  FIG. 35 ; 
         FIG. 39  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the profile string matcher application showing that the string “meeting” is associated with the profile “Quiet”. 
         FIG. 40  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the message reader application having received a new email at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000; 
         FIG. 41  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the calendar application showing that at 6:30 p.m. the user is scheduled to have dinner with Bill; 
         FIG. 42  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the message reader application having received a new email at 8:30 p.m.; and 
         FIG. 43  shows the device of  FIG. 32  with the calendar application having no appointments scheduled at 8:30 p.m. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an electronic device for modifying notifications, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at  20 . In the present embodiment, electronic device  20  is based on the computing environment and functionality of an enhanced personal digital assistant with cell phone features. It is, however, to be understood that electronic device  20  can be based on the construction and functionality of other electronic devices, such as smart telephones, desktop computers or laptops having telephony equipment. In a present embodiment, electronic device  20  includes, a housing  24 , which frames an LCD display  28 , a speaker  36 , an LED indicator  40 , a trackwheel  44 , an exit key  46  and key pad  48  and a telephone headset comprised of an ear bud  49  and a microphone  50 . Trackwheel  44  and exit key  46  can be inwardly depressed along the path of arrow “A” as a means to provide additional user-input. It will be understood that housing  24 , can be made from any suitable material as will occur to those of skill in the art. Device  20  is operable to conduct wireless telephone calls, using any known wireless phone system such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) system, Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) system, Cellular Digital Packet Data (“CDPD”) system and Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”) system. Other wireless phone systems can include Bluetooth and the many forms of 802.11 wireless broadband, like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, etc that can support voice. Other embodiments include Voice Over IP (VoIP) type streaming data communications that can simulate circuit switched phone calls. Ear bud  49  can be used to listen to phone calls and other sound messages and microphone  50  can be used to speak into and input sound messages to device  20 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of certain internal components within device  20  is shown. Device  20  is based on a microcomputer that includes a processor  50  that is connected to a read-only-memory (“ROM”)  54 , which contains a plurality of applications executable by processor  50  that enables device  20  to perform certain functions. Processor  50  is also connected to a random access memory unit (“RAM”)  58  and a persistent storage device  60 , which are responsible for various nonvolatile storage functions of device  20 . Processor  50  can send output signals to various output devices including display  28 , speaker  36 , LED indicator  40 , and ear bud  49 , each of which generate specific outputs as instructed by processor  50 . Processor  50 , can also receive input from various input devices including trackwheel  44 , exit key  46 , keyboard  48 , and microphone  50 . Processor  50  is also connected to an internal clock  61  and a modem and radio  62 . Modem and radio  62  can be connected to various wireless networks through an antenna  64 . As will be explained further below, persistent storage device  60  is open to share incoming voicemail message for device  20 . 
     Device  20  is operable to execute various applications stored in ROM  54 . Referring now to  FIG. 3 , device  20  is shown with a main menu screen  66 , that displays a system clock  68  which is updated according to internal clock  61 . Main menu screen  66  also displays a plurality of applications that are executable on processor  50 . In a present embodiment, such displayed applications include a calendar  70 , a C.F.S. 74 and a P.C.M. 82. When executed on processor  50 , these applications cause device  20  to operate in various ways, as will be discussed further below. Trackwheel  44  can be used to scroll through the applications and to select a desired application by pressing inwardly, along the path of arrow A, on trackwheel  44 . Exit key  46  can be used to exit any application by pressing inwardly, along the path of arrow A, on exit key  46 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , device  20  is shown displaying the day&#39;s schedule  100  for Jan. 31, 2000, using the application called calendar  70  on display  28 . Schedule  100  includes a plurality of individual appointments  104  and  112 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , appointment  104  is a departmental meeting, from 10:00-11:00 a.m., and appointment  112  is a dentist appointment, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Appointment  104  has a “no-telephone” icon  108  associated with it, while appointment  112  has a telephone icon  114  associated with it. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , device  20  is shown displaying different call-handling options  110  using the application called C.F.S. 74 on display  28 , comprising an “Available (Ring)” mode  116  and an “Unavailable (Voice Mail)” mode  120 . For this embodiment (Ring) mode  116  is associated with telephone icon  114  and Unavailable (Voice Mail) mode  120  is associated with “no-telephone” icon  108 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , there is a “check-mark”  124  beside telephone icon  114 , indicating that the default mode of operation of device  20  is Available (Ring) mode  116 . This means that if device  20  was to receive an incoming phone call, the default mode of operation of device  20  would be to make the call available to the user by having the phone ring in the usual manner. Using trackwheel  44 , check-mark  124  can be placed beside “no-telephone” icon  108 , indicating that the default mode of operation is Unavailable (Voice Mail) mode  120 . Once the default mode of operation is set to Unavailable (Voice Mail) mode  120 , it would be assumed that the user of device  20  is “unavailable” and, in the event of an incoming phone call, the device would go straight to voice mail. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , device  20  is shown displaying (a representation of) an incoming phone call (“phone call”)  130  and (a representation of) a plurality of previously recorded voice mails (“voice mails”)  132 , using the application called P.C.M. 82 on display  28 . Phone call  130  is received through a wireless network (not shown), that connects to device  20  via modem and radio  62  through antenna  64 . P.C.M. 82 includes a voice mail function such that, if a phone call  130  goes unanswered, or if C.F.S. 74 is set to Unavailable (“Voice Mail”), the caller is able to leave a voice mail and such that (the representation of) incoming phone call  130  on screen  28  is recorded as a voice mail  132 , that is recorded locally on device  20  and saved on persistent storage device  60 . (As previously mentioned there can also be additional steps taken on the incoming caller, such as playing an outgoing message, or re-routing the caller to an alternative voice recording device.) Phone call  130  has a series of information associated with it, including, time of receipt  138  and a description of the status of the call  142 . Similarly, each voice mail recording  132  has a series of information associated with it, including time of recording  146  and the duration  150  of each voice mail in seconds. Trackwheel  44  can be used to scroll through individual voice mails  132  on device  20 , and inwardly depress to get access to and listen to each individual voice mail  132 . Similarly, exit key  46  can be inwardly depressed to skip the unheard part of the recording and/or exit an individual voice mail  132 . For example in  FIG. 6 , it is shown that phone call  130  is being received by device  20  at 10:00 a.m., voice mail  158  was recorded at 9:30 a.m. and is 30 seconds long and voice mail  162  was recorded at 8:10 a.m. and is 20 seconds long. In  FIG. 7 , it is shown that phone call  130  was unanswered, the caller left a message and phone call  130  is now represented on the screen by a voicemail that is 25 seconds long. 
     A method for modifying notifications will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart shown in  FIG. 8  and is indicated generally at  500 . In order to assist in the explanation of method  500 , reference will be made to the foregoing discussion of device  20 . In order to further assist in the explanation of method  500 , the sequence of steps in method  500  shall be followed in connection to a series of examples using device  20 . In these examples, it will be assumed that device  20  receives a series of phone calls at different times during the day. 
     As demonstrated in the flow chart in  FIG. 8 , a phone call is received by device  20  at step  550 . In the case of the present example, and referring now back to  FIG. 7 , it will be assumed that the phone call received is phone call  178 . At step  555 , the time of receipt  138  of the phone call is determined. Referring to  FIG. 7 , time of receipt  138  of phone call  178 , is determined to be 10:30 a.m. At this point, the method advances to step  560  where it is determined whether time of receipt  138  is during any of the appointments marked in calendar  70 . If time of receipt  138  is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step  580 . However, if time of receipt  138  is not during any of these times, the method advances to step  570 . In connection with phone call  178 , and referring now to  FIG. 9 , it is determined that time of receipt  138  is during appointment  104  and the method, advances to step  580 . At step  580 , it is determined whether the appointment, with which time of receipt  138  is associated, is designated as Available (Ring)  116  or Unavailable (Voice Mail)  120 . If the appointment, with which time of receipt  138  is associated, has telephone icon  114  associated with it, then the method proceeds to step  595  and device  20  rings to notify the user of the incoming phone call. If however, the appointment with which time of receipt  138  is associated with has “no-telephone” icon  108  associated with it, then the method proceeds to step  590  and the phone call is directly routed to voice mail. In the case of phone call  178 , since appointment  104  is associated with “no-telephone” icon  108 , referring now to  FIG. 10 , the method advances to step  590  and the phone call is directly routed to voice mail. At this point method  500  ends. 
     To further illustrate method  500 , an additional example is helpful. Let us assume that device  20  receives another phone call  182  at 12:15 p.m., as shown in  FIG. 11 . Following the steps of method  500  outlined above, at step  555 , time of receipt  138  is determined to be 12:15 p.m. At step  560 , and referring now to  FIG. 12 , it would be determined that time of receipt  138  is during appointment  112  and hence the method proceeds to step  580 . At step  580 , and still referring to  FIG. 12 , it will be determined that appointment  112  is associated with telephone icon  114 . Hence the method proceeds to step  595 , and device  20  rings to notify the user of the incoming phone call. 
     To help even further in illustrating method  500 , it will be assumed that device  20  receives yet another phone call  186  at 1:15 p.m., as shown in  FIG. 13 . As demonstrated in the flow chart in  FIG. 8 , the incoming call is received by device  20  at step  550 . At step  555 , the time of receipt  138  of the information is determined. Referring now to  FIG. 13 , time of receipt  138  of phone call  186 , is determined to be 1:15 p.m. At this point, method  500  advances to step  560  where it is determined whether time of receipt  138  is during any of appointments marked in calendar  70 . If time of receipt  138  is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step  580 . If, however, time of receipt  138  is not during any of these times, the method advances to step  570 . In connection with phone call  186 , and referring now to  FIG. 14 , it is determined that time of receipt  138  is not during any of the appointments in calendar  70  and the method advances to step  570 . At step  570 , the default mode of operation in C.F.S. 74 is determined. If the mode of notification is set to Available (Ring) mode  116 , the method would proceed to step  595  and device  20  would ring to notify the user of the incoming phone call. If, on the other hand, the mode of notification was set to Unavailable (Voice Mail) mode  120 , the method would proceed to step  590  and the phone call is directly routed to voice mail. For the purposes of the example with phone call  186 , it is assumed that C.F.S. 74 is configured as shown in  FIG. 5 . Referring back to  FIG. 5 , because checkmark  124  is associated with telephone icon  114 , the default mode of notification is Available (Ring). The method, thus, proceeds to step  595  and device  20  rings to notify the user of the incoming phone call. 
     While the teachings herein are directed to specific embodiments, it will be understood that subsets, combinations and variations of the embodiments are within the scope of the invention. For example, the voice mail function can be either internal and part of the device, or it can be external and provided by a service provider. Furthermore, it is to be understood that an incoming phone call is merely an example of the type of communication. Other examples include live electronic text communications (i.e. “instant text messages”), such as “chat” services, or any other type of communication that is live and enables at least two people to communicate in real-time. Those skilled in the art will understand that a chat system is any system that allows any number of users to have a typed, real-time, on-line conversation, either by all users logging into the same computer, or more commonly, via a network. “Internet Relay Chat” (“IRC”), “ICQ” and “Palace” are examples of well known chat systems. Additional incoming events can include video conferencing, voice-over-IP (VoIP) communication, push-based web page downloads and push-to-talk applications. In an alternative embodiment, an incoming push-to-talk interruption is handled by attempting to wait until the push-to-talk floor is available and automatically taking control of the floor and playing an outgoing message indicating the user is busy. 
     Similarly, the forwarding of communications to voice mail is just an example of the type of response that a caller can receive. Voice mail can be replaced by any type of message application or any type of communication to the caller in real time. For example, a caller can be prompted to leave a text-based message, DTMF tones or email, instead of, or in addition to, a voice message. As additional example, a person starting a chat can receive a message that the person being contacted is unavailable and the person starting the chat can be prompted to leave a text-based message, voicemail or a combination thereof. In general, where a first user at a first computer attempts to initiate a chat with a second user at a second computer, the second computer can include a modified version of method  500 , wherein the first user will either be prompted to leave a message, or be allowed to start the chat session, depending on any event, such as an appointment event in a calendar application or a task event in a task manager application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the task manager application in many devices has various status settings, which can consist of “not started”, “in progress”, “deferred” and “completed”. Accordingly the status setting of a task can function as a criterion which determines whether an incoming call gets directed to voice mail. For example, every time there is a task that is “in progress” the user may be deemed busy and incoming calls can be routed directly to voice mail. 
     It is also contemplated that in circumstances where the user is available and ready to receive the in-coming communication, device behavior is not limited to ringing and can include a variety of audible, inaudible or mechanical modes of notification, such as various sounds, tunes, flashings of light or vibrational modes and/or combinations thereof, which are familiar to those skilled in the art. 
     It is further contemplated that the modes of operation are not limited to “available” and “unavailable” and include a variety of modes of operation that can be programmed into the device by either the manufacturer or the user. Examples of modes of operation include (1) “available but forward to voice mail after two rings”, (2) “unavailable (i.e. forward to voice mail) but vibrate twice to notify the user of the incoming communication” or (3) “unavailable but ring once after the event is over to remind the user to check messages”. The device can ring one way if a communication is forwarded to voice mail and no message is left and another way if there is a message. 
     It is further contemplated that different modes of operation can be selected manually in association with each appointment, and as such that mode of operation can be considered a criterion of that appointment. It is also contemplated that modes of operation be selected automatically based on a variety of criteria associated with each event and/or incoming communication. For example one such criterion can be the presence or absence of certain predefined words in each event. Another example of multiple complex criteria can be the timing of the communication and/or the person the communication originates from. Accordingly the device could be configured to, for example, direct all incoming calls to an answering machine if the call is received during any appointments containing the word “meeting”, except to override this string and ring the phone and make the call available if the call is from the user&#39;s spouse or if the call is received 2 minutes before the end of the meeting. In general, a device can be configured to have modes of operation that are as simple or as complex as desired. 
     It is also to be understood that types of information stored in association with the applications stored in the ROM of the electronic device, and the way in which such information is displayed on the device is not particularly limited. For example, Table A shows an alternative way of displaying the information in phone call manager  82 . 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE A 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Example format for displaying information in Phone Call Manager 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Field 1 
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Entry 
                 Field 2 
                 Field 3 
                 Field 4 
                 Field 5 
               
               
                 Number 
                 Date/Time 
                 Type 
                 Phone Number 
                 Status/Duration 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 1 
                 2000-01-01 at 
                 Voice Mail 
                 555-333-2354 
                 In progress 
               
               
                   
                 10:30 AM 
               
               
                 2 
                 2000-01-01 at 
                 Accepted 
                 555-555-1445 
                 25 Seconds 
               
               
                   
                 10:00 AM 
               
               
                 3 
                 2000-01-01 at 
                 Placed Call 
                 555-491-4433 
                 30 Seconds 
               
               
                   
                 9:30 AM 
               
               
                 4 
                 2000-01-01 at 
                 Placed Call 
                 555-371-2354 
                 20 Seconds 
               
               
                   
                 8:30 AM 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     As can be seen by examining Table A, Field  1 , “Entry Number” identifies a number associated with a particular telephone call handled by Phone Call Manager. By the same token, Field  2  “Date/Time” identifies the date and time of a particular telephone call. All of the telephone calls in Table A occurred on Jan. 1, 2001, at the respective times indicated in each row. Field  3 , “Type” indicates the type of call. More specifically, where “Type” is identified as “Voicemail”, then that particular telephone call will have been an incoming call routed to voicemail. Where “Type” is identified as “Accepted”, then that particular telephone call will have been an incoming call that was accepted as a voice call. Where “Type” is identified as “Placed Call”, then that particular telephone call will have been an outbound telephone call. Field  4 , “Phone Number”, indicates the phone number associated with that particular call. Field  5 , “Status/Duration” indicates whether the call is actually “in-progress”, or, where the call is in the past, the duration of the call will be indicated in terms of the length of time of the call. It should now be apparent that other information can also be included in Table A. 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , an electronic device for modifying notifications, in accordance with an embodiment, is indicated generally at  20 AA. The functionality described below in relation to device  20 AA (and its variants) can be combined with the functionality discussed above in relation to device  20  (and its variants), In this embodiment, electronic device  20 AA is based on the computing environment and functionality of a wireless personal digital assistant. It is, however, to be understood that electronic device  20 AA can include the construction and functionality of other electronic devices, such as desktop computers, cell phones, smart telephones, and laptops with wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth(TM) chip sets and the like. In one embodiment, electronic device  20 AA includes, a housing  24 AA, which frames an LCD display  28 AA, a speaker  36 AA, an LED indicator  40 AA, a trackwheel  44 AA, an exit key  46 AA and key pad  48 AA, Trackwheel  44 AA and exit key  46 AA can be inwardly depressed along the path of arrow “A” as a means to provide additional user-input. It will be understood that housing  24 AA, can be made from any suitable material as will occur to those of skill in the art. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 16 , a block diagram of certain internal components within device  20 AA is shown. Device  20 AA is based on a microcomputer that includes a processor  50 AA that is connected to a read-only-memory (“ROM”)  54 AA, which contains a plurality of applications executable by processor  50 AA that enables device  20 AA to perform certain functions. Processor  50 AA is also connected to a random access memory unit (“RAM”)  58 AA and a persistent storage  60 AA which are responsible for various nonvolatile storage functions of device  20 AA. Processor  50 AA can send output signals to various output devices including display  28 AA, speaker  36 AA, and LED indicator  40 AA, each of which generate specific outputs as instructed by processor  50 AA. Processor  50 AA, can also receive input from various input devices including trackwheel  44 AA, exit key  46 AA and keyboard  48 AA. Processor  50 AA is also connected to an internal clock  61 AA and a modem and radio  62 AA (not shown). Modem and radio  62 AA can be connected to various wireless networks through an antenna  64 AA. 
     Device  20 AA is operable to execute various applications stored in ROM  54 AA. Referring now to  FIG. 17 , device  20 AA is shown with a main menu screen  66 AA, that displays a system clock  68 AA which is updated according to internal clock  61 AA. Main menu screen  66 AA also displays a plurality of applications that are executable on processor  50 AA. In one embodiment, such displayed applications include a calendar  70 AA, a notification setup  74 AA, a message reader  82 AA, and a daily alarm  86 AA. When executed on processor  50 AA, these applications cause device  20 AA to operate in various ways, as will be discussed further below. Trackwheel  44 AA can be used to scroll through the applications and to select a desired application by pressing inwardly, along the path of arrow A, on trackwheel  44 AA. Exit key  46 AA can be used to exit any application by pressing inwardly, along the path of arrow A, on exit key  46 AA. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 18 , device  20 AA is shown displaying the day&#39;s schedule  100 AA for Jan. 31, 2000 using the application called calendar  70 AA on display  28 AA. Schedule  100 AA includes a plurality of individual appointments  104 AA and  112 AA. As illustrated in  FIG. 18 , appointment  104 AA is a departmental meeting, from 10:00-11:00 a.m., and appointment  112 AA is a dentist appointment, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Appointment  104 AA has a “no-speaker” icon  108 AA associated with it, while appointment  112 AA has a speaker icon  114 AA associated with it. Speaker icon  114 AA and “no-speaker” icon  108 AA will be discussed in greater detail below. Calendar  70 AA also displays a clock  68 AA that shows the current date and time according to internal clock  61 AA maintained in device  20 AA. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 19 , device  20 AA is shown displaying the default modes of notification  110 AA using the application called notification setup  74 AA on display  28 AA, comprising an audible mode  116 AA and an inaudible mode  120 AA. Audible mode  116 AA is also associated with speaker icon  114 AA and inaudible mode  120 AA is also associated with “no-speaker” icon  108 AA. As shown in  FIG. 19 , there is a “check-mark”  124 AA beside speaker icon  114 AA, indicating that the default mode of notification for the present example is audible mode  116 AA. Using trackwheel  44 AA, check-mark  124 AA can also be placed beside “no-speaker” icon  108 AA, indicating that the default mode of notification is inaudible mode  120 AA. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 20 , device  20 AA is shown displaying a plurality of emails  130 AA using the application called message reader  82 AA on display  28 AA. Emails  130 AA are received through a wireless network (not shown), that connects to device  20 AA via modem and radio  62 AA through antenna  64 AA. Emails  130 AA have a series of information associated with them, including, date of receipt  134 AA, time of receipt  138 AA, name of sender  142 AA, subject line  146 AA, and an envelope icon  150 AA, that can be either opened or closed, indicating whether the email has been opened. Each email  130 AA can also have an exclamation mark  154 AA associated with it, indicating that the message is marked urgent by the sender. Trackwheel  44 AA can be used to scroll through individual emails  130 AA, and inwardly depressed to open each individual email  130 AA. Exit key  46 AA can be inwardly depressed to exit each individual email. For example, in  FIG. 20 , it is shown that email  158 AA sent by Murphy Brown, at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000, is not marked urgent, has the subject line: “Re.: Meeting” and has not been opened. Similarly, email  162 AA sent by Jason Peterson at 8:10 a.m., is marked urgent, has the subject line: “New File” and has not been opened. Message reader  82 AA also includes clock  68 AA, which functions as previously described in relation to calendar  70 AA. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 21 , device  20 AA is shown displaying a designated “Time”  170 AA and an “ON/OFF” setting  174 AA using the application called daily alarm  86 AA in display  28 AA. As seen in  FIG. 21 , “Time”  170 AA is associated with a specific time of the day and “ON/OFF” setting  174 AA can be either on or off. Accordingly, at 9:00 a.m. each day, an alarm will be generated by device  20 AA as shown in  FIG. 21 . The operation of alarm  86 AA will be discussed further in detail below. 
     A method for modifying notifications in accordance with another embodiment will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart shown in  FIG. 22  and is indicated generally at  500 AA. In order to assist in the explanation of method  500 AA, reference will be made to the foregoing discussion of device  20 AA. In order to further assist in the explanation of method  500 AA, the sequence of steps in method  500 AA shall be followed in connection to a series of examples using device  20 AA. In these examples, it will be assumed that device  20 AA receives a series of emails at different times during the day. 
     As demonstrated in the flow chart in  FIG. 22 , information is received by device  20 AA at step  550 AA. In the case of the present example, and referring now to  FIG. 23 , it is to be assumed that the information received is an email and that the email received by device  20 AA at this step is email  178 AA. Email  178 AA from David Smith, is received at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2000 and is not marked urgent. At step  555 AA, the time of receipt  138 AA of the information is determined. Referring to  FIG. 23 , time of receipt  138 AA of email  178 AA, is determined to be 10:30 a.m. At this point, the method advances to step  560 AA where it is determined whether time of receipt  138 AA is during any of appointments marked in calendar  70 AA. If time of receipt  138 AA is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step  580 AA. However, if time of receipt  138 AA is not during any of these times, the method advances to step  570 AA. In connection with email  178 AA, and referring now to  FIG. 24 , it is determined that time of receipt  138 AA is during appointment  104 AA and the method, advances to step  580 AA. At step  580 AA, it is determined whether the appointment with which time of receipt  138 AA is associated is designated as audible or inaudible. If the appointment with which time of receipt  138 AA is associated with has speaker icon  114 AA associated with it, then the method proceeds to step  590 AA and an audible sound will emanate from speaker  36 AA. If however, the appointment with which time of receipt  138 AA is associated with has “no-speaker” icon  108 AA associated with it, then the method proceeds to step  595 AA and a flashing light  180 AA will emanate from LED indicator  40 AA. In the case of email  178 AA, since appointment  104 AA is associated with “no-speaker” icon  108 AA, the method advances to step  595 AA and referring now to  FIG. 25 , flashing light  180 AA will emanate from LED indicator  40 AA. At this point method  500 AA ends. There may be a variety of ways to cancel the output from LED indicator  40 AA by, for example, using exit key  46 AA and pressing inward on exit key  46 AA along arrow A. 
     To further illustrate method  500 AA, an additional example is helpful. Let us assume that device  20 AA receives another email  182 AA at 12:30 p.m., as shown in  FIG. 26 . Following the steps of method  500 AA outlined above, at step  555 AA, time of receipt  138 AA is determined to be 12:30 p.m. At step  560 AA, and referring now to  FIG. 27 , it would be determined that time of receipt  138 AA is during appointment  112 AA and hence method  500 AA proceeds to step  580 AA. At step  580 AA, and still referring to  FIG. 27 , it will be determined that appointment  112 AA is associated with speaker icon  114 AA. Hence, the method proceeds to step  590 AA, and as illustrated in  FIG. 28 , a sound  184 AA emanates from speaker  36 AA. Method  500 AA ends. Similar to the example above, there may be a variety of ways to cancel the output from speaker  36 AA by, for example, using exit key  46 AA and pressing inward on exit key  46 AA along arrow A. 
     To help even further in illustrating method  500 AA, it will be assumed that device  20 AA receives yet another email  186 AA at 2:00 p.m., as shown in  FIG. 29 . As demonstrated in the flow chart in  FIG. 22 , information is received by device  20 AA at step  550 AA. In the case of the present example, and referring now to  FIG. 29 , the information received is email  186 AA. At step  555 AA, the time of receipt  138 AA of the information is determined. Referring now to  FIG. 29 , time of receipt  138 AA of email  186 AA, is determined to be 2:00 p.m. At this point, method  500 AA advances to step  560 AA where it is determined whether time of receipt  138 AA is during any of appointments marked in calendar  70 AA. If time of receipt  138 AA is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step  580 AA. If, however, time of receipt  138 AA is not during any of these times, the method advances to step  570 AA. In connection with email  186 AA, and referring now to  FIG. 30 , it is determined that time of receipt  138 AA is not during any of the appointments in calendar  70 AA and the method advances to step  570 AA. At step  570 AA, the default notification in notification setup  74 AA is determined. If the mode of notification is set to audible mode  116 AA, the method would proceed to step  590 AA and sound  184 AA would emanate from speaker  36 AA. If, on the other hand, the mode of notification was set to inaudible mode  120 AA, the method would proceed to step  595 AA and flashing light  180 AA would emanate from LED indicator  40 AA. For the purposes of the example with email  186 AA, it is assumed that notification setup  74 AA is configured as shown in  FIG. 19 . Referring back to  FIG. 19 , because checkmark  124 AA is associated with audible mode  116 AA the default mode of notification is audible. The method, thus, proceeds to step  590 AA and sound  184 AA emanates from speaker  36 AA. 
     Although, in the above examples, the information received at step  550 AA of method  500 AA were incoming emails  178 AA,  182 AA and  186 AA, it will be understood that information received at step  550 AA could be any type of information including an alarm from daily alarm  86 AA. If for example, “Time”  170 AA was set to a time during appointment  104 AA, light  180 AA would emanate from LED indicator  40 AA. Similarly if, “Time”  170 AA was set to a time during appointment  112 AA, sound  184 AA would emanate from speaker  36 AA and if, “Time”  170 AA was set to a time outside of either appointments  104 AA or  112 AA, sound  184 AA would emanate from speaker  36 AA. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 31 , an electronic device for modifying notifications in accordance with another embodiment is indicated generally at  20 AAa. Device  20 AAa is substantially the same as device  20 AA and like elements of device  20 AAa bear the same reference characters, but followed by the suffix “a”. Device  20 AAa is shown in  FIG. 31  displaying different notification profiles  110 AAa using the application called notification setup  74 AAa. However, unlike notification setup  74 AA where the only choices for notification were audible and inaudible, notification setup  74 AAa, allows users to customize their methods of notification. Notification setup  74 AAa comprises a plurality of notification profiles  110 AAa, which in the present embodiment have been labeled Quiet  200 AA, Discreet  204 AA, and Loud  212 AA. Each of these profiles  110 AAa can be customized by the manufacturer or by the user according to user preference. Profiles  110 AAa can also be deleted and additional profiles can be added as desired. Table I shows how each profile  110 AAa can be customized. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE I 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 An Example of Customizing Methods of Notification 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 Mode of Notification 
                   
                   
               
               
                 (Profiles 110AAa) 
                 Application 
                 Notification Behavior 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Quiet 
                 Message Reader 
                 Type: Inaudible 
               
               
                 200AA 
                   
                 Tune: None 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: Mute 
               
               
                   
                 Daily Alarm 
                 Type: Audible 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Tune: Ring 2 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: Low 
               
               
                 Discreet 
                 Message Reader 
                 Type: Audible &amp; Inaudible 
               
               
                 204AA 
                   
                 Tune: Ring 3 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: Medium 
               
               
                   
                 Daily Alarm 
                 Type: Audible 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Tune: Ring 1 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: Low 
               
               
                 Loud 
                 Message Reader 
                 Type: Audible 
               
               
                 212AA 
                   
                 Tune: Ring 5 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: High 
               
               
                   
                 Daily Alarm 
                 Type: Audible 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Tune: Ring 6 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Volume: High 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Referring now to  FIG. 31 , checkmark  124 AAa, located beside the profile Discreet  204 AA, indicates that the default mode of notification for the present example is Discreet  204 AA. Trackwheel  44 AAa can be used to scroll through the different profiles  110 AAa and to select a particular profile  110 AAa. Notification setup  74 AAa can also be used to customize each profile  110 AAa. 
     As illustrated in Table I, each profile can give rise to a different notification output for various applications on device  20 AAa, and notification behavior can be customized according to a variety of criteria, such as “type”, “tune” and “volume”. “Type” can be either audible or inaudible. Audible means a sound emanating from speaker  36 AAa and inaudible means a light flashing from LED indicator  40 AAa. “Tune” can be any tune chosen by the manufacturer or the user and programmed into device  20 AAa. This is the tune that would be played by speaker  36 AAa when “type” is set to audible. “Volume” determines the volume of the tune and in the present embodiment can be low, medium or high. 
     In operation, during appointment  104 AAa, the profile Quiet  200 AA would be in effect. Referring now to  FIG. 31   a , the application calendar  70 AAa has a series of appointments  100 AAa. Appointment  104 AAa is associated with the profile Quiet  200 AA, and appointment  112 AAa is associated with the profile Loud  212 AA. It should now be apparent that whereas in device  20 AA, each calendar appointment  100 AA had either a “speaker icon”  108 AA or a “no-speaker icon”  114 AA associated with it, in device  20 AAa, each appointment, can have a particular profile  110 AAa associated with it, instead. This is illustrated in  FIG. 31   a , where appointment  104 AAa is associated with the profile Quiet  200 AA and appointment  112 AAa is associated with the profile Loud  212 AA. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that Table I is just one example of the way in which notifications can be customized. Furthermore, the specific types, tunes and volumes outlined in Table I are not particularly limited. Also the list of specific applications associated with each mode is not particularly limited and can match the complete set of applications on device  20 AAa. 
     As seen in Table I, if message reader  82 AAa was to receive an email during appointment  104 AAa which is associated with the profile Quiet, the output notification would be inaudible, with no tune or volume and light would emanate from LED indicator  40 AAa. Similarly, if daily alarm  86 AAa w as to go off during appointment  104 AAa, the output notification would be a low volume sound corresponding to a tune called “ring 2”, emanating from speaker  36 AAa. 
     In another embodiment, and referring now to  FIG. 32 , an electronic device for modifying notifications in accordance with another embodiment is indicated generally at  20 AAb. Device  20 AAb is substantially the same as device  20 AAa and like elements of device  20 AAa and device  20 AAb will bear the same reference characters, but followed by the suffix “b” instead of suffix “a”. In  FIG. 32 , device  20 AAb is shown with a main menu screen  66 AAb, displaying an application called profile string matcher  230 AA, as well as calendar  70 AAb, notification setup  74 AAb, message reader  82 AAb and daily alarm  86 AAb. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 33 , device  20 AAb is shown displaying a list of strings  234 AA, associated with a different notification profile  110 AAb, using the application called profile string matcher  230 AA. List  234 AA contains a plurality of individual strings  238 AA,  242 AA and  250 AA, each associated with a notification profile  110 AAb. As illustrated in  FIG. 33  string  238 AA is the word “meeting” and is associated with the profile “Quiet”  200 AAb. String  242 AA is the word “movie” and is associated with the profile “Discreet”  204 AAb. Finally string  250 AA is the word “home” and is associated with the profile “Loud”  212 AAb. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 34 , device  20 AAb is shown displaying the day&#39;s schedule  100 AAb for Feb. 1, 2000 using the application called calendar  70 AAb on display  28 AAb. Schedule  100 AAb includes a plurality of individual appointments  260 AA and 264AA. As illustrated in  FIG. 34 , appointment  260 AA is “weekly meeting”, from 4:00-5:00 p.m., and appointment  264 AA is “dinner with Bill”, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Calendar  70 AAb also displays a clock  68 AAb that shows the current date and time. 
     A method for modifying notifications in accordance with another embodiment will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart shown in  FIG. 35  and is indicated generally at  500 AAb. In order to assist in the explanation of method  500 AAb, reference will be made to the foregoing discussion of device  20 AAb. In order to further assist in the explanation of method  500 AAb, the sequence of steps in method  500 AAb shall be followed in connection to a series of examples using device  20 AAb. In these examples, it will be assumed that device  20 AAb receives a series of emails at different times during the day. 
     As demonstrated in the flow chart in  FIG. 35 , emails are received by device  20 AAb at step  550 AAb. In one example, and referring now to  FIG. 36 , it is to be assumed that one of the emails received by device  20 AAb is email  278 AA. Email  278 AA is sent by Andrea Lee at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2000 and is not marked urgent. At step  555 AAb, the time of receipt  138 AAb of the information is determined. Referring now to  FIG. 36 , time of receipt  138 AAb of email  278 AA is determined to be 4:30 p.m. At this point, the method advances to step  560 AAb where it is determined whether time of receipt  138 AAb is during any of the appointments marked in calendar  70 AAb. If time of receipt  138 AAb is during one of such appointments, the method then advances to step  580 AAb. However, if time of receipt  138 AAb is not during any of these appointments, the method advances to step  570 AAb. In connection with email  278 AA, and referring now to  FIG. 37 , it is determined that time of receipt  138 AAb is during appointment  260 AA. The method, thus, advances to step  580 AAb. At step  580 AAb, the mode of notification according to a profile selected from notification setup  74 AAb is determined. 
     Step  580 AAb “select output according to profile associated with appointment” of method  500 AAb can be performed in a variety of ways, one example of which is demonstrated in a number of sub-steps in  FIG. 38 . At step  581 AAb, it is determined whether the appointment, with which time of receipt  138 AAb is associated, includes any of the strings on list  234 AA of profile string matcher  230 AA, outlined in  FIG. 19 . If the description of the appointment includes one of the strings on list  234 AA, the method advances to step  582 AAb, where the type of notification corresponding to the matched string is determined. If, on the other hand, the description of the appointment does not include one of the strings on list  234 AA, the method advanced to step  570 AAb, where the mode of notification is defined according to the default mode of notification per notification setup  74 AAb. 
     Referring now back to  FIG. 37 , at step  581 AAb, it is determined that the description of appointment  260 AA includes one of the strings on list  234 AA. The method then advances to step  582 AAb where “weekly meeting” contains the word “meeting”, which matches string  238 AA. The method then advances to step  584 AAb where, referring now to  FIG. 39 , it is determined that the notification profile associated with string  238 AA is the profile Quiet  200 AAb. Once the notification profile is determined, the method then advances to step  585 AAb where notification behavior is determined. For the purposes of this example, it is assumed that the modes of notification in this embodiment have been defined in accordance with Table I. In the case of the profile Quiet  200 AAb, when there is an email received by message reader  82 AAb, the notification is described as inaudible, with no tune or volume. Accordingly, at step  590 AAb light emanates from LED indicator  40 AAb, indicating the receipt of email  278 AA. Method  500 AAb then ends. 
     Method  500 AAb will thus operate according to the receipt of different emails and during different appointments. For example, and referring now to  FIGS. 40 and 41 , it will be assumed that device  20 AAb receives email  286 AA at 6:30 pm, which is during appointment  264 AA. Since appointment  264 AA does not contain any of the strings on list  234 AA, then during the performance of method  500 AAb the method will advance to step  570 AAb and device  20 AAb will rely on the default notification profile established according to notification setup  74 AAb. Assuming that notification setup  74 AAb is similar to notification setup  74 AAa and is set to the profile Discreet  204 AA as illustrated in  FIG. 31 , the method advances to step  590 AAb where device  20 AAb generates output according to specifications of the profile Discreet  204 AA in Table I and results in a flashing of light from LED indicator  40 AAb and a medium volume sound corresponding to a tune called “ring  3 ” from speaker  36 AAb. 
     To further illustrate, and referring now to  FIGS. 42 and 43 , it is assumed that device  20 AAb receives yet another email  290 AA at 8:30 p.m., which is not during any of the appointments in schedule  100 AAb. By now it should be apparent to the reader that device  20 AAb would go through each of steps  550 AAb to  560 AAb of method  500 AAb to determine that time of receipt 8:30 is not during any of the appointments in calendar  70 AAb. The method would then advance to step  570 AAb where output is selected according to the profile selected in notification setup  74 AAb. Assuming, as we did before, that notification setup  74 AAb is similar to, and is set up as in, notification setup  74 AAa, the receipt of email  290 AA results in a flashing of light from LED indicator  40 AAb and a medium volume sound corresponding to a tune called “ring  3 ” from speaker  36 AAb. 
     In general it should now be apparent that instead of a user specifically having to configure a different notification for every individual appointment or for every criteria within that individual appointment, rules can be established by a user, or the manufacturer of the device, such that the device recognizes certain keywords or strings within the description of the individual appointment, and/or within the description of information received by the device and signals a particular method of notification. For example the electronic device can be configured to be silent during all appointments that contain the word “business meeting” or “movies” and to signal/beep quietly when the appointment is over. At the same time, it could, also, be configured to vibrate if the information received is an email or voicemail marked urgent within any appointments which contain the words “business meeting” or “movies” in the description of the appointment. 
     While the teachings herein are directed to specific embodiments, it will be understood that subsets and variations of the embodiments are within the scope of the invention. For example, it is to be understood that the receiving of emails is merely an example of an application that can generate a notification. Other examples of information that can be received by a device include, telephone calls, faxes, voice-mail messages, notification of appointments, daily alarm notifications, warning messages from the device in connection to its operation, such as “low battery” messages, or any other set of information for which a notification may be of use. 
     It is also contemplated that notifications can consist of a variety of audible, inaudible, vibrating and combinations of audible, inaudible and vibrating modes of notification. Audible modes of notification can include software sounds with a plurality of different frequencies and pitch. They can consist of different melodies and songs or they can be connected to the radio amongst many other possibilities. Similarly inaudible modes of notification include a variety of possibilities, such as a plurality of vibrations with varying intensities, plurality of colors of flashing and non-flashing lights and pop-up screens on the displays of computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants and etc. The different modes of notification, or combinations thereof can be predefined by the manufacturer of the electronic device or arbitrarily selected and added on by the user. 
     It is also contemplated that an electronic device can be configured to use different modes of notification depending on a variety of criteria. For example an electronic device can be configured to have one mode of notification if emails are received during a particular calendar event and a second mode of notification if the alarm goes off, or a voice mail is received, during the same calendar event. An electronic device could be further configured to have a different mode of notification if the email or voicemail is marked urgent or if the voice mail is from a certain person or area code. An electronic device could be configured to simply shut off all modes of notification during certain appointments and/or it could be configured to notify the user of receiving the information after the appointment is over. In general, an electronic device could be configured to have different modes of notification for different calendar events and even within each calendar event, the electronic device can be configured to have different modes of notification based on a plurality of other criteria, such as the type of information received, when and during which calendar event the information was received, by whom the information was sent, whether the information was marked urgent or whether the information was received with certain other attributes. 
     In general, it is contemplated that rules can be established based on any type of information related to an individual appointment or information received by the device. For example, the electronic device can be configured to vibrate softly during all appointments between 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and to be silent regardless of what type of information is received between 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., unless the information is a long distance phone call from a predefined person, in which case the device could ring loudly. 
     It is also contemplated that the device could change its method of notification based on the physical orientation of the device, such as whether it has a clamp shell that is opened or closed or whether it is being placed on a user&#39;s belt or on a device crib. For example, a device could be configured to vibrate softly if the device is out of the cradle and to have the LED indicator flashing when the device is in the cradle.