Patent Publication Number: US-2005136893-A1

Title: Terminal and method for transmitting electronic message with user-defined contents

Description:
FIELD  
      The invention relates to a terminal of a radio communication system for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents, and to a method for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents utilizing a terminal of a radio communication system.  
     BACKGROUND  
      The use of mobile telephones is widely spread. Text messages, which can be sent and received using mobile telephones, have become very popular. Other types of messages are also evolving, such as messages containing multimedia information. While sending such a message, it is annoying and time consuming to enter a mobile telephone number of a recipient of the message. Either the mobile telephone number must be remembered, or it must be searched through an internal phone book of the mobile telephone.  
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention seeks to provide an improved terminal of a radio communication system for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents, and an improved method for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents utilizing a terminal of a radio communication system.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal of a radio communication system for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents, the terminal comprising: a wireless transceiver: a user interface element, and a processing unit coupled to the wireless transceiver and the user interface element, configured to receive an input defining the contents of the electronic message from the user interface element, to receive a shorthand for a destination of the electronic message from the user interface element, to associate the shorthand for the destination with a full destination, and to transmit the message with user-defined contents to the full destination utilizing the wireless transceiver.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal of a radio communication system for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents, the terminal comprising: wireless transmitting means for transmitting an electronic message with user defined contents; user interface means for interacting with a user of the terminal; and processing means for receiving an input defining the contents of the electronic message from the user interface means, for receiving a shorthand for a destination of the electronic message from the user interface means, for associating the shorthand for the destination with a full destination, and for transmitting the message with user-defined contents to the full destination utilizing the wireless transmitting means.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents utilizing a terminal of a radio communication system, the method comprising, receiving an input defining the contents of the electronic message; receiving a shorthand for a destination of the electronic message; associating the shorthand for the destination with a full destination; and transmitting the message with user-defined contents to the full destination.  
      The present invention provides several advantages. The invention makes it easier to input a destination of messages with user-defined contents. The invention is not restricted to the use of keys but it may be applied to other, perhaps more futuristic, user interface elements as well. 
    
    
     LIST OF DRAWINGS  
      In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, in which  
       FIG. 1  shows an example of the appearance of a terminal;  
       FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram illustrating parts of a typical terminal;  
       FIG. 3  illustrates how an electronic message with user-defined contents may be transmitted;  
       FIG. 4  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how a shorthand feature may be set on;  
       FIG. 5  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how a shorthand for a destination may be set;  
       FIG. 6  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how a shorthand for a destination may be used for transmitting a message with user-defined contents; and  
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating a method for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents utilizing a terminal of a radio communication system. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
      All example of the appearance of a terminal  100  of a radio communication system will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The exemplary terminal is a Nokia® 6610 phone. Such a terminal  100  includes a user interface with which a user interacts with the terminal  100 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the user interface includes, among other things, a display  102  and A plurality of keys  104 . The keys  104  may include 4-way scroll keys  108 , combination keys  106 ,  110  and number and character keys  112 . The combination key  106  includes a selection key and a dial/answer key. The other combination key  110  includes a selection key and a hang up key.  
      Next, the structure of the terminal will be described with reference to  FIG. 2 . The terminal  100  includes an antenna  204  and a transceiver  202 . The transceiver  202  is e.g. a prior art radio frequency transceiver of a mobile station which functions in a GSM system (Global System for Mobile Communications), GPRS system (General Packet Radio Service) or in a UMTS system (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), for instance. In addition to the above-mentioned keyboard  104  and display  102  for implementing a user interface  210 , the terminal  100  may include a microphone  212  and a loudspeaker  214  for processing sound. A chargeable battery  220  may function as the power source.  
      Also other technologies known in the art may be used for implementing the user interface  210 . Such technologies include a touch pad  216 , a motion-sensing device  218 , and a voice control  228 , for example. The use of these and other user interface techniques will be explained later. In summary, the user interface  210  includes a number of user interface elements,  102 ,  104 ,  212 ,  214 ,  210 ,  218 , some of which may be optional.  
      The terminal  100  may also include, besides the cellular radio network transceiver  202 , another wireless transceiver  206 , which may also use an antenna  208 . Such an other wireless transceiver  206  may be a short-range radio transceiver, such as a Bluetooth™ transceiver, a Wireless Local Area Network WLAN transceiver, or an infrared transceiver, such as an infrared transceiver according to the IrDA (The Infrared Data Association) standard, or any other known wireless transceiver utilizing electric and/or magnetic waves. WLAN may be as defined by standards in the 802.11 series of the IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) for example. An access point, or a service access point as it is also known, forms an access zone of the WLAN system. An access zone is also known as a hotspot. It is an area, such as an office, a university campus, a hotel or an airport, for example, where fast LAN-connections are offered to the users. Access to the Internet may be realized through the access point. Bluetooth™ technology may use a radio link covering at most a few hundred meters at a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz.  
      The terminal  100  further includes a processing unit  200 , which controls and monitors the operation of the terminal  100  and its various parts. The processing unit  200  may also include the application programs of the terminal  100 , e.g. for radio signal processing and user interface  210  management. Nowadays the processing unit  200  is usually implemented as a processor and its software but various hardware solutions are also feasible, such as a circuit built from separate logic components or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC). If necessary, there may be more than one processor. A hybrid of these solutions is also feasible. In the selection of the implementation a person skilled in the art will naturally consider the requirements set for the size and power consumption of the terminal  100 , the necessary processing capacity, production costs and production volumes, for example.  
      A terminal  100  of a radio communication system for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , thus includes a wireless transceiver  202 ,  206 , a user interface element  102 ,  104 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 ,  218 , and a processing unit  200 . The processing unit  200  is coupled to the wireless transceiver  202 ,  206  and the user interface element  102 ,  104 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 ,  218 .  
      The processing unit  200  is configured to receive an input defining the contents of the electronic message from the user interface element  104 ,  212 ,  216 ,  218 . The electronic message with user-defined contents may be a data message, for example. The electronic message with user-defined contents includes a text message, a Short Message Service SMS message, a Multimedia Message Service MMS message, an e-mail message, or other electronic messages used to convey non-real-time information, for example.  
      The fact that the input defines the contents of the electronic message does not necessarily imply that the input itself constitutes the sole contents of the message. The electronic message with user-defined contents may include a text message created with the user interface element  104 ,  212 ,  216 ,  218 . The electronic message may also include a digital image or drawing created by means of a camera  230  or touch pad  210  coupled to the terminal  100 . The electronic message may also include a digital sound recording, a digital representation of sound, or some other file. The electronic message may also include data inputted over a serial data interface  232 . The electronic message may also include material inputted to the terminal  100  from a device  234  external to the terminal  100 .  
      The processing unit  200  is also configured to receive a shorthand for a destination of the electronic message from the user interface element  104 ,  212 ,  216 ,  218 , and to associate the shorthand for a destination with a full destination. The electronic message may be sent to different kind of destinations. The full destination may define a subscriber identifier of the radio communication system, such as a Mobile Subscriber International Integrated Services Digital Network ISDN number MSISDN. The full destination may also define a group of subscriber identifiers of the radio communication system. The full destination may also be an e-mail address or a group of e-mail addresses. The full destination may also define another terminal of the radio communication system, with an International Mobile Subscriber Identity, for example. The full destination may also define a computer or an Internet Protocol IP address.  
      The processing unit  200  is further configured to transmit the message with user-defined contents to the full destination utilizing the wireless transceiver  202 ,  206 .  FIG. 3  illustrates how the electronic message with user-defined contents is transmitted. As explained earlier, the terminal  100  may include at least one wireless transceiver  202 ,  206  coupled to the processing unit  200 . In the first scenario, the electronic message is transmitted via a cellular radio network  302  to at least one terminal  304 ,  306 . In the second scenario, the electronic message is transmitted, possibly via a message conversion gateway  308 , and possibly via the Internet  310 , to at least one computer  312 . The message conversion gateway  308  may perform a conversion from the cellular radio network form into a computer network format, for example. In the third scenario, the electronic message is transmitted to another terminal  316  without using the described radio path  300 , but with a possibly free of charge connection  314 , such as a short-range radio connection, a Bluetooth™ connection, an infrared connection, an IrDA connection, or a WLAN connection. The WLAN connection may necessitate the use of the WLAN system, through the above-mentioned access point, for example.  
       FIG. 2  also illustrates an exemplary structure of the processing unit  200 . Blocks  222 ,  224 ,  226 ,  228  belonging to the processing unit  200  are structural entities that can be implemented e.g as program modules. i.e. by a programming language, such as the C programming language, C++ programming language, some other computer language, or by an assembler, which are stored as runnable versions in a memory provided in the processor and run in the processor. Instead of translatable programming languages, other interpretable progamming languages may naturally also be used, provided that they satisfy the required processing rate and capacity.  
      When the processing unit  200  is implemented as an ASIC, the structural entities  222 ,  224 ,  226 ,  228  may be ASIC blocks.  
      In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the processing unit  200  in eludes the following blocks: a message control block  222  responsible for the composition of the message with user-defined contents, a dialing control block  224  responsible for associating the shorthand for the destination with the full destination and for the actual dialing. The processing unit  200  may also include two other blocks, a recognition block  226  and a voice control block  228 , which will be explained later.  
      Naturally the processing unit  200  may include numerous other blocks, such as a general control block, a user interface control block, etc. Such other blocks are well known to a person skilled in the art and need not be further described here.  
      Next, an elaborated example is given on the use of a shorthand for a destination with reference to screen shots of  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , the user interface element includes a plurality of keys  104 , and the processing unit  200  is configured to receive key presses, which represent the shorthand for the destination. ‘Speed dialing’ refers to the use of the shorthand for the destination.  FIG. 4  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how a shorthand feature is set on. The user selects ‘Menu’ if in  400 . Next, the user selects ‘Settings’ in the ‘Menu’ in  402 . Next, the user scrolls down to select. ‘Call settings’ in  404 . Next, the user scrolls down to select ‘Speed dialing’ in  406 . As illustrated in  406 , the speed dialing is currently set off. The user sets the speed dialing on in  408 , and then returns to the ‘Call settings’. The ‘Call settings’ are shown in  410 . Note that speed dialing is now set on.  
       FIG. 5  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how the shorthand for the destination is set. The user selects ‘Names’ in  500 . Next, the user is shown the screen  502 . The user scrolls down to ‘Speed dials’ and selects it in  504 . The user is then shown the list of assigned speed dials in  506 . Speed dials can be set to eight number keys  112 , i.e. keys ‘ 2 ’, ‘ 3 ’, ‘ 4 ’, ‘ 5 ’, ‘ 6 ’, ‘ 7 ’, ‘ 8 ’ and ‘ 9 ’ of our exemplary terminal illustrated in  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in the screen  506 , there are no speed dials set initially, The user selects ‘Assign’ to set a full destination to the key ‘ 2 ’ in  508 . Next, a screen  508  is shown to the user. The user selects ‘Search’ in  500  in order to search for information in the internal phone book of the terminal, A part of the phone book is shown in  510 : it includes four names. ‘Andreas’, ‘Jarkko’, ‘Johannos’ and ‘Timo’. The user scrolls down to select ‘Johannes’ in  310 . Next, the user performs the ‘Select’ operation for ‘Johannes’ in  510 . Finally, the user is shown a screen  512 : as illustrated, key ‘ 2 ’ now has a shorthand for a destination associated with it. The selected addressing detail associated with key ‘ 2 ’ is the full destination of ‘Johannes’. In an embodiment, the shorthand for the destination includes a speed dialing number, which includes a plurality of dialing digits.  
      Depending on the amount and types of addressing details, another submenu may be displayed after the screen  510  to select the desired addressing detail as the full destination. As illustrated in  514 , ‘Johannes’ may have three full destinations: a GSM number, an e-mail address, and an Ip address. The user may select one or more of these full destinations, after which the screen  612  may be displayed.  
       FIG. 6  is a screen shot sequence illustrating how the shorthand for the destination is used for transmitting a message with user-defined contents. The user selects ‘Menu’ in  600 . Next, the user selects ‘Messages’ in  602 . The user selects ‘Text messages’ in  604 . ‘Create message’ is selected in  606 . The screen  608  illustrates that the text message may include 160 characters. The user inputs the following message: ‘Johannes, is the patent application ready?’ as illustrated in screen  610 . Next, the user selects ‘Send’ in  612 . A window for the phone number appears as illustrated in  614 . Nevertheless, the user does not need to input the whole telephone number; the user just performs a speed dialing selection of key ‘ 2 ’ as illustrated in  614 .  
      In an embodiment, the processing unit  200  is configured to interpret a key press of a key associated with the shorthand lasting longer than a predetermined time as the shorthand for the destination. In another embodiment, the processing unit  200  is configured to interpret a key press of a key associated with the shorthand followed by a key press of another key as the shorthand for the destination. The other key may be a dial/answer key  100 .  
      The processing unit  200  associates the shorthand for the destination (key press ‘ 2 ’) with the full destination (the full destination defined for ‘Johannes’). The success of the operation is shown to the user in  616 . Next, the message may be sent automatically, or the user is required to select ‘Send’ or ‘Back’ as illustrated in  616 . If the user selects ‘Send’, the message is sent as illustrated in  618 , but if the user selects ‘Back’, the previous screen  614  may be shown to the user.  
      In an embodiment, several full destinations may be associated to one shorthand for the destination. After the user has selected the shorthand for the destination in  614 , a screen  620  may be displayed to the user. As illustrated in  620 , ‘Johannes’ has three full destinations: a GSM number, an e-mail address, and an IP address. The user may select one of these full destinations and then select ‘Send’, after which  618  is displayed. Another embodiment is such that the user has already selected the full destination, which is associated with ‘Johannes’, when setting the shorthand for the destination, as explained above in connection with the screen  514 . Such an embodiment is also possible, wherein the user sets an order for the full destinations within the shorthand for the destination. When the order has been set, the message may first be transmitted to the first full destination. If this falls, the message may be transmitted to the second full destination, etc.  
      It is to be understood that  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6  only illustrate one embodiment among the many possibilities to implement the shorthand for the destination functionality into the user interface  210  of the terminal  100  The terminal may be a subscriber terminal of a cellular radio system, but it may also be another kind of radio terminal, a WLAN terminal, for example. The terminal may also combine different functions, i.e. it may be a combination of a subscriber terminal and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), for example. An example of this kind of combined device is a Nokia® Communicator®.  
      In an embodiment, the user interface element includes a microphone  212 , and the processing unit  200  is configured to recognize voice as the shorthand for the destination. The processing unit  200  may include a voice control block  228 , which recognizes given voice commands. The terminal  100  may include a key, which has to be pressed at the same time a voice command is given. The user may press the key and say ‘Johannes’. The processing unit  200  recognizes this command as the shorthand for the destination, and transmits the message to ‘Johannes’. Nokia® 8310 phone uses voice tags, and the key that has to pressed while using them is a volume key or a selection key.  
      In an embodiment, the user interface element includes a touch pad  216 , and the processing unit  200  is configured to recognize a special touch as the shorthand for the destination. The touch pad  216  may be integrated with the display  102 . A combination of the touch pad  216  and the display  102  may be called a touch screen. A virtual keyboard may be shown on the touch pad  216 , and the shorthand for the destination may be associated with a key of the virtual keyboard. Another solution is such that strokes made by the user on the touch pad  216  are recognized, and the shorthand for the destination may be associated with a specific stroke.  
      A solution is also possible where the topmost part is a touch pad  216 , below which there may be a display  102 , and the lowest part is a feedback unit, which provides tactile feedback. U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,667, U.S. 2003/0038776 and WO 03/038800, which are incorporated herein by reference, describe various solutions for giving tactile feedback. The touch pad  216  can be implemented by prior art solutions, which may be based on capacitive or resistive sensors. When the user touches the touch pad  210  with his or her finger, for example, the touched point and usually also the touch force may be determined. The display  102  may be implemented by prior art solutions; for example, if the display should be flat, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display or a thin film transistor display (TFT) can be used. The feedback unit providing tactile feedback may ha implemented by prior art solution, for example by a piezoelectric element or a linear vibrator based on a solenoid. The feedback unit generates a mechanical movement, which the user can sense through touch. The frequency, amplitude and duration of the movement may be controlled. The movement may be sensed as trembling and vibration. The movement may simulate a click generated by a key press, for example.  
      In an embodiment, the user interface element includes a motion-sensing device  218 , and the processing unit  200  is configured to recognize a special motion as the shorthand for the destination. In one solution, the keyboard is implemented in an unusual manner: it is projected from the terminal  100  next to it, e.g. onto the air or onto a surface, such as a table surface. The terminal  100  thus employs prior art for presenting the keyboard and its keys as a projected image. The motion-sensing device  218  determines whether the user is pressing virtual keys of the projected keyboard, and the shorthand for the destination is associated with a key of the projected keyboard. The use of the projection technique is described in U.S. application 09/892000, which is incorporated herein by reference. In another solution, the motion-sensing device  218  includes an acceleration sensor (or accelerometer), which may detect the motion of the terminal  100  in one, two or even three dimensions.  
      In the following, one method for transmitting an electronic message with user-defined contents utilizing a terminal of a radio communication system will be described with reference to  FIG. 7  and as an example. The method starts in  700 , e.g. when the subscriber terminal is switched on. If the user of the terminal wants to transmit a message with user-defined contents, two operations have to be performed first. The order of these operations is unimportant. These operations are: receiving an input defining the contents of the electronic message in  702 , and receiving a shorthand for a destination of the electronic message in  704 . Next, the shorthand for a destination is associated with a full destination in  706 . Finally the message is transmitted with user-defined contents to the full destination in  708 . The method ends in  710 , e.g. when the subscriber terminal is switched off, or when the user no longer wishes to send messages with user-defined contents.  
      The terminal  100  described above is suitable for performing the method, but also other terminals capable of composing messages with user-defined contents, associating the shorthand for the destination with the full destination, and transmitting the message with user-defined contents to the full destination may be used. The method may be enhanced with the embodiments described above for the terminal  100 .  
      In an embodiment, the reception  704  of the shorthand for the destination of the electronic message includes: receiving key presses, which represent the shorthand for the destination.  
      In an embodiment, the method further includes: interpreting a key press of a key associated with the shorthand lasting longer than a predetermined time as the shorthand for the destination. In another embodiment, the method further includes: interpreting a key press of a key associated with the shorthand followed by a key press of another key as the shorthand for the destination.  
      In an embodiment, the reception  704  of the shorthand for the destination of the electronic message includes: recognizing voice as the shorthand for the destination. In another embodiment, the reception  704  of the shorthand for the destination of the electronic message includes: recognizing a special touch of a touch-sensitive area of the terminal as the shorthand for the destination. In another embodiment, the reception  704  of the shorthand for the destination of the electronic message includes: recognizing a special motion as the shorthand for the destination.  
      As mentioned above, the message with user-defined contents may be composed using numerous different prior art ways. These include: creating a text message as the electronic message with user-defined contents; creating a digital image or drawing as the electronic message with user-defined contents; creating a digital sound recording as the electronic message with user-defined contents; creating a digital representation of sound as the electronic message with user-defined contents; creating a file as the electronic message with user defined contents; receiving data inputted over a serial data interface as the electronic message with user-defined contents; receiving material from a device external to the terminal as the electronic message with user-defined contents.  
      Even though the invention has been described above with reference to an example according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the invention is not restricted thereto but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims.