Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Susan L Tuttle

Michael L Moroze

Michael John Nuttall

John Henry Schaffeld

Kathleen J Chylinski

James R Graham

Pratod V Kasbekar

Christopher A Robinette

William Vincent Jackwicz

Harish S Mangrulkar

Romano M Zambon

Joseph J Rizzo

Joseph James Giordano, Jr

Joel Thomas Holl

William E Venth

Karl Edward Werner

Darren A Kall

Gary C Smith

Kimberly A Baals

Dhirendra M Patel

Harry Edward Blanchard

David C Danielson

David C Stowers

John Edward Clarke

Edward W Boakes

David Raymond Dempski

Sonia M Estevez-Alcolado

Steven M Herbst

Robert T Saizan

Elizabeth Bauer-Nilsen Sanders

David M Gresham

Nicholas H Katis

William F Dudley, Jr

Daniel J O'Donnell

Joanne W Davidson

Alessandro A Subrizi

Susan A Palermo

Mark A Biasotti

Sanjay Sudhaker Upasani

David A Fishman

Bernard A DeSiena

Kenneth Kasiske

Donald A Palaski

An arrangement for dynamically varying how space on a small display is allocated for presentation of various types of user information is provided. The arrangement optimizes utilization of space on small displays by dynamically allocating lines on the display for presentation of status or header-type information as well as menu item-type information. The arrangement configures the display such that lines therein are dedicatable in any combination to displaying these two types of information.

Arrangement for dynamic allocation of space on a small display of a telephone terminal

An arrangement for displaying message screens on a telephone terminal provides easy access to messages received by the telephone terminal from a service provider. The arrangement allows users to seamlessly and intuitively view header and body information of a message without the need for any unnecessary key presses.

Arrangement for displaying message screens on a telephone terminal

A menu level indicator facilitates ease of use of a telephone terminal by a user by providing easily understandable information about selectable menu options available in an interactive display on the telephone terminal. The menu level indicator provides a visual indication for permitting the user to directly determine the number of menu options available while at one of multiple selectable menu levels in the menu. The menu level indicator also provides a visual indication for the user as to the relative position of a displayed, selectable menu option with respect to other selectable menu options commonly located at one of the multiple selectable menu levels. As a user maneuvers through the menu levels, such user is able to quickly develop a mental model of the feature menus and easily navigate through these menu selections.

Menu level indicator for a telephone terminal

A user of a telephone terminal with an interactive display is provided complete access to all feature choices in a hierarchical menu through a minimum number of menu keys. These menu keys include a 'Next' key, a 'Back' key, a 'Select' key and a 'Home' key. These menu keys occupy minimal space on the housing of the telephone terminal, yet enable the user of the terminal to easily scroll to and select every feature in the interactive display. The user is able to quickly develop a mental model of the feature choices and easily navigate through these menu selections. Context-sensitive functionality also is provided for using the interactive display. As a user completes a command function, the feature choice presented to the user for this function is the one most likely to be accessed by the user, thus advantageously avoiding the necessity of having a dedicated key for allowing the user to select this feature choice.

Hierarchical menu screen interface for displaying and accessing

Portable telephone handset

Cradle for a telephone handset

Telephone stand

A telephone terminal provides display screens of information messages which are selectively arranged to be time-specific in accordance with the complexity content of the information in each message. The amount of text in an information message, the complexity of words in the message and whether any user action should follow the text presented in the message are factors used in optimizing the duration of the display screens for the messages timed specific to their content. A plurality of user selectable options for the duration of the display screens also are available. These selectable options alter the duration time of all the display screens as a set. Within each selected set the variable time accorded each display screen, in accordance with the time-specfic information messages, provides for optimum viewing of each message by a user of the telephone terminal.

Arrangement for varying the display time for messages displayable on a

A telephone terminal is configurable by a user to contain just those features desired by the user. Although equipped with a full set of available features, the terminal also is initially configured only with a minimum default set of features directly and easily accessible by a user. The user is able to reconfigure the telephone terminal for selectively adding features when he or she desired more capabilities.

Feature configurable telephone terminal

Growing community of inventors

East Windsor, NJ, United States of America

Susan L Tuttle