Entry phone apparatus and method with improved alphabetical access
US6317489A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 13, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M11/025
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An access control apparatus has a visual display, a plurality of input keys, and an encoder, all of which are operably connected to a communication device. The communication device includes a memory and an electronic directory of names and associated codes. The electronic directory may be configured as a sequential data structure. In one embodiment, an encoder is associated with an alphabetical index and can be set to refer to a particular portion of the alphabet. Another embodiment utilizes a portion of the visual display itself to show the alphabet, and uses slew switches to allow movement within the alphabet. On the visual display, the communication device displays one or more entries from the electronic directory corresponding to the portion of the alphabet selected on the encoder or on the alphabet portion of the display. The apparatus may also include a scrolling device that enables a user to scroll through the electronic directory, beginning at the name or names that are displayed on the display.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.