(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
ALLOWING A USER OF A DISPLAY-BASED
TERMINAL TO COMMUNICATE WITH
COMMUNICATION UNITS IN A
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
(75) Inventors: Arthur L. Fumarolo, Schaumburg;
Brett A. Jackson, Arlington Heights, both of IL (US)
(73) Assignee: Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US)
( * ) Notice: This patent issued on a continued prosecution application filed under 37 CFR 1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2).
Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/415,297
(22) Filed: Oct. 8, 1999
(51) Int. C I. II04Q 7/20
(52) U.S. CI 455/457; 455/509
(58) Field of Search 455/456, 457,
455/404, 521, 520, 518, 519, 414, 557, 508, 509; 340/901, 904, 905, 988, 990, 989, 995, 286.01, 286.02, 286.06, 286.14, 825.49, 539, 457, 577, 329-332, 335, 969, 978; 379/45, 48, 49, 38; 701/708, 117, 342, 357.09, 357.1, 357.13, 357.07
A display-based terminal (101) employs a method and apparatus for allowing a user of the terminal to communicate with communication units (105-113) in a communication system (100). The terminal displays a map (300, 400) to the user indicating locations of communication units in at least a portion of the communication system. The terminal then receives a selection from the map of at least one communication unit (105, 108, 109, 113) and an indication (309, 311) of the user's desire to communicate with the selected communication unit. The indication of the user's desire to communicate may be contemporaneous with the user's selection of the communication unit, for example, when the user has, prior to such selection, indicated a desired type (302-305, 401-404) of communication and/or a desired transmission mode (406) for subsequent communications with the communication units. Responsive to receipt of the user's selection of the communication unit and indication of a desire to communicate, the terminal automatically initiates a communication with the selected communication unit.
41 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
