Claims
- 1. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a plurality of descriptions of audio contents; receiving from the user a selection of a first description from among the plurality of descriptions; and placing a voice call to play a first audio content described by the first description in response to the selection.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein each audio content in the plurality is associated with a telephone number, the method further includes:
using the data connection to receive a telephone number, and dialing the telephone number during the placing of voice call.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number is hereinafter “first telephone number”, the method further comprising, after termination of said voice call:
receiving a plurality of additional descriptions of additional audio contents; and placing another voice call to a second telephone number, wherein said second telephone number is different from said first telephone number.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after termination of said voice call:
receiving a plurality of additional descriptions of additional audio contents; and placing another voice call to said telephone number to play an additional audio content.
- 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
dynamically assigning a different one of a plurality of predetermined phone numbers to each of a plurality of descriptions to be displayed as a group to the user for selection therein.
- 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using the selection of first description identified by the data connection to play the audio content during the voice call.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each of the data connection and the voice call are respectively formed with a first logic and a second logic; and the method includes the first logic providing information about the user to the second logic.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein:
the information being provided includes an identifier of an audio content currently described to the user.
- 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
receiving a plurality of calls from a corresponding plurality of users; and matching the audio content to be played with a call, based on an identifier obtained from a wireless handset of the user.
- 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
retrieving each of the audio contents from the Internet.
- 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
visually displaying the descriptions on a monitor of a wireless handset.
- 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, prior to said using:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of categories; visually displaying the categories on the monitor; and requesting said plurality of descriptions in response to selection of a category in said plurality of categories; wherein said plurality of descriptions are all classified under said category.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein:
the selected category is news; each description is a news headline; and each of the audio contents is a news report that provides details related to said news headline.
- 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of additional categories; visually displaying the additional categories on the monitor; and requesting said plurality of categories in response to selection of an additional category.
- 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
terminating the voice call on completion of playing of the first audio content.
- 16. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the data connection is suspended during the voice call.
- 17. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each description is different in content from another description.
- 18. The method of claim 1 wherein:
during the act of visually displaying, telephone numbers corresponding to the descriptions are not displayed.
- 19. The method of claim 1 wherein:
said placing of voice call is performed automatically in response to said selection of first description.
- 20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying a telephone number to be used in the voice call in response to the selection; and performing said placing of voice call only after receiving a response from the user to dial the phone number being displayed.
- 21. The method of claim 20 wherein:
said receiving a response is one of: detecting pressing of a button, detecting touching of a monitor, and detecting a voice command.
- 22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of phone numbers for a corresponding plurality of descriptions.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein:
said phone numbers and said descriptions are received as portions of a single message.
- 24. The method of claim 22 wherein:
said descriptions are received in a first message; and said phone numbers are received in a second message.
- 25. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the selection over the data connection; and receiving from the data connection a telephone number to be used during said placing of voice call.
- 26. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each of said acts of using data connection and placing voice call includes using a wireless medium.
- 27. The method of claim 1 wherein:
said voice call is not a Voice Over IP call.
- 28. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a description of an audio content; receiving from the user a command to play the audio content; and placing a voice call to play the audio content in response to the command.
- 29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:
each of the data connection and the voice call are respectively formed with a first logic and a second logic; and the method includes the first logic providing information about the user to the second logic.
- 30. The method of claim 29 wherein:
the information being provided includes an identifier of an audio content currently described to the user.
- 31. A handheld device comprising:
a key pad; a monitor; a memory encoded with a plurality of descriptions of audio contents and at least one telephone number related to playing of at least one of said audio contents; a microprocessor coupled to the memory, the keypad, and to the monitor; a transceiver coupled to the microprocessor; and a speaker coupled to the transceiver.
- 32. The handheld device of claim 31 wherein:
the memory holds a plurality of telephone numbers including said telephone number, each telephone number corresponding to a description.
- 33. The handheld device of claim 31 wherein:
the microprocessor retrieves from memory the telephone number and passes said telephone number to the transceiver for set up of a voice call in response to a signal from said keypad.
- 34. The handheld device of claim 33 wherein: p1 said transceiver plays said at least one audio content on said speaker in response to setup of said voice call.
- 35. The handheld device of claim 31 wherein:
each description in said plurality identifies a headline of a news story.
- 36. The handheld device of claim 31 further comprising:
an antenna; wherein the transceiver includes wireless circuitry coupled to the antenna.
- 37. A system comprising:
a plurality of storage elements including a first group of said storage elements holding a plurality of descriptions of a corresponding plurality of audio contents and a second group of said storage elements holding said audio contents; a first logic coupled to said first group of storage elements to receive therefrom a group of said descriptions, said first logic being coupled to a data communication network to provide thereto said group of descriptions; and a second logic coupled to said second group of storage elements to receive therefrom an audio content, said second logic being coupled to a telephony network to provide thereto said audio content, said second logic being further coupled to said first logic to receive therefrom an identification of said audio content; wherein said audio content is one of a plurality of audio contents described in said group of descriptions.
- 38. The system of claim 37 wherein:
said first logic includes a modem or a router; and said second logic includes a telephone call processing circuit.
- 39. The system of claim 37 wherein:
the plurality includes a third group of storage elements holding a database that relates a cell phone number of a user to a subscriber ID of a cell phone possessed by the user.
- 40. The system of claim 37 further comprising:
a handheld device having a monitor capable of displaying said group of descriptions, the handheld device further having a speaker and a transceiver capable of playing said audio content on the speaker; wherein the handheld device receives said group of descriptions from said first logic over a data connection, identifies a description in said group that describes said audio content to said first logic over said data connection, and receives said audio content from said second logic over a voice call.
- 41. The system of claim 40 wherein:
the transceiver includes wireless circuitry.
- 42. The system of claim 40 wherein:
the handheld device has the form factor of a cell phone.
- 43. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a number of descriptions of audio content; displaying the descriptions to the user; receiving from the user a command to play one of the audio contents described by the descriptions; placing a voice call in response to the command; playing said audio content to the user during the voice call; and returning to using the data connection in response to completion of the voice call.
- 44. The method of claim 43 further comprising:
using an available telephone number to generate an instruction for said placing of voice call.
- 45. The method of claim 44 further comprising:
forming an association between said telephone number and said audio content; and using said association on receipt of said voice call at said telephone number in identifying said audio content for said playing.
- 46. The method of claim 44 further comprising:
identifying the user on receipt of said voice call; and using identity of the user on receipt of said voice call to identify said audio content for said playing.
- 47. The method of claim 43 further comprising:
displaying to the user a plurality of categories of audio contents; and receiving from the user a selection of a category prior to said using of data connection.
- 48. The method of claim 47 wherein:
at least one of said categories relates to news; and each description in said plurality identifies a news service.
- 49. The method of claim 47 further comprising:
displaying to the user a plurality of subcategories of audio contents; and receiving from the user a selection of a subcategory prior to said using of data connection; wherein each subcategory relates to a news service and each description relates to a headline of a news story.
- 50. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions to perform the method of claim 43.
- 51. A signal encoded in a carrier medium and including instructions to perform the method of claim 43.
- 52. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
a first computer using a data connection to transmit a plurality of categories of audio content; a handheld device visually displaying the categories to the user; the handheld device receiving from the user a selection of a first category from said plurality of categories; the first computer using said data connection to transmit a number of descriptions of audio content in said first category; the handheld device visually displaying the descriptions to the user; the handheld device receiving from the user a command to play one of the audio contents described by the descriptions; the handheld device placing a voice call in response to the command; a second computer playing said audio content during the voice call; and the handheld device using the data connection in response to completion of the voice call.
- 53. The method of claim 52 further comprising:
the handheld device repeating the act of visually displaying said descriptions to the user after completion of the voice call.
- 54. The method of claim 52 further comprising:
the second computer identifying the user on receipt of said voice call.
- 55. A system comprising:
means for placing a telephone call over a wireless network and for visually displaying data; means for supplying descriptions of audio selections as data to the means for placing; and means for playing an audio selection to the means for placing.
- 56. The system of claim 55 wherein:
the means for playing and the means for supplying are implemented in a single computer.
- 57. The system of claim 55 wherein:
the means for playing is implemented in a first computer; the means for supplying is implemented in a second computer; and the first computer is coupled to the second computer to exchange information that correlates a description to an audio selection.
- 58. The system of claim 55 wherein:
the means for placing receives the data through a wireless data connection to the means for supplying; and the means for placing receives the audio selection through a voice call to the means for playing.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to and incorporates by reference herein in its entirety the commonly owned and concurrently filed U.S. patent application Attorney Docket Number M-9477 US, entitled “PORTABLE BROWSER DEVICE WITH ADAPTIVE PERSONALIZATION CAPABILITY” by Claude-Nicolas Fiechter, Amir Ben-Efraim, Tea Hea Nahm, and David Hudson filed on Nov. 21, 2000 (hereinafter “the M-9477 application”).
[0002] This application is also related to and incorporates by reference herein in its entirety the copending, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/415,295, entitled “Portable Browser Device With Voice Recognition And Feedback Capability,” filed Oct. 8, 1999 (hereafter “the '295 application”).