Mobile telephone user interface including fixed and dynamic function keys and method of using same

A user interface for use in a mobile telephone handset, comprising:

• static visual display means for presenting the status of said mobile phone and other services accessible by said user;
• dynamic visual display means for presenting a plurality of context sensitive function labels;
• a plurality of Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signaling keys in electrical communication with said static and dynamic visual display means;
• a plurality of soft-label signaling keys in electrical communication with said static and visual display means such that a corresponding context sensitive function label is displayed adjacent to a corresponding soft label key;
• and
• prompting means in electrical communication with said dynamic visual display means for indicating to said user whether said DTMF or said soft-label signaling keys should be used, such that said user may access the functions by pressing the indicated key.

A mobile telephone handset, comprising:

• an earpiece;
• a mouthpiece;
• static visual display means for presenting the status of said mobile phone and other services accessible by said user;
• dynamic visual display means for presenting a plurality of context sensitive function labels;
• a plurality of fixed-label DTMF signaling keys in electrical communication with said static and visual display means;
• and
• a plurality of soft-label signaling keys in electrical communication with said static and visual display means such that a corresponding function label is displayed adjacent to a corresponding soft label key, said soft-label keys operative to perform the function indicated by said corresponding function label.

For use in mobile telephone communications, a method of interfacing a mobile telephone party to a secondary party, comprising the steps of:

• providing a mobile telephone handset having an earpiece, a mouthpiece and a user interface which includes a static visual display, a dynamic visual display, a plurality of fixed-label DTMF signaling keys, a plurality of soft-label signaling keys and indicator means, said dynamic visual display means including function labels, each function label displayed adjacent to a corresponding soft label key;
• viewing said visual display to obtain instructions as to the status of said mobile telephone, the availability of telephone functions and whether fixed or soft-label signaling keys should be utilized;
• and
• accessing selected telephone functions whose labels are presented either on said static display or on said dynamic visual display adjacent to said soft-label signaling keys.

For use in a telephone having a primary visual display and a plurality of fixed label DTMF signaling keys each having a corresponding group of designations, a method of entering selected designations in said primary visual display, comprising the steps of:

• providing at least one dynamic visual display means for presenting a plurality of context sensitive function labels;
• providing a plurality of soft-label signaling keys in electrical communication with said primary visual display and said dynamic visual display means, said soft-label signaling keys operative to individually access the corresponding designations of said groups, said designations represented as soft labels on said dynamic visual display means adjacent to a corresponding soft label signaling key;
• depressing a selected fixed-label DTMF signaling key corresponding to said group of said selected designation so as to enter a predetermined designation in said primary visual display with the remainder of said group or designations each displayed adjacent to a corresponding soft label key;
• and
• depressing said corresponding soft-label signaling key adjacent to said desired designation so as to replace said predetermined designation on said primary visual display with said selected designation from said dynamic visual display.

For use in a mobile telephone having a primary visual display and a plurality of fixed label signaling keys each having a numeric designation and a corresponding group of alphabetic designations, a method of entering selected alphabetic designations in said primary visual display, comprising the steps of:

• providing at least one dynamic visual display means for presenting a plurality of context sensitive function labels;
• providing a plurality of soft-label signaling keys in electrical communication with said primary visual display and said dynamic visual display means, said soft-label signaling keys operative to individually access the corresponding designations of said alphabetic groups, said designations represented as soft labels on said dynamic visual display means;
• depressing a selected fixed-label signaling key corresponding to said group of said selected alphabetic designation so as to enter a predetermined alphabetic designation in said primary visual display;
• and
• depressing said soft-label signaling key corresponding to said selected designation so as to replace said entered designation with said selected designation where necessary.