GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR A PORTABLE TELEPHONE

摘要

A portable telephone provides a graphical user interface (GUI) using a high-resolution display. The GUI provides a Universal Mailbox for storing both electronic mail and voicemail messages (44), either of which can be accessed by a user from the same display screen. An automatic reply feature allows a user to initiate an outgoing reply to a received message with the touch of a button. For a reply to a voicemail message, the GUI accesses Caller ID information to automatically identify and dial out to the phone number (45) of the sender of the original message. For an electronic mail reply, the GUI automatically displays a reply form addressed to the source address (52). An advanced call control feature automatically checks an outgoing telephone number (45) against a database to determine whether the phone number (45) is currently appropriate. An animated call duration indicator indicates the length of telephone calls. A ticker-tape display automatically displays scrolled text messages according to the context of what the user is doing.