Portable multifunction device, method, and graphical user interface for conference calling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9325852-B2
Application number	US-201514632817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2007
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

In some embodiments, a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display performs a method that includes: displaying a phone call user interface on the touch screen display, wherein the phone call user interface includes: a first informational item associated with an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party, a second informational item associated with a suspended phone call between the user and a second party, and a merge call icon; upon detecting a user selection of the merge call icon, merging the active phone call and the suspended phone call into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party, and replacing the phone call user interface with a conference call user interface. The conference call user interface includes: a third informational item associated with the conference call, and a conference call management icon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display,
displaying a first phone call user interface on the touch screen display for an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party;
in response to receiving an incoming call from a second party, displaying an incoming call user interface on the touch screen display, the incoming call user interface including a hold call icon;
in response to detecting a user selection of the hold call icon:
suspending the active phone call between the user of the device and the first party,
activating a phone call between the user of the device and the second party, and
displaying a second phone call user interface including first information identifying the first party, second information identifying the second party, and a merge call icon;

upon detecting a user selection of the merge call icon:
merging the active phone call between the user of the device and the second party and the suspended phone call between the user of the device and the first party into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to receiving the incoming call from the second party, ceasing to display the first phone call user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying an incoming call user interface on the touch screen display comprises replacing display of the first phone call user interface with display of the incoming call user interface on the touch screen display.

4. The method of claim 1 , including:
upon detecting a user selection of the merge call icon:
replacing the second phone call user interface with a conference call user interface, wherein replacing the second phone call user interface with the conference call user interface includes:
ceasing to display the first information and the second information;
displaying third information associated with the conference call, and
displaying a conference call management icon for redisplaying the first information and the second information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incoming call user interface includes an end current phone call and answer incoming phone call icon, the method further comprising:
in response to detecting a user selection of the end current phone call and answer incoming phone call icon:
terminating the active phone call between user of the device and the first party,
activating a phone call between the user of the device and the second party, and
displaying a third phone call user interface on the touch screen display.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second phone call user interface includes a swap call icon, the method further comprising:
in response to detecting a user selection of the swap call icon while displaying the second phone call user interface:
suspending the active phone call between the user of the device and the second party,
activating the phone call between the user of the device and the first party, and
displaying a fourth phone call user interface including the first information identifying the first party and the second information identifying the second party.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second phone call user interface includes an end call icon, the method further comprising:
in response to detecting a user selection of the end call icon while displaying the second phone call user interface:
terminating the active phone call between the user of the device and the second party,
activating the phone call between the user of the device and the first party, and
redisplaying the first phone call user interface on the touch screen display.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display,
displaying a first phone call user interface on the touch screen display for an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party;
in response to receiving an incoming call from a second party, displaying an incoming call user interface on the touch screen display;
in response to detecting a predefined user input:
merging the phone call between the user of the device and the first party and a phone call between the user of the device and the second party into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the incoming call user interface includes a hold call icon, the method further comprising:
in response to detecting a user selection of the hold call icon while displaying the incoming call user interface on the touch screen display:
suspending the active phone call between the user of the device and the first party,
activating a phone call between the user of the device and the second party, and
displaying a second phone call user interface including first information identifying the first party and second information identifying the second party.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display,
displaying a first phone call user interface on the touch screen display for an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party;
in response to receiving an incoming call from a second party, displaying an incoming call user interface on the touch screen display, the incoming call user interface including a hold call icon;
in response to detecting a user selection of the hold call icon:
suspending the active phone call between the user of the device and the first party,
activating a phone call between the user of the device and the second party, and
displaying a second phone call user interface including first information identifying the first party, second information identifying the second party, and a merge call icon.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
while displaying the second phone call user interface, detecting a predefined user input; and
in response to detecting the predefined user input, merging the active phone call between the user of the device and the second party and the suspended phone call between the user of the device and the first party into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party.

12. A portable multifunction device, comprising:
a touch screen display;
one or more processors;
memory; and
one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for:
displaying a first phone call user interface on the touch screen display for an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party;
in response to receiving an incoming call from a second party, displaying an incoming call user interface on the touch screen display, the incoming call user interface including a hold call icon;
in response to detecting a user selection of the hold call icon:
suspending the active phone call between the user of the device and the first party,
activating a phone call between the user of the device and the second party, and
displaying a second phone call user interface including first information identifying the first party, second information identifying the second party, and a merge call icon;

upon detecting a user selection of the merge call icon:
merging the active phone call between the user of the device and the second party and the suspended phone call between the user of the device and the first party into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Forstall Scott
• Chaudhri Imran
• Matas Michael
• Van Os Marcel
• Lemay Stephen O
• Coffman Patrick Lee
• Cranfill Elizabeth Caroline Furches
• Christie Greg

Classifications

• H04M3/56 Primary

  Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities (video conference systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• H04M1/663

  Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• H04M2250/62

  user interface aspects of conference calls · CPC title