IP Library Granted Patent US 11,249,615
Granted Patent B2
US 11,249,615 · App. 16/850,402 · Granted Feb 15, 2022

Device and process to transition a smart phone to a feature phone

Inventor: Satish Ramprasad (Miami, FL)
Assignee: TracFone Wireless, Inc.
G06F3/04817G06F3/0482G06F3/0488G06Q20/3278H04M1/6066H04M1/72436H04W4/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,249,615
App. No.
16/850,402
Granted
Feb 15, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wireless device configured to operate both as a smart phone and a phone having basic features including: a memory configured to store a transition application; a processor configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component; a display configured to display a graphical user interface for controlling operation of the processor of the wireless device and the wireless device; and the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features.

Claims (73)

1. A wireless device configured to operate both as a smart phone and a phone having basic features comprising:

a memory configured to store a transition application;

a processor configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component;

a display configured to display a graphical user interface for controlling operation of the processor and the wireless device;

the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component to load basic features into the wireless device to modify operation of the wireless device to implement the basic features including to reconfigure the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement the basic features;

the processor is further configured to implement the transition application in response to the triggering component to generate a graphical user interface configured to receive a selection of a mode of operation of the basic features; and

the processor is further configured to implement the transition application to implement the selection of the mode of operation of the basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons; and

wherein the triggering component comprises at least one of the following: an NFC device operating in response to an NFC target, a camera device operating in response to a machine-readable code, and a SIM card.

2. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the triggering component comprises the NFC device operating in response to the NFC target;

the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to the triggering component to reconfigure the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons.

3. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein:

the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a simple phone.

4. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein:

the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a phone with no application icons.

5. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein:

the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a feature phone.

6. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein:

the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a phone with phone and text only capability and a phone with phone only capability.

7. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to implement the wireless device as a smartphone in response to not sensing the triggering component.

8. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive a selection from a user of features associated with the basic features; and

the processor is further configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features selected by the user.

9. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the triggering component comprises the camera device operating in response to the machine-readable code;

the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to the triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons.

10. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the triggering component comprises the SIM card;

the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to the triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons.

11. A wireless device process configured to operate a wireless device as both a smart phone and a phone having basic features comprising:

storing a transition application in a memory;

implementing the transition application in response to a triggering component with a processor;

displaying a graphical user interface with a display for controlling operation of the processor of the wireless device and the wireless device; and

implementing the transition application with the processor in response to a triggering component to load basic features into the wireless device to modify operation of the wireless device to implement the basic features including to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement the basic features;

implementing the transition application in response to the triggering component with the processor to generate a graphical user interface configured to receive a selection of a mode of operation of the basic features; and

implementing the transition application with the processor to implement the selection of the mode of operation of the basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons; and

wherein the triggering component comprises at least one of the following: an NFC device operating in response to an NFC target, a camera device operating in response to a machine-readable code, and a SIM card.

12. The wireless device process of claim 11 , wherein the triggering component comprises the NFC device operating in response to the NFC target;

implementing the transition application in response to the triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons.

13. The wireless device process of claim 12 , further comprising:

wherein: the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a simple phone.

14. The wireless device process of claim 12 , further comprising:

wherein: the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a phone with no application icons.

15. The wireless device process of claim 12 , further comprising:

wherein: the wireless device comprises a smartphone; and

the basic features comprise a feature phone.

16. The wireless device process of claim 12 , further comprising:

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a phone with phone and text only capability and a phone with phone only capability.

17. The wireless device process of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to implement the wireless device as a smartphone in response to not sensing the triggering component.

18. The wireless device process of claim 11 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive a selection from a user of features associated with the basic features; and

the processor is further configured to implement the transition application in response to a triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features selected by the user.

19. The wireless device process of claim 11 , wherein the triggering component comprises the camera device operating in response to the machine-readable code;

the processor further configured to implement the transition application in response to the triggering component to implement the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons.

20. A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer instructions to operate a wireless device as both a smart phone and a phone having basic features when the non-transitory computer instructions are executed on a processor of a wireless device, instructions comprising:

storing a transition application in a memory;

implementing the transition application in response to a triggering component with the processor;

displaying a graphical user interface with a display for controlling operation of the processor of the wireless device and the wireless device; and

implementing the transition application with the processor in response to a triggering component to load basic features into the wireless device to modify operation of the wireless device to implement the basic features including to reconfigure the graphical user interface displayed by the display to implement the basic features;

implementing the transition application in response to the triggering component with the processor to generate a graphical user interface configured to receive a selection of a mode of operation of the basic features; and

implementing the transition application with the processor to implement the selection of the mode of operation of the basic features,

wherein the basic features comprise at least one of the following: a feature phone, a simple phone, a standard cell phone, a phone with limited functionality, a phone with phone and text only capability, a phone with phone only capability, a phone with limited features, a phone with limited graphical user interface features, a phone with simplified features, a phone with a simplified graphical user interface features, a phone with no application icons; and

wherein the triggering component comprises at least one of the following: an NFC device operating in response to an NFC target, a camera device operating in response to a machine-readable code, and a SIM card.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2025
From: VERIZON VALUE, INC.
To: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
Reel/Frame 073109/0190 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 5, 2025
From: TRACFONE WIRELESS, INC.
To: VERIZON VALUE, INC.
Reel/Frame 072348/0937 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2020
From: RAMPRASAD, SATISH
To: TRACFONE WIRELESS, INC.
Reel/Frame 053383/0272 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62868048 · Jun 28, 2019
Provisional Application 62834650 · Apr 16, 2019
Related Publication 20200333943A1 · Oct 22, 2020