What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus comprising:
a call handler to identify a media type of a call; and
a media interface, coupled to the call handler, to present at least one call feature selection associate with the media call type.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media interface is to determine whether the call feature selection requires additional information, and to prompt the subscriber for the additional information when required by the call feature selection
3. The apparatus of claim 2, the call handler further comprising:
a call processor to facilitate audio calls through the media interface.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the call processor is also to facilitate video calls through the media interface.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, the call handler further comprising:
a conference call manager to facilitate calls to multiple parties.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:
a voice mail database to store call messages; and
a voice mail manager, coupled to the voice mail database, to interface the voice mail database with the media interface.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:
an electronic mail notification generator to send a rejection notification to a call originator when the call is rejected through the media interface.
8. A method comprising:
identifying a media type of a call;
presenting at least one call feature selection associated with the media call type to a subscriber.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
determining whether the call feature selection requires additional information;
prompting the subscriber for the additional information when required by the call feature selection.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
accepting the call feature selection from the subscriber.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
accepting the additional information from the subscriber.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
activating the call feature selection.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving the call;
determining a call originator of the call.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
searching a caller database for a record matching the call originator, the record containing a picture of the call originator;
displaying the picture of the call originator when the matching record is found.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein rejecting the call is one of the call features available for selection.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
sending the call originator a rejection notification when the call is rejected.
17. A computer-readable medium encoded with data and instructions, the data and instructions causing an apparatus executing the instructions to:
identifying a media type of a call;
presenting at least one call feature selection associated with the media call type to a subscriber.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
determining whether the call feature selection requires additional information;
prompting the subscriber for the additional information when required by the call feature selection.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
accepting the call feature selection from the subscriber.
20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
accepting the additional information from the subscriber.
21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
activating the call feature selection.
22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
receiving the call;
determining a call originator of the call.
23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
searching a caller database for a record matching the call originator, the record containing a picture of the call originator;
displaying the picture of the call originator when the matching record is found.
24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein rejecting the call is one of the call features available for selection.
25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further encoded with data and instructions, comprising:
sending the call originator a rejection notification when the call is rejected.
26. An apparatus comprising:
means for identifying a media type of a call;
means for presenting at least one call feature selection associated with the media call type to a subscriber.
27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:
means for determining whether the call feature selection requires additional information;
means for prompting the subscriber for the additional information when required by the call feature selection.
28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:
means for accepting the call feature selection from the subscriber.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A liquid crystal microcapsule, comprising a liquid crystal, a polyurea film encapsulating the liquid crystal, and an aligning group disposed within the liquid crystal and bonded directly or indirectly via a urethane bond to the polyurea, wherein the aligning group is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of the formula CnH2n+1\u2014 and a fluoroalkyl group of the formula CnFmH2n\u2212m+1\u2014 (m\u22662n+1), wherein 10\u2266n\u226630, and wherein the aligning group is soluble in the liquid crystal.
2. The liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal is a cholesteric liquid crystal.
3. The liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 2, wherein the peak wavelength of selective reflection of the cholesteric liquid crystal is in the range of 600 to 800 nm.
4. The liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal is a nematic liquid crystal.
5. The liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal is a smectic liquid crystal.
6. A liquid crystal display device, comprising a pair of electrodes and the liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 1 placed therebetween.
7. A method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule, comprising: forming a polyurea and a film thereof by allowing an aligner, which is a compound having a hydroxyl group and at least one aligning group selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of the formula CnH2n+1\u2014 and a fluoroalkyl group of the formula CnFmH2n\u2212m+1\u2014 (m\u22662n+1), wherein 10\u2266n\u226630, to react with a polyisocyanate and water; and encapsulating a liquid crystal with the film wherein the aligning group is disposed within the encapsulated liquid crystal and bonded directly or indirectly via a urethane bond to the polyurea, and wherein the aligner is soluble in the liquid crystal.
8. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, comprising: preparing an organic phase by mixing the liquid crystal, the aligner, and the polyisocyanate; preparing a dispersion by dispersing the organic phase in an aqueous phase; and forming the polyurea and the film thereof by heating the dispersion and allowing the aligner, the polyisocyanate, and the water to react; and encapsulating the liquid crystal with the film.
9. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the aligner additionally has an ether group.
10. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the aligner has a plurality of hydroxyl groups.
11. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the liquid crystal is a cholesteric liquid crystal.
12. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 11, wherein the peak wavelength of selective reflection of the cholesteric liquid crystal is in the range of 600 to 800 nm.
13. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the liquid crystal is a nematic liquid crystal.
14. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the liquid crystal is a smectic liquid crystal.
15. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 7, wherein the fluoroalkyl group is bonded directly or indirectly via a urethane bond to the polyurea through the reaction of the aligner with the polyisocyanate and water.
16. A method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule, comprising: forming a polyurea and a film thereof by allowing an aligner, which is a compound having a hydroxyl group and at least one aligning group selected from the group consisting of a hydrophobic alkyl group of the formula CnH2n+1\u2014 and a hydrophobic fluoroalkyl group of the formula CnFmH2n\u2212m+1\u2014 (m\u22662n+1), wherein 10\u2266n\u226630, to react with a polyisocyanate, a polyamine, and water; and encapsulating a liquid crystal with the film wherein the aligning group is disposed within the encapsulated liquid crystal and bonded directly or indirectly via a urethane bond to the polyurea, and wherein the aligner is soluble in the liquid crystal.
17. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, comprising: preparing an organic phase by mixing the liquid crystal, the aligner, and the polyisocyanate; preparing a dispersion by dispersing the organic phase in an aqueous phase; adding the polyamine to the dispersion; forming a polyurea and the film thereof by heating the dispersion and allowing the aligner, the polyisocyanate, the polyamine, and water to react; and encapsulating the liquid crystal with the film.
18. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the aligner additionally has an ether group.
19. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the aligner has a plurality of hydroxyl groups.
20. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the polyamine is a polyallylamine.
21. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the liquid crystal is a cholesteric liquid crystal.
22. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 21, wherein the peak wavelength of selective reflection of the cholesteric liquid crystal is in the range of 600 to 800 nm.
23. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the liquid crystal is a nematic liquid crystal.
24. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the liquid crystal is a smectic liquid crystal.
25. The method of producing a liquid crystal microcapsule according to claim 16, wherein the fluoroalkyl group is bonded directly or indirectly via a urethane bond to the polyurea through the reaction of the aligner with the polyisocyanate and water.