Telephone quick dialing/re-dialing method and apparatus

• US 20050025304A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Porter, Swain W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,455,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/355.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A telephone is equipped to enable a user to enter a dialing prefix, an append indicator, and a dialing request to quickly place a call to a callee from a location where calling the callee requires the dialing prefix. In response, the telephone places the call to the callee using the dialing prefix and a last placed call number. In an alternate embodiment, a previous dialed number may be used instead. In yet other embodiments, the telephone detects for a dialing error, using voice recognition technology, and either re-places the call or facilitates re-placement of the call in a corrected manner. In one embodiment, the telephone is a wireless mobile phone; in another, the telephone is a wired or cordless telephone handset.

Claims

1-5. -5. (cancelled).

6. A machine implemented method comprising:

placing a first call to a phone number;

monitoring the first call as the first call is being placed;

determining if the first call has failed for missing a required dialing prefix;

terminating the first call; and

placing a second call using the same phone number preceded with the missing required dialing prefix.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the dialing prefix comprises a long distance calling prefix.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring received audio signals;

and said determining comprises analyzing said received audio signals to determine if a first of one or more audio dialing error messages was received.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said method further comprising identifying the missing required dialing prefix based on said first audio dialing error message received.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the missing required dialing prefix includes at least a missing area code, and said method further comprises prompting a user to provide said missing area code.

11-16. -16. (cancelled).

17. A telephony apparatus comprising:

storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to operate the telephony apparatus to enable the telephony apparatus to

place a first call to a phone number,

monitor the first call as the first call is being placed,

determine if the first call has failed for missing a required dialing prefix,

terminate the first call, and

place a second call using the same phone number preceded with the missing required dialing prefix; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

18. The telephony apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dialing prefix comprises a long distance calling prefix.

19. The telephony apparatus of claim 17, wherein said programming instructions are designed to operate the telephony apparatus to monitor received audio signals, and analyze said received audio signals to determine if a first of one or more audio dialing error messages was received.

20. The telephony apparatus of claim 19, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to identify the missing required dialing prefix based on said first audio dialing error message received.

23-28. -28. (cancelled).