Telephone calling method and apparatus

• US 5,428,678 A
• Filed: 12/30/1992
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Warren, William E., Fitzpatrick, Gregory P., Williams, Marvin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US07/998,274
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/213, 379/201, 379/70, 379/67, 379/89, 379/69, 379/355, 395/155, 395/161
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/904 Auto-calling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A method and data processing system are disclosed for placing a telephone call. In one embodiment, the invention, in response to user designation of a party and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the designated party and places a call to the scheduled location of the designated party. In another embodiment, the invention, in response to user selection of an electronic calendar event and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the event and places a call to the scheduled location of the event. In either embodiment, the invention may search an electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the scheduled location of the designated party or event.

Claims

1. A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing telephone calls to individual parties, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times and said data processing system further including an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command;

determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party;

searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and

placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.

2. A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing a telephone call, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and

placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event includes a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said data processing system further includes an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, the method further comprising the computer implemented step of searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event prior to placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the scheduled event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the selected event does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.

6. A data processing system for placing telephone calls to individual parties, comprising:

an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times;

an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database;

means for searching, in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command;

means for determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party;

means for searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and

means for placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.

7. A data processing system for placing a telephone call, comprising:

an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times;

means for searching, in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and

means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.

8. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event includes a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes means for placing the telephone call to the telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.

9. The data processing system of claim 7, further comprising:

an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers; and

means for searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event prior to placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event; and

wherein the means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes means for placing the telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the scheduled event.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the selected event does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.