Method and apparatus for a dual mode keypad permitting one-touch telephone number dialing

• US 5,491,745 A
• Filed: 02/20/1991
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniden America Corporation (Cornwall Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Uniden America Corporation (Cornwall Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Roeder, G. R. Konrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US07/658,966
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 379/354, 379/355, 379/356, 379/58, 379/359
• US Class Current: 379/355.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27467 Methods of retrieving data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for one-touch recall and dialing of stored telephone or billing account numbers using only the numeric and special keys of a standard 12-key keypad. Upon momentary actuation of a numeric or special key of a standard keypad, the data input is entered into a buffer or directly dialed into a telephone network. If, however, the actuated key is actuated for more than a predetermined amount of time, a previously stored sequence of numbers is retrieved from a memory address location corresponding to the actuated key and is automatically dialed.

Claims

1. A one-touch telephone number dialing system, comprising:

a keypad comprising a plurality of numeric keys and special function keys for inputting data corresponding to a selected key;

a memory having a plurality of memory locations for storing at least one sequence of data, each location corresponding to one of the keypad keys;

a buffer for receiving data from the keypad and for receiving a sequence of data from the memory;

a dialer for transmitting dial signals from the system; and

a controller for entering into the buffer data from the keypad upon actuation of a corresponding keypad key, and, if the corresponding keypad key is held down for more than a predetermined time period, for clearing the buffer, retrieving a sequence of data from one of said memory locations corresponding to the actuated keypad key, entering the retrieved sequence of data into the buffer, and enabling the dialer to dial the retrieved sequence of data.

2. A one-touch telephone number dialing system, comprising:

a keypad comprising a plurality of numeric keys and special function keys;

a buffer for storing data and dialing sequences;

a dialer for transmitting dial signals from the system;

a memory having a plurality of memory address locations for storing at least one dialing sequence, each memory address location associated with a particular keypad key; and

a controller coupled to the buffer and keypad for storing in the buffer data uniquely corresponding to an actuated keypad key and determining whether the actuated keypad key is released within a predetermined time period from actuation of the key,

said controller further coupled to the dialer and memory to retrieve a dialing sequence from one of said memory address locations corresponding to the actuated keypad key, to store the retrieved dialing sequence in the buffer and to cause the dialer to transmit a dial signal corresponding to the retrieved dialing sequence if the actuated keypad key is not released within said predetermined time period.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said system is comprised by a cellular telephone apparatus.