Apparatus for use in completing telephone calls

• US 5,550,915 A
• Filed: 07/02/1993
• Issued: 08/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Partridge, B. Waring III
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/086,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 379/130, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/355, 379/354, 379/216, 379/201, 379/113, 379/131, 379/140, 379/141, 379/172, 379/356, 379/171, 379/173
• US Class Current: 379/355.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence

Abstract

A telephone station set is arranged to automatically prefix calls with the access code of a particular, preselected IXC. In one embodiment, the telephone station set is arranged to have at least one locking button that corresponds to an IXC and whenever the locking button is in the selected state, any calls originated from that telephone station set are automatically prefixed with the access code of the IXC to which the button corresponds. Whenever there aren'"'"'t any IXC buttons selected, only those digits corresponding to the buttons dialed by the calling party are transmitted to the LEC. In another embodiment, the telephone station set incorporates a slide switch having IXC positions and a "No IXC" position. Positioning the slide switch at an IXC position causes calls dialed from the telephone station set to be prefixed by the IXC access code of the corresponding IXC while positioning the slide switch at the "No IXC" position causes only those digits corresponding to the buttons dialed by the calling party to be transmitted to the LEC. In yet another embodiment of the invention, a particular IXC, or "No IXC" is selected from a menu provided by the telephone station set. If an IXC is selected from the menu, calls dialed from the telephone station set are prefixed by the selected IXC'"'"'s access code. If "No IXC" is selected from the menu, the telephone station set transmits to the LEC only those digits corresponding to the buttons dialed by the calling party.

Claims

1. A telephone station set for use in connecting a caller to the network of a local service provider, the telephone station set comprising:

multi-position selection means for registering a selection of a telecommunications carrier other than said local service provider to carry future telecommunications calls originated from said telephone station set and carried by a telecommunications carrier other than said local service provider, said selection remaining in effect, for all subsequent calls, until explicitly changed; and

means for automatically supplying from said telephone station set the telecommunication carrier code of said selected telecommunications carrier to said network of said local service provider during all calls originated after registration of said selection that are to be carried by a telecommunications system other than said local service provider.

2. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said multi-position selection means for registering a selection includes at least one locking button.

3. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said multi-position selection means for registering a selection includes a slide switch having a plurality of positions.

4. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said multi-position selection means for registering a selection includes a menu system.

5. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for supplying supplies said telecommunications carrier code in response to said telephone station set going off-hook.

6. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for supplying supplies said telecommunications carrier code in response to the dialing of a first digit for a telephone call originated from said telephone station set.

7. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, further including means for canceling said selection so that telecommunications carrier codes are not automatically supplied on calls.

8. The telephone station set as defined in claim 1, wherein said telecommunications carrier is an interexchange carrier.

9. The telephone station set as defined in claim 8, wherein said means for automatically supplying supplies the telecommunications carrier code for said interexchange carrier even for non-interexchange calls.

10. A telephone station set for use in connecting a caller to the network of a local service provider, the telephone station set comprising:

multi-position selection means for registering a selection of a telecommunications carrier other than said local service provider to carry future telecommunications calls originated from said telephone station set, said selection remaining in effect, for all subsequent calls, until explicitly changed; and

means for automatically supplying from said telephone station set the telecommunications carrier code of said selected telecommunications carrier to said network of said local service provider during calls original after registration of said selection; and

means, in said telephone station set for inhibiting said means for automatically supplying if said caller dialed a telecommunications carrier code.

11. The telephone station set as defined in claim 10, wherein said multi-position means for registering a selection includes at least one locking button and said means for canceling includes another one locking button.

12. The telephone station set as defined in claim 10, wherein said multi-position means for registering a selection includes a slide switch having a plurality of positions and said means for canceling includes an additional position on said slide switch.

13. The telephone station set as defined in claim 10, wherein said multi-position means for registering a selection includes a menu system and said means for canceling includes a particular menu selection and corresponding input device.

14. A method comprising the steps of:

registering, via multi-position selection means in a telephone station set, a selection of a telecommunications carrier to carry all subsequent interexchange calls originated from said telephone station set until said selection is explicitly changed; and

automatically transmitting from said telephone station set the telecommunications carrier code of said selected telecommunications carrier to a network of a local service provider for every call originated from said telephone station set.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

registering, via multi-position selection means in a telephone station set, a selection of an interexchange carrier to carry all subsequent interexchange calls originated from said telephone station set until said selection is explicitly changed; and

automatically transmitting from said telephone station set the interexchange carrier code of said selected interexchange carrier to a network of a local service provider for each interexchange carrier and non-interexchange carrier call originated from said telephone station set.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein said automatic transmission is performed in response to the dialing of a first digit for a telephone call originated from said telephone station set.

16. The method as defined in 15, wherein said automatic transmission is initiated upon the going off-hook by said telephone station set.

18. A method for use in a telephone apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, in said telephone apparatus, an indication that a particular interexchange carrier is to carry all interexchange calls originated from a telephone station set served by said apparatus; and

automatically supplying from said telephone apparatus, based upon the position of multi-position selection means within said telephone apparatus, the interexchange carrier code of said particular interexchange carrier to a network of a local service provider during interexchange carrier and non-interexchange carrier calls.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein said automatic supplying is performed in response to the dialing of a first digit for a telephone call originated from said telephone apparatus.