Cellular phone with automatic call reestablishment

• US 6,275,713 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toda, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US09/080,777
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 455/564, 455/569, 455/550, 455/460, 379/216, 379/355, 379/359
• US Class Current: 455/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/02 Buffering or recovering information during reselection ; Modification of the traffic flow during hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call. The cellular phone includes telephone number storage means 12 for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call; number-for-call-reestablishment registration means 13 for storing a telephone number of the called/calling party input by the user; and call reestablishment processing means 14 for automatically reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means or the number-for-call-reestablishment registration means. Even when the cellular phone receives an incoming call, the telephone unit automatically reinitiates a call if the telephone unit has received the telephone number of the calling party. In contrast, even when the telephone unit has not received the telephone number from the calling party, the telephone unit automatically reinitiates a call at a point in time when the field strength recovers to its original state by dialing the telephone number of the calling party registered by the user.

Claims

1. A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call, the cellular phone comprising:

telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call;

number-for-call-reestablishment registration means for storing a telephone number of the called/calling party input by the user; and

call reestablishment processing means for automatically reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means or the number-for-call-reestablishment registration means.

2. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising timer means for measuring the time that elapses from disconnection of the communication channel;

and

call reestablishment abort means for causing the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment when the field strength does not recover to its original state within a given period of time.

3. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 2, further comprising wait-time-for-abort setting means for setting the time that lapses before call reestablishment is aborted.

4. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 2, further comprising abort-time-up notification means for notifying the user of abortion of call reestablishment when call reestablishment is aborted.

5. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the timer means continues measuring the time that lapses from when the communication channel is disconnected even during the period of time over which power to the main body of the cellular phone is shut off.

6. A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call, the cellular phone comprising:

telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call;

call reestablishment processing means for automatically reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means; and

notification means for notifying the user that the telephone number of the calling party was not received when the incoming call was received from the calling party.

7. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 6, further comprising timer means for measuring the time that elapses from disconnection of the communication channel;

and

call reestablishment abort means for causing the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment when the field strength does not recover to its original state within a given period of time.

8. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, further comprising wait-time-for-abort setting means for setting the time that lapses before call reestablishment is aborted.

9. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, further comprising abort-time-up notification means for notifying the user of abortion of call reestablishment when call reestablishment is aborted.

10. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the timer means continues measuring the time that lapses from when the communication channel is disconnected even during the period of time over which power to the main body of the cellular phone is shut off.

11. A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call, the cellular phone comprising:

telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call;

call reestablishment processing means for reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means;

call reestablishment notification means for notifying the user of call reestablishment before a call is reinitiated; and

call reestablishment control means for selectively causing the call reestablishment processing means to reinitiate a call, said call reestablishment control means being operable, when the user instructs the call reestablishment control means to reestablish the call, to cause the call reestablishment processing means to reinitiate a call and, when the user fails to instruct the call reestablishment control means to reestablish the call, to cause the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment.

12. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 11, further comprising timer means for measuring the time that elapses from disconnection of the communication channel;

and

call reestablishment abort means for causing the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment when the field strength does not recover to its original state within a given period of time.

13. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 12, further comprising wait-time-for-abort setting means for setting the time that lapses before call reestablishment is aborted.

14. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 12, further comprising abort-time-up notification means for notifying the user of abortion of call reestablishment when call reestablishment is aborted.

15. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 12, wherein the timer means continues measuring the time that lapses from when the communication channel is disconnected even during the period of time over which power to the main body of the cellular phone is shut off.

16. A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call, the cellular phone comprising:

telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call;

call reestablishment processing means for automatically reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means;

timer means for measuring the time that elapses from disconnection of the communication channel;

call reestablishment abort means for causing the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment when the field strength does not recover to its original state within a given period of time; and

abort-time-up notification means for notifying the user of abortion of call reestablishment when call reestablishment is aborted.

17. A cellular phone which, when a communication channel is disconnected because of deterioration of field strength while a call is in progress, waits for recovery of the field strength and reinitiates a call, the cellular phone comprising:

telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number of a called party when originating a call or storing a telephone number of a calling party when receiving an incoming call;

call reestablishment processing means for automatically reinitiating a call by dialing the telephone number stored in the telephone number storage means;

timer means for measuring the time that elapses from disconnection of the communication channel;

wherein

the timer means continues measuring the time that lapses from when the communication channel is disconnected even during the period of time over which power to the main body of the cellular phone is shut off; and

call reestablishment abort means for causing the call reestablishment processing means to abort call reestablishment when the field strength does not recover to its original state within a given period of time.