System and method for use of feature codes in a wireless communication device

• US 6,449,497 B1
• Filed: 03/10/1998
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirbas, Bilhan, Lekven, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip J.
• Application Number:
  US09/041,089
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/414, 455/415, 455/550, 455/564, 455/566, 455/575, 379/216, 379/355, 379/356
• US Class Current: 455/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• 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

Abstract

A wireless communication device contains a speed-dial storage area containing one or more user-entered destination telephone numbers. An additional memory area contains the plurality of sets of additional digits to be added to the user-entered destination telephone number. The user associates one or more additional sets of digits to a selected user-entered destination telephone number. A control processor automatically adds the associated set of additional digits whenever the user-entered destination telephone number is selected. The sets of additional digits may be pre-programmed by the service provider or programmed by the user. The sets of additional digits may include codes for features such as caller identification transmission, caller identification blocking, message waiting cancellation, and the like. In addition, other sets of digits, such as area codes and other prefixes may be pre-programmed by the service provider or the user. The additional sets of digits may be added to all subsequent calls to the selected user-entered destination telephone number until the control processor is selectively disabled. The processor may be disabled by manual intervention by the user or by turning the power-off to the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a housing;

a transceiver within the housing to communicate with a communication device remote from the system;

an antenna affixed to the housing and electrically coupled to the transceiver;

a battery to provide electrical power to the system;

a memory containing a plurality of feature codes;

a display;

a keypad input device affixed to the housing to sense user operation thereof to enter a destination telephone number and to select a feature codes for association with the user-entered destination telephone number; and

a control processor to automatically pre-pend the associated feature codes to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete destination telephone number, wherein the control processor is selectively enabled and adds the associated feature codes to the user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number until the control processor is selectively disabled, the transceiver transmitting the complete destination telephone number to establish a wireless communication link with the communication device associated with the complete destination telephone number.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device has a power-on mode and a power-off mode, wherein the control processor is selectively enabled when the wireless communication device enters the power-on mode and the control processor adds the associated feature codes to the user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number until the wireless communication device enters the power-off mode, the control processor being disabled when the wireless communication device enters the power-off mode.

3. A system for the automatic addition of digits to a destination telephone number in a wireless communication device, the system comprising:

a housing;

a transceiver within the housing to communicate with a communication device remote from the system;

a keypad input device affixed to the housing to sense user operation thereof to enter a destination telephone number;

a data structure containing a plurality of predefined prefixes;

a control processor to automatically add a selected one of the plurality of prefixes to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete destination telephone number, the transceiver transmitting the complete destination telephone number to establish a wireless communication link with the communication device associated with the complete destination telephone number; and

a speed-dial storage area to store a plurality of destination telephone numbers wherein the user-entered destination telephone number is selected from the speed-dial storage area and the selected prefix is associated with the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area.

4. The system of claim 3, further including an indicator stored in the speed-dial storage area in association with the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area to indicate the association of the selected prefix with the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the control processor is selectively enabled to add the selected prefix to the user-entered destination telephone number.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the control processor adds the selected prefix to the user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number until the control processor is disabled.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the wireless communication device has a power-on mode and a power-off mode and the control processor adds the selected prefix to the user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number until the wireless communication device enters the power-off mode, the control processor being disabled when the wireless communication device enters the power-off mode.

8. A system for the automatic addition of digits to a destination telephone number in a wireless communication device, the system comprising:

a keypad input device to sense user operation thereof to enter a destination telephone number;

a memory containing a plurality of sets of additional digits to be added to the user-entered destination telephone number;

a user-controllable enable signal to selectively enable addition of sets of additional digits from the memory;

a control processor to automatically add a first one of the sets of additional digits to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete destination telephone number;

a speed-dial storage area to store a plurality of destination telephone numbers, the user-entered destination telephone number being selected from the speed-dial storage area; and

an indicator stored in the speed-dial storage area in association with the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area to indicate an association of the first set of additional digits with the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area.

9. A method for the automatic addition of digits to a destination telephone number in a wireless communication device, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of sets of additional digits;

sensing user entry of a destination telephone number;

selectively enabling the addition of sets of additional digits from the plurality of stored additional digits;

if selectively enabled, automatically adding a first set of additional digits to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete destination telephone number; and

selectively disabling the addition of sets of additional digits wherein the step of adding automatically adds the first set of additional digits to the user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number until the step of selectively disabling the pre-pending of prefixes is performed.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of adding automatically adds a second set of additional digits to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete destination telephone number.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of enabling the addition of sets of additional digits is performed independently for the first and second sets of additional digits.

12. The method of claim 9, further including the step of storing a plurality of destination telephone numbers in a speed-dial storage area, the step of sensing user entry of a destination telephone number sensing user selection of a destination telephone number from the speed-dial storage area.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of storing a plurality of sets of additional digits includes storing at least a portion of the sets of additional digits by the service provider.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of storing a plurality of sets of additional digits includes storing at least a portion of the sets of additional digits by the user.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selectively disabling the adding of sets of additional digits being performed when the wireless communication device enters a power-off mode.