Automatic caller ID call log dial back

• US 6,597,785 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Day, Benjamin Wilson, Burke, Edmund Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Con P.
• Application Number:
  US09/173,533
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 379/355.1, 379/355-1-3, 379/142-1-1, 379/88.19, 379/356.01, 379/209.01, 379/120, 379/127.06, 379/88.21, 379/88.2, 379/207.13, 379/207.15, 379/29.01, 379/6, 379/245-249, 455/414
• US Class Current: 379/355.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27463 Predictive input, predictive dialling by comparing the dialled sequence with the content of a telephone directory
• 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 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy

Abstract

A telephone system incorporating the present invention provides the capability for automated dialing of a telephone number stored in a caller ID log by determining the correct dialing procedure and then dialing the telephone number in accordance with the correct dialing procedure.

Claims

1. A method for automatically dialing, from a user'"'"'s telephone system, a telephone number having a first portion and a second portion and stored in a record of a memory to establish a communication connection to a remote location associated with the telephone number, comprising the steps of:

selecting a record in the memory in which the telephone number to be dialed is stored;

receiving a first dial command for signaling to a processor of the user'"'"'s telephone system an automatic dial back request for attempting to establish the communications connection to the remote location associated with the selected record;

determining, by the processor, a dialing procedure to be used in response to the automatic dial back request in accordance with the telephone number of the selected record by determining whether the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed is the same as a first portion of a telephone number of the user'"'"'s telephone system, locating, when the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed is different from the first portion of the telephone number of the user'"'"'s telephone system, the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed in a first look-up table comprising a list of telephone number first portions and algorithms associated with the telephone number first portions, wherein each algorithm corresponds to one of a plurality of calling procedures applicable to the telephone system, and determining the algorithm associated with the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed, locating, when the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed is the same as the first portion of the telephone number of the user'"'"'s system, the second portion of the telephone number to be dialed in a second look-up table comprising a list of telephone number second portions and algorithms associated with the telephone number second portions, wherein each algorithm corresponds to one of a plurality of calling procedures applicable to the telephone system, and determining the algorithm associated with the second portion of the telephone number to be dialed; and

automatically dialing, by the telephone system, the telephone number of the selected record using the determined dialing procedure.

2. A method for automatically dialing, from a user'"'"'s telephone system, a telephone number having a first portion and a second portion and stored in a record of a memory to establish a communication connection to a remote location associated with the telephone number, comprising the steps of:

selecting a record in the memory in which the telephone number to be dialed is stored;

receiving a first dial command for signaling to a processor of the user'"'"'s telephone system an automatic dial back request for attempting to establish the communications connection to the remote location associated with the selected record;

determining, by the processor, a dialing procedure to be used in response to the automatic dial back request in accordance with the telephone number of the selected record by locating the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed in a stored look-up table comprising a list of telephone number first portions and algorithms associated with the telephone number first portions, wherein each algorithm corresponds to one of a plurality of calling procedures applicable to the telephone system, and determining the algorithm associated with the located first portion for use in automatically dialing the telephone number;

automatically dialing, by the telephone system, the telephone number of the selected record using the determined dialing procedure;

determining whether a call has been successfully completed by said step of automatically dialing;

receiving a second occurrence of the dial command for signaling to the processor that the determined dialing procedure is incorrect, when it is determined that the call was not successfully completed;

updating the look-up table by replacing the determined algorithm in the look-up table with a new algorithm in response to said step of reentering;

automatically dialing by the telephone system, the telephone system to be dialed in accordance with the replaced next algorithm; and

repeating said step of determining whether the call has been successfully completed by said step of automatically redialing in accordance with the next algorithm, thereby automatically adapting the user'"'"'s telephone system to network changes.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of updating comprises replacing the determined algorithm with a most widely used algorithm from a list of algorithms.

3. The method of step 2, wherein said step of updating comprises replacing the determined algorithm with a next listed algorithm in a list of algorithms.

5. A method for automatically dialing, from a user'"'"'s telephone system, a telephone number having a first portion and a second portion and stored in a record of a memory to establish a communication connection to a remote location associated with the telephone number, comprising the steps of:

selecting a record in the memory in which the telephone number to be dialed is stored;

receiving a first dial command for signaling to a processor of the user'"'"'s telephone system an automatic dial back request for attempting to establish the communications connection to the remote location associated with the selected record;

determining, by the processor, a dialing procedure to be used in response to the automatic dial back request in accordance with the telephone number of the selected record by locating the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed in a stored look-up table comprising a list of telephone number first portions and algorithms associated with the telephone number first portions, wherein each algorithm corresponds to one of a plurality of calling procedures applicable to the telephone system, and determining the algorithm associated with the located first portion for use in automatically dialing the telephone number; and

automatically dialing, by the telephone system, the telephone number of the selected record using the determined dialing procedure,

wherein, before said step of locating, said method further comprises the steps of determining whether the first portion of the telephone number to be dialed is listed in the look-up table and adding to the look-up table the first portion of the telephone number and a default associated algorithm if the first portion of the telephone number is determined to not be listed in the look-up table, thereby adapting the user'"'"'s telephone system to network changes.

6. A caller ID log device for use with a user'"'"'s telephone system for automatically dialing from the user'"'"'s telephone system a telephone number to establish a communications connection through a central office to a remote location associated with the telephone number, comprising:

a processor;

a caller ID memory connected to said processor comprising records of telephone numbers, each having at least a first portion;

a user interface comprising an input device and a display operatively connected to said processor for permitting user access to said caller ID memory and user selection of a selected one of said records from said caller ID memory, said user input device further comprising means for receiving a dial command from a user and transmitting the dial command to said processor;

a look-up table memory comprising a list of telephone number first portions and associated calling procedures;

said processor being operatively connected to said look-up table memory for determining a calling procedure associated with the first portion of the telephone number of the selected record; and

said processor being operatively connectable to the user'"'"'s telephone system and to the central office for automatically dialing the telephone number of the selected record in accordance with the associated calling procedure in response to the dial command, wherein said processor further comprises means for automatically updating said look-up table memory when it is determined that the calling procedure associated with the first portion of the telephone number of the selected record in the look-up table is incorrect, so as to automatically adapt the caller ID log device to network changes.

7. The caller ID log device of claim 6, wherein said processor further comprises means for adding the selected telephone number first portion to said look up table memory with a default associated calling procedure when the first portion of the telephone of the selected record is determined not to be listed in the look-up table, and thereby adapt the caller ID log device to network changes.

8. The caller ID log device of claim 6, wherein said user interface is mountable in the user'"'"'s telephone system.

9. The caller ID log device of claim 6, wherein said means for receiving said dial command comprises a user actuatable key mountable on the user'"'"'s telephone system.