Method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party

• US 6,947,730 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Feng, Yong-Jun, Ho, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US10/180,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/414, 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/461, 455/463, 455/566, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 37920704-20706
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained

Abstract

The invention is to provide a method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party consisting of establishing a database recording a plurality of telephone numbers of a called party set by a user in a telephone directory stored in a memory of a mobile telephone; automatically searching the said database to determine whether the said called party has other telephone numbers when detecting that the line of one telephone number of the said called party being dialed is busy; and listing all the other telephone numbers in the said database belonging to the said called party on a screen of the mobile telephone for selectable dialing, thereby effectively reducing the time spent on user searches for other telephone numbers as well as the annoying dialing of other telephone numbers.

Claims

1. A method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party, said method establishing a database in a telephone directory stored in a memory of a mobile telephone and, said database being utilized to record a plurality of telephone numbers of a called party set by a user, such that when a central processing unit of said mobile telephone detects a dialing signal to said called party, said central processing unit executes the following procedures:

automatically searching said database to determine whether said called party has other telephone numbers when detecting that the line of one telephone number of said called party being dialed is busy;

listing all the other telephone numbers in said database belonging to said called party on a screen of the mobile telephone for selectable dialing,

wherein said mobile telephone further comprises a plurality of input keys utilized for configuration and inputting operations, and a transceiver circuit utilized for reception and transmission of dialing signals, and

wherein;

said memory is utilized to record information entered into said database,

said central processing unit is utilized to search data in said database and, furthermore, to execute an analysis of said data found to provide for the corresponding procedures,

said screen is utilized for displaying said data in a frame of a user-selectable dialing table comprising multiple telephone numbers and other related information,

said dialing table respectively consists of a name/full name column, a data type column, and a duration column,

each group of a plurality of said called parties is arranged in consecutive order, and

said plurality of telephone numbers of each said called party is in a sequence determined by the user, with said telephone numbers including at least one home telephone number, company telephone number, or mobile telephone number.

2. A method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party as claimed in claim 1, in which when said central processing unit of said mobile detects a dialing signal, said procedures further comprise:

transmitting the telephone number of a called party dialed by the user as a signal from said transceiver circuit;

automatically searching said database to determine whether said called party has other telephone numbers and listing all other telephone numbers belonging to said called party on said screen for user-selectable dialing when detecting that the line of the telephone number being dialed is busy,

based on said memory settings, determining whether said other telephone numbers are configured for manual user-selectable dialing, and transmitting one of said other telephone numbers selected by the user through pressing said input keys as a signal from said transceiver circuit;

repeating said procedures when a busy line is detected after dialing until a successful connection is achieved;

otherwise, indicating a successful dial-up connection.

3. A method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party as claimed in claim 2, in which when a busy line occurs after dialing, said central processing unit executes the procedure of automatically searching said database to determine whether said called party has said other telephone numbers;

if there is no other telephone number, then re-dialing the same telephone number repeatedly to increase answering probability until the call is answered.

4. A method enabling mobile telephones to have automatic multiple telephone number dialing capability to a same called party as claimed in claim 2, in which upon determining, based on said memory settings, that said other telephone numbers were previously configured for automatic dialing, said central processing unit executes the procedures of automatically dialing said other telephone numbers sequentially, and transmitting said other telephone number being dialed as a signal from said transceiver circuit until a successful dial-up connection is achieved.