Memory architecture for telephone dialer

• US 6,963,640 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zoom Telephonics Incorporated (Minim Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zoom Telephonics Incorporated (Minim Inc.)
• Inventors: Manning, Frank B.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US09/557,570
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 379/355.01, 379/355.02, 379/355.03, 379/355.05, 379/355.08, 379/355.09, 379/355.07, 455/564, 455/565
• 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 dialer includes tables in memory for determining a dialing sequence such as a long distance carrier code to be appended to a dialed telephone number. A variable length prefix portion of the dialed telephone number accesses a prefix table entry that defines an action descriptor for indicating how the telephone number should be processed in a table lookup to determine the dialing sequence. The action descriptor includes a specification of the number of digits to be dialed to trigger a dialing action and may include an indication of an elapsed time to trigger dialing. The action descriptor also includes an indication of the number of digits after the prefix used to determine an action and may specify one of plural ways in which those digits are used to determine the action. The action descriptor also identifies a pointer table to be indexed by the specified digits of the telephone number. The entry in the pointer table points to an entry in the long distance table associated with a particular long distance carrier. The entry in the long distance table then specifies the dialing sequence. The tables may be reprogrammed over telephone lines using DTMF signals or a modem.

Claims

1. A method for determining a dialing sequence by a telephone dialer to be appended to a telephone number, comprising the steps of:

using a variable length prefix portion of the telephone number to access a prefix table entry that defines an action descriptor for indicating how the telephone number should be processed in a table lookup to determine a dialing sequence;

dependent on the defined action descriptor, using another portion of the telephone number to access another table to determine a dialing sequence; and

generating a dialing sequence based on the telephone number and the other table entry.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein prefix portions are definable to include variable digits.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein each prefix is separated from an action descriptor by a punctuation code.

4. A method as clamed in claim 1 wherein an action descriptor includes a specification of a minimum number of digits to be dialed to trigger a dialing action.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising in the action descriptor an indication of an elapsed time to trigger dialing.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a prefix may include an indication of elapsed time to indicate completion of a prefix.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein an action descriptor includes an indication of a number of digits after the prefix used to determine an action.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the action descriptor specifies one of plural ways in which digits after the prefix are used to determine an action.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digits after the prefix address a table which identifies a dialing action.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digits after the prefix may be matched with an entry in a table to identify a dialing action.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

14. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein an action descriptor includes an indication of a number of digits after the prefix used to determine an action.

15. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein an action descriptor includes a specification of the number of digits to be dialed to trigger a dialing action.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a portion of the telephone number identifies an entry in a pointer tables the entry in the pointer table pointing to a long distance table entry with dialing details.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein an entry in the long distance table includes a predial code to determine from additional digits of the telephone number whether the dialing sequence of the long distance table is used or the telephone number is passed through.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the predial code causes an extension of the telephone number to address a predial table.

19. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein a dialing sequence included in the long distance table is prepended to a portion of the telephone number.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein an extension of the telephone number is applied to a table to determine a dialing action.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the extension determines whether the original telephone number is passed through.

22. A method for determining a long distance carrier code to be coupled to a dialed telephone number, as described in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving information from the prefix table entry that indicates a number of digits of the dialed telephone number to be used to search a long distance pointer table;

retrieving a starting location of a long distance pointer table from the prefix table entry;

searching the long distance pointer table to determine a pointer to a long distance carrier; and

accessing a long distance carrier code from a long distance table using the long distance carrier pointer.

23. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising reprogramming tables which define the prefix table entries and action descriptors.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the tables are reprogrammed through DTMF signals from a remote computer.

25. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the tables are reprogrammed through a modem connection to a remote computer.

26. A telephone dialer comprising:

a prefix table that associates an action descriptor with a variable length prefix portion, the action descriptor indicating how a telephone number should be processed in a table lookup to determine a dialing sequence; and

another table accessed by another portion of the telephone number as a function of the associated action descriptor to determine a dialing sequence; and

a dialing sequence generator which generates a dialing sequence based on the telephone number and an entry in the other table.

27. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein prefix portions are definable to include variable digits.

28. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein each prefix is separated from an action descriptor by a punctuation code.

29. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein an action descriptor includes a specification of the number of digits to be dialed to trigger a dialing action.

30. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 29 further comprising in the action descriptor an indication of an elapsed time to trigger dialing.

31. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein a prefix may include an indication of elapsed time to indicate completion of a prefix.

32. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein an action descriptor includes an indication of a number of digits after the prefix used to determine an action.

33. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 32 wherein the action descriptor specifies one of plural ways in which digits after the prefix are used to determine an action.

34. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 33 wherein the digits after the prefix address a table which identifies a dialing action.

35. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 34 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

36. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 33 wherein the digits after the prefix may be matched with an entry in a table to identify a dialing action.

37. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 36 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

38. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 33 wherein the action descriptor further includes a table identifier.

39. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 33 wherein an action descriptor includes an indication of a number of digits after the prefix used to determine an action.

40. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 32 wherein an action descriptor includes a specification of the number of digits to be dialed to trigger a dialing action.

41. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein a portion of the telephone number identifies an entry in a pointer table, the entry in the pointer table pointing to a long distance table entry with dialing details.

42. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 41 wherein an entry in the long distance table includes a predial code to determine from additional digits of the telephone number whether the dialing sequence of the long distance table is used or the telephone number is passed through.

43. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 42 wherein the predial code causes an extension of the telephone number to address a predial table.

44. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 41 wherein a dialing sequence included in the long distance table is prepended to a portion of the telephone number.

45. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein an extension of the telephone number is applied to a table to determine whether the original telephone number is passed through.

46. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 further comprising:

a long distance pointer table, the prefix table entry indicating a number of digits of the dialed telephone number to be used to search the long distance pointer table and including a starting address of the long distance pointer table; and

a long distance table having long distance carrier code entries, the long distance pointer table entries including pointers to the long distance table.

47. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 26 wherein the tables are programmable to define the prefix table entries and action descriptors.

48. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 47 wherein the tables are reprogrammed through DTMF signals from a remote computer.

49. A telephone dialer as claimed in claim 47 wherein the tables are reprogrammed through a modem connection to a remote computer.

50. A telephone dialer for determining a dialing sequence to a telephone number comprising:

prefix table means for receiving a variable length prefix portion of a telephone number and defining an action descriptor for indicating how the telephone number should be processed in a table lookup to determine the dialing sequence;

other table means for using another portion of the telephone number to access another table as a function of the action descriptor to determine a dialing sequence; and

dialing sequence generating means for dialing a sequence based on the telephone number and the prefix other table entry.