Call queue in a wireless device

• US 7,373,179 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stine, Ted, Speeney, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US10/017,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/414.1, 455/551, 455/564, 455/418
• 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 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy

Abstract

A wireless phone includes a memory, a processor, and a call queue function, the call queue function to enable the configuration and storage in the memory of a call queue, the call queue comprising an ordered list of entries to dial, wherein the processor and the memory cooperate to enable the call queue function.

Claims

1. A wireless phone configured for use by a user and configured to communicate with a server over a network, the server being configured to communicate with a plurality of wireless phones and comprising a plurality of outgoing call queues, each outgoing call queue of the plurality of outgoing call queues comprising a list of entries to dial and being associated with a unique call queue identifier that associates the outgoing call queue with a particular wireless phone of the plurality of wireless phones or user thereof, the wireless phone comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a call queue function configured to enable the configuration of an outgoing call queue of the plurality of outgoing call queues, the outgoing call queue being the outgoing call queue having the unique call queue identifier associated with the particular wireless phone or user thereof; and

a queue dial function which, when operated, cooperates with the server to result in a dialing of a first entry of the outgoing call queue associated with the particular wireless phone, wherein the queue dial function is configured to direct the processor to send the call queue identifier to the server, and the server is configured to use the call queue identifier to locate the outgoing call queue associated with the particular wireless phone from among the plurality of outgoing call queues, and wherein the processor and the memory cooperate to enable the call queue function.

2. The phone of claim 1 further comprising:

the queue dial function which, when operated once, results in dialing all entries of the outgoing call queue in the order of the list.

3. The phone of claim 1 further comprising:

an address book function to enable the configuration and storage of an address book in the memory, the address book comprising a collection of at least one names and associated dialable numbers; and

the queue dial function to cooperate with the address book to locate a dialable number associated with a name in the outgoing call queue.

13. The wireless phone of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of buttons, wherein the queue dial function is operated by a single button of the plurality of buttons.

14. The wireless phone of claim 1 wherein the queue dial function is operated by speaking a queue dial command to the wireless phone.

4. A communication system of a communication service provider, comprising:

a first computer system, comprising;

a plurality of call queues each associated with a call queue identifier identifying a wireless device associated with the call queue, each call queue comprising one or more numbers to dial;

a queue selection function configured to receive a call queue identifier from a wireless device and use the call queue identifier to locate a call queue associated with the wireless device from among the plurality call queues; and

a queue management function configured to provide a next number to dial from the located call queue in response to receipt of a queue dial request from the wireless device.

5. The communication system of claim 4 further comprising:

a user database, the user database comprising the plurality of call queues.

6. The communication system of claim 4 further comprising:

a second computer system configured to receive queue entries from a client device, and

communicate the queue entries to the first computer system.

7. The communication system of claim 6 wherein the second computer system comprises an Internet server.

8. The communication system of claim 4 wherein the queue management function removes the next number to dial from the located call queue as a result of providing the number.

9. The communication system of claim 4 further comprising:

a mobile switching center to receive the next number from the first computer system and to connect a call to the next number with the wireless device.

10. The communication system of claim 4 further comprising:

the queue management function to provide each number of the located call queue in a dial order, in response to receipt of the queue dial request from the wireless device.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the dial order is provided from the wireless device.

12. The communication system of claim 10 wherein the dial order is one of the order and the reverse order of an order in which the located call queue numbers were specified by the wireless device.

15. A method comprising:

locating a call queue from among a plurality of call queues using a queue identifier;

dialing a first number of the located call queue in response to an operation of a queue dial function in a wireless communication device;

initiating a live communication between a user of the wireless communication device and a user of a device associated with the first number of the located call queue;

dialing a next number of the located call queue in response to the operation of the queue dial function;

removing the first number from the call queue as a result of dialing the first number; and

removing the next number from the call queue as a result of dialing the next number.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 15.