Displaying telephone numbers as active objects

• US 7,434,175 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2003
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: QTECH SYSTEMS, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jambo Acquisition, LLC
• Inventors: Melideo, John
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US10/614,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/526, 715/528, 715/530, 715/531, 715/700, 715764-765, 715/772, 715/781, 715/810, 715/821, 715/846, 715/856, 715/862, 715/503, 715/835, 715/205, 715/212, 715/255, 715/256, 715/273, 715/275, 345/581, 345/589, 345/426, 345/157, 379/90.01, 379/93.23, 379/93.21
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

There are disclosed methods and apparatus for displaying telephone numbers. Before displaying data units, the data units are scanned for telephone numbers. The telephone numbers are automatically identified within the data units. When the telephone numbers are displayed as part of displays of the data units, the telephone numbers are caused to have a display attribute which renders the telephone numbers conspicuous to a user.

Claims

1. A method of displaying telephone numbers on a client computer composing:

in response to a user selecting a data unit for display, scanning the data unit for telephone numbers

automatically identifying at least one telephone number within the data unit

packaging an object corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein

the object is defined such that the telephone number is activatable

the object defines a function for sending a data trigger to a switch over a data network to initiate a telephone call over a telephone network between a first telephone corresponding to a telephone number associated with the user of the client computer and a second telephone corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein the first telephone and the second telephone are separate and distinct from each other and are separate and distinct from the client computer

when the identified telephone number is displayed as part of a display of the data unit, causing the identified telephone number to have a display attribute which renders the identified telephone number conspicuous to the user.

2. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1

wherein the method is performed as a consequence of an instruction to display the data unit.

3. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1

wherein the data unit is part of a file, wherein only a portion of the file is displayable.

4. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1

wherein the data unit includes displayable text intermixed with non-displayable data.

5. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1 further comprising

detecting an activation instruction by the user of a displayed telephone number

causing a telephone call to be initiated using the displayed telephone number.

6. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1

wherein the display attribute is selected from the group comprising:

a distinctive color, underlining, a distinctive font, highlighting on mouse roll-over, and a right-click menu.

7. The method of displaying telephone numbers of claim 1 further comprising

embedding the object in the data unit, the object including a hook for allowing initiation of telephone calls using the identified telephone number.

8. A client computer for displaying telephone numbers, the client computer comprising:

a user input device

a display device

a processor

a memory

wherein the processor and the memory comprise circuits and software for

in response to a user selecting a data unit for display, scanning the data unit for telephone numbers before displaying the data unit

automatically identifying at least one telephone number within the data unit

packaging an object corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein

the object is defined such that the telephone number is activatable

the object defines a function for sending a data trigger to a switch over a data network to initiate a telephone call over a telephone network between a first telephone corresponding to a telephone number associated with the user of the client computer and a second telephone corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein the first telephone and the second telephone are separate and distinct from each other and are separate and distinct from the client computer

when the identified telephone number is displayed as part of a display of the data unit, causing the identified telephone number to have a display attribute which renders the identified telephone number conspicuous to the user.

9. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8 further comprising

circuits and software for scanning the data unit as a consequence of an instruction to display the data unit.

10. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8,

wherein the data unit is part of a file, wherein only a portion of the file is displayable.

11. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8

wherein the data unit includes displayable text intermixed with non-displayable data.

12. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8 further comprising circuits and software for

detecting an activation instruction by the user of a displayed telephone number

causing a telephone call to be initiated using the displayed telephone number.

13. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8,

wherein the display attribute is selected from the group comprising:

a distinctive color, underlining, a distinctive font, highlighting on mouse roll-over, and a right-click menu.

14. The client computer for displaying telephone numbers of claim 8 further comprising

circuits and software for embedding the object in the data unit, the object including a hook for allowing initiation of telephone calls using the telephone number.

15. A client computer including software to conspicuously display telephone numbers on the client computer, the software which when executed by a processor included in the client computer to cause the processor to:

scan a data unit for telephone numbers

automatically identify at least one telephone number within the data unit package a phone number object corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein the object is defined such that the telephone number is activatable and the object defines a function for sending a data trigger to a switch over a data network to initiate a telephone call over a telephone network between a first telephone corresponding to a telephone number associated with a user of the client computer and a second telephone corresponding to the identified telephone number, wherein the first telephone and the second telephone are separate and distinct from each other and are separate and distinct from the client computer

when the identified telephone number is displayed as part of a display of the data unit, cause the identified telephone number to have a display attribute which renders the identified telephone number conspicuous to the user.

16. The client computer of claim 15 including software which when executed by the processor to further cause the processor to:

scan the data unit as a consequence of an instruction to display the data unit.

17. The client computer of claim 15,

wherein the data unit is part of a file, wherein only a portion of the file is displayable.

18. The client computer of claim 15,

wherein the data unit includes displayable text intermixed with non-displayable data.

19. The client computer of claim 15 including software which when executed by the processor to further cause the processor to:

detect an activation instruction by the user of a displayed telephone number

cause a telephone call to be initiated using the displayed telephone number.

20. The client computer of claim 15, wherein the display attribute is selected from the group comprising:

a distinctive color, underlining, a distinctive font, highlighting on mouse roll-over, and a right-click menu.

21. The client computer of claim 15 including software which when executed by the processor to further cause the processor to:

embed the object in the data unit, the object including a hook for allowing initiation of telephone calls using the telephone numbers.