Additional functionality for telephone numbers and utilization of context information associated with telephone numbers in computer documents
First Claim
1. A method for automatically detecting instances of telephone numbers in a computer document and for providing functionality for any detected instances of telephone numbers in the computer document, comprising the steps of:
- when opening a computer document in an application such that the computer document will be rendered in a graphical user interface (GUI) window;
creating a provisional markup language document for visually rendering the computer document in the GUI window;
automatically parsing the computer document and/or the provisional markup language document for any instance of a telephone number; and
placing tags around any detected instance of a telephone number in the provisional markup language document;
visually rendering the provisional markup language document in the GUI window such that any tagged telephone number provides primary visual indicia that (i) it is a telephone number, and (ii) functionality is available for the telephone number;
providing functionality for a user to select any tagged telephone number to perform or initiate one or more desired operations either with or upon the selected tagged telephone number, wherein said functionality is not native to the computer document; and
identifying context information surrounding any tagged telephone number and displaying said context information in conjunction with its respective telephone number, the context information including at least an identity associated with the context information and being identified based on one of a proximity of the context information to the respective telephone number in a hierarchical tree and a hierarchical relationship of the context information to the telephone number;
wherein the functionality comprise;
sending a facsimile transmission to the tagged telephone number;
sending a message to the tagged telephone number; and
sending the tagged telephone number to a device distinct from the device used by the user to parse the computer document.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Telephone numbers are identified and highlighted on any computer document being loaded into a graphical user interface (GUI) for viewing by a user, and context information associated with the telephone numbers so tagged may also be viewed. The user may click on any particular highlighted telephone number or context information in the computer document while displayed in the GUI window in order to store the telephone number together with any desired context information associated therewith, or perform other functions, such as sending a facsimile transmission to the number, sending a message (e.g., SMS, IM or e-mail) or searching an associated database for prior occurrences of the telephone number or context information.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method for automatically detecting instances of telephone numbers in a computer document and for providing functionality for any detected instances of telephone numbers in the computer document, comprising the steps of:
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when opening a computer document in an application such that the computer document will be rendered in a graphical user interface (GUI) window; creating a provisional markup language document for visually rendering the computer document in the GUI window; automatically parsing the computer document and/or the provisional markup language document for any instance of a telephone number; and placing tags around any detected instance of a telephone number in the provisional markup language document; visually rendering the provisional markup language document in the GUI window such that any tagged telephone number provides primary visual indicia that (i) it is a telephone number, and (ii) functionality is available for the telephone number; providing functionality for a user to select any tagged telephone number to perform or initiate one or more desired operations either with or upon the selected tagged telephone number, wherein said functionality is not native to the computer document; and identifying context information surrounding any tagged telephone number and displaying said context information in conjunction with its respective telephone number, the context information including at least an identity associated with the context information and being identified based on one of a proximity of the context information to the respective telephone number in a hierarchical tree and a hierarchical relationship of the context information to the telephone number; wherein the functionality comprise; sending a facsimile transmission to the tagged telephone number; sending a message to the tagged telephone number; and sending the tagged telephone number to a device distinct from the device used by the user to parse the computer document. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification