Dialing method for dynamically simplifying international call in cellular phone

• US 6,782,278 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zhigu Tech Company, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Chuang, Chin-Tai, Chen, Kun-Huei
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/912,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 455/564, 455/550.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/426.1, 455/422.1, 455/403, 455/445, 455/517, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/417, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/457, 455/551, 455/552.1, 379/216.01
• US Class Current: 455/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence

Abstract

A method for dynamically simplifying an international call in a cellular phone utilizes a conversion table for storing system codes of a plurality of network companies worldwide and their international access codes, and a phone record for storing a plurality of telephone numbers having international access codes respectively of different called parties in the database thereof. The cellular phone is able to determine the current location area while calling in international roaming and find the correct international access code from the conversion table in accordance with a system code received from a proximate network company, for replacing the international access code in the telephone number searched from the phone record.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically simplifying an international call in a cellular phone comprises the steps of:

storing, in a conversion table, system codes of a plurality of network companies worldwide and their international access codes;

storing, in a database of a phone record, a plurality of telephone numbers having international access codes respectively in order to enable said cellular phone to recognize a current location area in accordance with a system code received from a proximate network company while calling in international roaming;

when a user dials a telephone number, comparing a system code received while dialing the number with a system code stored in a phone record for the number;

if the received and stored system codes are the same, directly dialing the telephone number stored in the phone record;

if the received and stored system codes are different finding the corresponding international access code from the conversion table; and

replacing the international access code in a telephone number retrieved from said phone record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said cellular phone dials the telephone number stored in the phone record directly after determining that said current location area of calling is the same as an original location area of storing the telephone number into said phone record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said cellular phone shows a telephone number with said international access code retrieved from said conversion table on a display of the cellular phone before dialing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said cellular phone is a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a cellular phone functionality.