Method and apparatus for automatic telephone dialing from a pager message

US6184796A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Pacific Communication Sciences, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Jose L. Rivero · Boca Raton, US
• Brent A. Beatty · Louisville, US
• Bryon K. Tiller · Boca Raton, US
• David J. Allard · Boynton Beach, US
• Francis J. Canova, Jr. · Fremont, US
• Neal A. Osborn · Milpitas, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 19, 1996
• Grant date: Feb 6, 2001
• Expiry date: Jan 19, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M1/275
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A personal communication device which includes the ability to generate dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals to provide automatic telephone dialing of a numbers received in messages. A message which includes a number is received, decoded, and displayed on a display device. The user may then select to have a number which is included as part of the message encoded into an audible DTMF, series of signals which can be coupled to a conventional "touch-tone" telephone (i.e. a telephone that supports tone dialing) through speaker in the personal communication device and the microphone of the conventional telephone. The user may select all or any part of the message to be encoded into DTMF signals. Accordingly, if the message includes other information in addition to a telephone number, the user can parse the message to indicate which portion of the message includes the number to be dialed. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a processor within the personal communication device parses the message to detect numbers from among the information that has been transmitted. The user may then verify that the processor has properly identified numbers which the user wishes to e…