Programmable automatic prefix dialer for wireless
US6567675B1 · kind B1 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 20, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/27485
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method, and apparatus for practicing the method, for eliminating the necessity for manually dialing, on a wireless telephone, a local area code as a prefix to a call within the same area code in telephone systems in which such action is a requirement. Before a calling party institutes a call on a cellular telephone, the area code is semi-permanently stored in the cellular telephone. During the dialing process, after the seventh digit has been dialed and before an eighth digit has been dialed, a determination is made as to whether the “send” button has been actuated. If so, then the stored area code is prefixed to the seven dialed digits, and the resulting ten digit number is transmitted. If not, then the dialing continues until the “send” button is actuated at which time the fully dialed number is transmitted. Typically, the latter condition indicates that a long distance call is in process. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, a determination is made that eleven digits have been dialed, and those eleven digits are transmitted. Because a cellular telephone is portable by nature, provision is made to update the automatically-prefixed area code when the cellular…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.