US 5,475,743 A · System and method for processing telephone numbers · patentgrep

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Abstract

A system and method using canonical telephone numbers which allows automatic calling with any location in the world independent of the caller's location. The caller canonical telephone number and a plurality of caller prefixes are stored within the system. A telephone directory stores a plurality of callee canonical telephone numbers for locations throughout the world. The caller manually enters a callee telephone number or selects a callee telephone number from the telephone directory. The system determines if the callee telephone number is a canonical telephone number. The system expands non-canonical telephone numbers to canonical form using known telephone numbering rules for various countries. The system uses the callee canonical telephone number and the caller canonical telephone number to determine which digits of the callee canonical telephone number must be placed on the telephone line to complete the call. The system then adds the appropriate prefix for international, long distance, or local telephone calls to generate a final callee telephone number.

Claims64

Dependent claims

A system for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the system comprising:

a station information storage area storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having at least first and second portions;
a phone book storage area for storing at least a first non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
selection means for permitting a user to select one of said stored non-canonical telephone numbers from said phone book storage area;
an expansion analyzer analyzing said selected non-canonical telephone number to determine if said selected non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number, said expansion analyzer expanding said selected non-canonical telephone number by adding said first portion of said station canonical telephone number to said selected non-canonical telephone number if said selected non-canonical telephone number does not contain said first portion, whereby said expanded non-canonical telephone number will contain first and second portions corresponding to said first and second portions of said station canonical telephone number;
matching means for sequentially comparing said first and second portions of said station canonical telephone number with said corresponding first and second portions of said expanded non-canonical telephone number, said matching means comparing said first portion of said station canonical telephone with said corresponding first portion of said expanded non-canonical telephone number and generating a first match signal if said first portion of said station canonical telephone number matches said corresponding first portion of said expanded non-canonical telephone number, said matching means comparing said second portion of said station canonical telephone with said corresponding second portion of said expanded non-canonical telephone number only if said first match signal was generated, and generating a second match signal if said second portion of said station canonical telephone number matches said corresponding second portion of said expanded non-canonical telephone number;
and
alteration means for deleting said first portion of said expanded canonical telephone number in response to said first match signal, and deleting said second portion of said expanded canonical telephone number in response to said second match signal to generate a callee telephone number.

4 more elements

A system for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the system comprising:

a station information storage area storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having at least first and second portions;
a phone book storage area for storing at least a first non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
selection means for permitting a user to select one of said stored non-canonical telephone numbers from said phone book storage area;
and
an expansion analyzer analyzing said selected non-canonical telephone number to determine if said selected non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number, said expansion analyzer expanding said selected non-canonical telephone number by adding said first portion of said station canonical telephone number to said selected non-canonical telephone number if said selected non-canonical telephone number does not contain said first portion, whereby said expanded non-canonical telephone number will contain said first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number.

2 more elements

A system for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the system comprising:

a data storage table containing a plurality of country codes identifying the telephone exchange of individual countries and a plurality of long distance codes corresponding to long distance codes if any for each of said individual countries;
a phone book storage area for storing at least a first non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
selection means for permitting a user to select one of said stored non-canonical telephone numbers from said phone book storage area;
and
an expansion analyzer analyzing said selected non-canonical telephone number to determine if said selected non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to one of said plurality of country codes in said data table and designating said first portion as said one country code if said first portion contains said one country code, said expansion analyzer further analyzing said selected non-canonical telephone number to determine if said selected non-canonical telephone number contains a second portion corresponding to one of said plurality of long distance codes in said data table corresponding to said one country code and designating said second portion as said one long distance code if said second portion contains said one long distance code.

2 more elements

A system for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the system comprising:

a data storage table containing a plurality of country codes identifying the telephone exchange of individual countries and a plurality of long distance codes corresponding to long distance codes for each of said individual countries that use long distance codes;
a station information storage area storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having a country code portion, a long distance code portion, and a subscriber number portion;
data entry means for permitting a user to enter a non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
and
an expansion analyzer analyzing said non-canonical telephone number to determine a number of digits in said non-canonical telephone number and processing said non-canonical telephone number in a manner dependent on said determined number of digits, said expansion analyzer expanding said non-canonical telephone number by adding said country code portion and said long distance code portion of said station canonical telephone number if said determined number of digits corresponds to the number of digits in said subscriber number portion of said station canonical telephone number, said expansion analyzer expanding said non-canonical telephone number by adding said country code portion of said station canonical telephone number if said determined number of digits corresponds to the number of digits in said long distance code portion and said subscriber number portion of said station canonical telephone number.

2 more elements

A system for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the system comprising:

a station information storage area storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having least first and second portions;
data entry means for permitting a user to enter a non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
and
an expansion analyzer analyzing said non-canonical telephone number to determine if said non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number, said expansion analyzer expanding said non-canonical telephone number by adding said first portion of said station canonical telephone number to said non-canonical telephone number if said non-canonical telephone number does not contain said first portion, whereby said expanded non-canonical telephone number will contain said first portion of said station canonical telephone number.

1 more element

A method for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having at least first and second portions;
(b) storing at least a first non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location in a phone book storage area;
(c) sensing user input to select one of said stored non-canonical telephone numbers from said phone book storage area;
(d) determining if said selected non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number;
and
(e) expanding said selected non-canonical telephone number by adding said first portion of said station canonical telephone number to said selected non-canonical telephone number if said selected non-canonical telephone number is determined not to contain said first portion of said selected non-canonical telephone number, whereby said expanded non-canonical telephone number will contain said first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number.

3 more elements

A method for telephonic communication from a first location coupled to a telephone exchange, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having at least first and second portions;
(b) entering a non-canonical telephone number for a location other than the first location;
(c) analyzing said non-canonical telephone number to determine if said non-canonical telephone number contains a first portion corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number;
and
(d) expanding said non-canonical telephone number by adding said first portion of said station canonical telephone number to said non-canonical telephone number if said non-canonical telephone number is determined not to contain said first portion of said non-canonical telephone number, whereby said expanded non-canonical telephone number will contain a first portion of said non-canonical telephone number corresponding to said first portion of said station canonical telephone number.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.