Wireless telephone with improved pager mode

A wireless telephone designed for operation in a wireless telephone system having a system-determined time interval for allowing wireless telephone users to answer incoming calls, said wireless telephone having an operational mode selectable by a user wherein, in response a page message associated with an incoming call directed to said wireless telephone, said wireless telephone transmits a power down registration to cause said incoming call to be redirected to a voice mail system without delay due to said system-determined time interval, immediately followed by a power up registration, to a switching office from which said page message originated.

A wireless telephone designed for operation in a wireless telephone system having a system-determined time interval for allowing wireless telephone users to answer incoming calls, said wireless telephone having an operational mode selectable by a user wherein:

• (a) said wireless telephone distinguishes between a first type of incoming call that has been designated as a high priority call in a memory of said wireless telephone and a second type of incoming call that has not been so designated;
• and (b) in response to a page message associated with said second type of incoming call to said wireless telephone, said wireless telephone transmits a power down registration to cause said second type of incoming call to be redirected to a voice mail system without delay due to said system-determined time interval.

In a wireless telephone, a method for selectively redirecting incoming calls to a voice mail system, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving a page message from a wireless telephone switching office, said page message including caller identification information;
• (b) comparing said caller identification information with information stored in a memory of said wireless telephone to determine whether said incoming call has been designated as a high priority call;
• (c) if said incoming call has not been preselected as a high priority call, (i) emitting a signal to alert a user of said wireless telephone to said incoming call, (ii) displaying said caller identification information on a screen of said wireless telephone, (iii) pausing for a predetermined time interval to allow the user to answer said incoming call, and (iv) if said incoming call is not answered, transmitting a power down registration, immediately followed by a power up registration, to said wireless telephone switching office, whereby said incoming call is redirected to a voice mail system.