US5428678A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Telephone calling method and apparatus
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1992-12-30
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Granted: 1995-06-27
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Expires: 2012-12-30
Abstract
Abstract A method and data processing system are disclosed for placing a telephone call. In one embodiment, the invention, in response to user designation of a party and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the designated party and places a call to the scheduled location of the designated party. In another embodiment, the invention, in response to user selection of an electronic calendar event and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the event and places a call to the scheduled location of the event. In either embodiment, the invention may search an electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the scheduled location of the designated party or event.
Inventors
- 👤 Gregory P. Fitzpatrick
- 👤 William E. Warren
- 👤 Marvin L. Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 04:36
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/487; H04M3/493; H04M3/4931; H04M1/00; H04M1/006; H04M1/66; H04M1/663; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/20; H04M2203/2072; H04M3/50; H04M3/53; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S379/00; Y10S379/904; Y10S379/913; Y10S715/00; Y10S715/961; Y10S715/963
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
194 words
A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing telephone calls to individual parties, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times and said data processing system further including an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command; determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party; searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
194 words
A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing telephone calls to individual parties, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times and said data processing system further including an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command; determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party; searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
113 words
A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing a telephone call, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
113 words
A method, performed in a data processing system, for placing a telephone call, said data processing system including an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, searching the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event includes a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
111 words
The method of claim 2, wherein said data processing system further includes an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, the method further comprising the computer implemented step of searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event prior to placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes the computer implemented step of placing the telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the scheduled event.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the selected event does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
179 words
A data processing system for placing telephone calls to individual parties, comprising: an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times; an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database; means for searching, in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command; means for determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party; means for searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and means for placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
179 words
A data processing system for placing telephone calls to individual parties, comprising: an electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of said individual parties at various dates and times; an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers, wherein said electronic directory database is a separate database from said electronic calendar database; means for searching, in response to user designation of a party to be called and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for information describing a scheduled location of the designated party at the date and time of the input of the CALL command; means for determining that the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the designated party does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the designated party; means for searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party; and means for placing a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the designated party.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
101 words
A data processing system for placing a telephone call, comprising: an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times; means for searching, in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
101 words
A data processing system for placing a telephone call, comprising: an electronic calendar database of scheduled events, said electronic calendar database having information describing scheduled locations of scheduled events at various dates and times; means for searching, in response to user selection of a scheduled event of the electronic calendar database, said electronic calendar database including information describing a scheduled location of the selected event, and input of a CALL command, the electronic calendar database for the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event; and means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
66 words
The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event includes a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event, and wherein the means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes means for placing the telephone call to the telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
97 words
The data processing system of claim 7, further comprising: an electronic directory database of information associated with telephone numbers; and means for searching the electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the selected event prior to placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event; and wherein the means for placing the telephone call to the scheduled location of the selected event includes means for placing the telephone call to the telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the scheduled event.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the information of the electronic calendar database describing the scheduled location of the selected event does not include a telephone number of the scheduled location of the selected event.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-06-26 | 1998-12-26 | 1999-06-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-06-26 | 2002-12-26 | 2003-06-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-06-26 | 2006-12-26 | 2007-06-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |