Canonical telephone numbers

Claim 1

A personal dialing apparatus connectable to a telephone exchange for telephonic communication from a first location, the apparatus comprising: a station information storage area storing a station canonical telephone number for the first location, said station canonical telephone number having first and second portions; a phone book storage area for storing a plurality of canonical telephone numbers for locations other than the first location, each of said stored canonical telephone numbers having first and second portions; a display device coupled to said phone book storage area to display at least a portion of said plurality of stored canonical telephone numbers to a user; user selectable means for allowing the user to select one of said plurality of stored canonical telephone numbers displayed on said display device; matching means for sequentially comparing said first and second portions of said station canonical telephone number with said first and second portions of said selected canonical telephone number, said matching means comparing said first portion of said station canonical telephone with said first portion of said selected canonical telephone number and generating a first match signal indicating that said first portion of said station canonical telephone number matches said first portion of said selected canonical telephone number, said matching means comparing said second portion of said station canonical telephone with said second portion of said selected canonical telephone number only if said first match signal was generated, said matching means generating a second match signal indicating that said second portion of said station canonical telephone number matches said second portion of said selected canonical telephone number; alteration means for deleting said first portion of said selected canonical telephone number in response to said first match signal, and deleting said second portion of said selected canonical telephone number in response to said second match signal to generate a callee telephone number; a dialer generating dialing signals to initiate telephonic communication to said callee telephone number; and a coupler selectively operable by the user to couple said dialer to the telephone exchange via a subscriber telephone line.

Claim 17

A method using a telephone dialing apparatus for generating a callee telephone number from a first telephone location, the method comprising the steps of: storing a first telephone number for the first telephone location, said first telephone number comprising an international code, a long distance code, and a local telephone number; storing a plurality of telephone numbers for locations other than the first location, each of said plurality of stored telephone numbers comprising an international code, a long distance code, and a local telephone number; displaying at least a portion of said plurality of stored telephone numbers on a display viewable by a user; sensing user input to select one telephone number from said displayed portion of said plurality of stored telephone numbers; comparing said international code of said first telephone number with said international code of said selected telephone number to determine if said international codes match; deleting said international code of said selected telephone number if said step of comparing said international codes determines that said international codes match; if said step of comparing said international codes determines that said international codes match, comparing said long distance code of said first telephone number with said long distance code of said selected telephone number to determine if said long distance codes match; deleting said long distance code of said selected telephone number if said step of comparing said long distance codes determines that said long distance codes match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange; and dialing said selected telephone number by generating signals corresponding to said callee telephone number and coupling said signals to said telephone exchange via said subscriber telephone line.

Claim 18

A method using a telephone dialing apparatus for generating a callee telephone number from a first telephone location, the method comprising the steps of: storing a first telephone number for the first telephone location, said first telephone number comprising an international code, a long distance code, and a local telephone number; storing a plurality of telephone numbers for locations other than the first location, each of said plurality of stored telephone numbers comprising an international code, a long distance code, and a local telephone number; displaying at least a portion of said plurality of stored telephone numbers on a display viewable by a user; sensing user input to select one telephone number from said displayed portion of said plurality of stored telephone numbers; comparing said international code of said first telephone number with said international code of said selected telephone number to determine if said international codes match; deleting said international code of said selected telephone number if said step of comparing said international codes determines that said international codes match; if said step of comparing said international codes determines that said international codes match, comparing said long distance code of said first telephone number with said long distance code of said selected telephone number to determine if said long distance codes match; deleting said long distance code of said selected telephone number if said step of comparing said long distance codes determines that said long distance codes match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange; and dialing said selected telephone number by generating signals corresponding to said callee telephone number and coupling said signals to said telephone exchange via said subscriber telephone line.

Claim 21

A method using a telephone dialing apparatus for calling a callee telephone number from a first telephone location, the method comprising the steps of: defining a first telephone number for the first telephone location, said first telephone number comprising first, second, and third portions; determining a second telephone number for a second telephone location, said second telephone number comprising first, second, and third portions; sequentially comparing said first and second portions of said first telephone number with said first and second portions of said second telephone number to determine if said first and second portions match; deleting said first portion of said second telephone number if said first portions match; deleting said second portion of said second telephone number if said first portion of said second telephone number has been deleted and said second portions match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange; and generating signals on said subscriber telephone line to call the second telephone, said signals corresponding to said callee telephone number.

Claim 22

A method using a telephone dialing apparatus for calling a callee telephone number from a first telephone location, the method comprising the steps of: defining a first telephone number for the first telephone location, said first telephone number comprising first, second, and third portions; determining a second telephone number for a second telephone location, said second telephone number comprising first, second, and third portions; sequentially comparing said first and second portions of said first telephone number with said first and second portions of said second telephone number to determine if said first and second portions match; deleting said first portion of said second telephone number if said first portions match; deleting said second portion of said second telephone number if said first portion of said second telephone number has been deleted and said second portions match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange; and generating signals on said subscriber telephone line to call the second telephone, said signals corresponding to said callee telephone number.

Claim 25

A method of using a portable telephone dialing apparatus for calling a callee telephone number from a caller telephone, the method comprising the steps of: defining a caller telephone number for the caller telephone at a first location, said caller telephone number comprising first and second portions; sensing user entry of a second telephone number for a second location, said second telephone number comprising first and second portions; comparing said first portion of said first telephone number with said first portion of said second telephone number to determine if said first portions match; deleting said first portion of said second telephone number if said first portions match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange serving said first location; generating signals on said subscriber telephone line coupled to said telephone exchange serving said first location to call the second telephone, said signals corresponding to said callee telephone number; moving the apparatus to a new location wherein said caller telephone number at said new location is different from said caller telephone number at said first location; redefining said caller telephone number to be said caller telephone number at said new location; using said steps of comparing and deleting to generate a new callee telephone number based on said new location, whereby the user redefines said caller telephone number at said new location and the apparatus automatically generates said new callee telephone number based on said redefined caller telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a new subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange serving said new location; and generating new signals on said subscriber telephone line coupled to said telephone exchange serving said new location, said new signals corresponding to said new callee telephone number.

Claim 26

A method of using a portable telephone dialing apparatus for calling a callee telephone number from a caller telephone, the method comprising the steps of: defining a caller telephone number for the caller telephone at a first location, said caller telephone number comprising first and second portions; sensing user entry of a second telephone number for a second location, said second telephone number comprising first and second portions; comparing said first portion of said first telephone number with said first portion of said second telephone number to determine if said first portions match; deleting said first portion of said second telephone number if said first portions match to generate a callee telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange serving said first location; generating signals on said subscriber telephone line coupled to said telephone exchange serving said first location to call the second telephone, said signals corresponding to said callee telephone number; moving the apparatus to a new location wherein said caller telephone number at said new location is different from said caller telephone number at said first location; redefining said caller telephone number to be said caller telephone number at said new location; using said steps of comparing and deleting to generate a new callee telephone number based on said new location, whereby the user redefines said caller telephone number at said new location and the apparatus automatically generates said new callee telephone number based on said redefined caller telephone number; coupling the apparatus to a new subscriber telephone line coupled to a telephone exchange serving said new location; and generating new signals on said subscriber telephone line coupled to said telephone exchange serving said new location, said new signals corresponding to said new callee telephone number.