Telephone number parser for wireless local loop telephones

Claim 1

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols, said method comprising the steps of: a) setting a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table; b) receiving a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; c) reading an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol; and d) if said entry is a pointer, resetting the current row pointer to the entry value and repeating steps b), c) and d) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then transmitting all telephone number symbols that had been entered by the user.

Claim 2

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols, said method comprising the steps of: a) setting a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table; b) receiving a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; c) reading an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol; and d) if said entry is a pointer, resetting the current row pointer to the entry value and repeating steps b), c) and d) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then transmitting all telephone number symbols that had been entered by the user.

Claim 9

An apparatus for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols, said apparatus comprising: means for receiving input telephone number symbols entered by a user; a number parsing table having a plurality of rows and columns, with one column per permissible input symbol and one row per parsing state, said table having entries each containing either a pointer identifying a row of the table or a value indicating that the entry corresponds to a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols; means for accessing said table by applying a first received symbol to a first row of the table to read a pointer identifying another row of the table, then iteratively applying additional received symbols to additional rows specified by said pointers until reading out a value indicating that a final state has been reached; and means for transmitting all received input symbols upon reading out a value that a final state has been reached.

Claim 10

An apparatus for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols, said apparatus comprising: means for receiving input telephone number symbols entered by a user; a number parsing table having a plurality of rows and columns, with one column per permissible input symbol and one row per parsing state, said table having entries each containing either a pointer identifying a row of the table or a value indicating that the entry corresponds to a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols; means for accessing said table by applying a first received symbol to a first row of the table to read a pointer identifying another row of the table, then iteratively applying additional received symbols to additional rows specified by said pointers until reading out a value indicating that a final state has been reached; and means for transmitting all received input symbols upon reading out a value that a final state has been reached.

Claim 17

An apparatus comprising: a telephone coupled to a wireless local loop system; a telephone digit receive unit for receiving digits and other symbols of a telephone number to be transmitted that are entered by a user using the telephone; a telephone number buffer for storing received symbols; a complete telephone number detection unit for examining symbols stored within the telephone number buffer and for determining therefrom whether a complete telephone number has been entered, said detection unit accessing a parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries specified by unique row and column combinations containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols; and a telephone number send unit for sending all symbols stored within the telephone number buffer upon reception of a signal from the telephone number detection unit indicating that a completed telephone number has been received.

Claim 18

An apparatus comprising: a telephone coupled to a wireless local loop system; a telephone digit receive unit for receiving digits and other symbols of a telephone number to be transmitted that are entered by a user using the telephone; a telephone number buffer for storing received symbols; a complete telephone number detection unit for examining symbols stored within the telephone number buffer and for determining therefrom whether a complete telephone number has been entered, said detection unit accessing a parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries specified by unique row and column combinations containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols; and a telephone number send unit for sending all symbols stored within the telephone number buffer upon reception of a signal from the telephone number detection unit indicating that a completed telephone number has been received.

Claim 20

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols, and wherein the table further includes an additional timer column specifying at least two different timer values for at least two different parsing state rows, said method comprising the steps of: a) set a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table, read a timer value provided in the starting row of the table, and, if the timer value is not zero, set a current timer value to the timer value provided in the starting row of table; b) detect receipt of a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; and c) if no telephone number symbol is received within the time specified by the current timer value, transmit telephone number symbols, if any, already received from the user; or d) if a telephone number symbol was received within the time specified by the current timer value, then read a new timer value provided in the row of the table pointed to by the current row pointer and reset the current timer value to the new timer value, read an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol, and if said entry read from the table is a pointer, reset the current row pointer to the entry value and return to step b) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then transmit all telephone number symbols already received from the user.

Claim 21

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a string of telephone number symbols to be transmitted, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols, and wherein the table further includes an additional timer column specifying at least two different timer values for at least two different parsing state rows, said method comprising the steps of: a) set a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table, read a timer value provided in the starting row of the table, and, if the timer value is not zero, set a current timer value to the timer value provided in the starting row of table; b) detect receipt of a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; and c) if no telephone number symbol is received within the time specified by the current timer value, transmit telephone number symbols, if any, already received from the user; or d) if a telephone number symbol was received within the time specified by the current timer value, then read a new timer value provided in the row of the table pointed to by the current row pointer and reset the current timer value to the new timer value, read an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol, and if said entry read from the table is a pointer, reset the current row pointer to the entry value and return to step b) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then transmit all telephone number symbols already received from the user.

Claim 23

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a telephone number to be transmitted or indicative of a function command, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols which may be either, said method comprising the steps of: a) setting a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table; b) receiving a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; c) reading an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol; and d) if said entry is a pointer, resetting the current row pointer to the entry value and repeating steps b), c) and d) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then determining whether the final state identifies a completed telephone number or a function command and if said entry identifies a completed telephone number, then transmitting all telephone number symbols that had been entered by the user, or if said entry identifies a function command, then executing the function command.

Claim 24

A method for parsing and transmitting telephone number symbols using a telephone having a keypad and having a telephone number parsing table having a plurality of rows corresponding to different parsing states, a plurality of columns corresponding to different telephone number symbols, and entries, specified by unique row and column combinations, containing either a pointer identifying one of the rows of the table or a value indicating a final state representative of a telephone number to be transmitted or indicative of a function command, and wherein the pointers are configured to provide a sequence of transitions within the table, based upon an entire sequence of entered telephone number symbols, with one transition per entered symbol for the entire sequence of entered symbols which may be either, said method comprising the steps of: a) setting a current row pointer to identify a starting row of the table; b) receiving a telephone number symbol entered by a user into the telephone using the keypad; c) reading an entry from the table corresponding to the current row pointer location and the current received symbol; and d) if said entry is a pointer, resetting the current row pointer to the entry value and repeating steps b), c) and d) or, if said entry identifies a final state, then determining whether the final state identifies a completed telephone number or a function command and if said entry identifies a completed telephone number, then transmitting all telephone number symbols that had been entered by the user, or if said entry identifies a function command, then executing the function command.