Voice caller I.D. apparatus

Claim 1

A caller-ID device comprising: a caller-ID receiver for receiving a phone number contained in a caller-ID signal; a data storage unit for storing a plurality of said phone numbers; a desired phone number selector coupled to said data storage unit for selecting a desired phone number from said plurality of phone numbers; a dialing circuit, coupled to said desired phone number selector and to a telephone line, said dialing circuit including a first dialing signal generator; a second dialing signal generator; a third dialing signal generator; and a dialer coupled to said first, second and third dialing signal generators and to said desired phone number selector for receiving said desired phone number and presenting said desired phone number on a display, said dialer responsive to said dialing signal generators to dial an out-going telephone number derived from said desired phone number; wherein said dialer is responsive to a first dialing signal to dial said out-going telephone number consisting of an exchange and an extension of said desired phone number; wherein said dialer is responsive to a second dialing signal to dial said out-going telephone number consisting of an area code, an exchange, and an extension of said desired phone number; and wherein said dialer is responsive to a third dialing signal to dial said out-going telephone number consisting of a long-distance code concatenated with an area code, an exchange, and an extension of said desired phone number.

Claim 5

A method for dialing an out-going telephone number derived from a telephone number received from a caller-ID signal, comprising the steps of: retrieving a desired telephone number from a memory storing a caller-ID telephone number transmitted over a telephone line; presenting said desired telephone number on a display, said desired telephone number having an area code, an exchange, and an extension; thereafter creating an out-going telephone number in response to selection of one of three actuators, wherein selection of a first actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of said exchange and said extension, wherein selection of a second actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of said area code, said exchange, and said extension, and wherein selection of a third actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of a long distance code concatenated with said area code, said exchange, and said extension; and thereafter dialing said out-going telephone number.

Claim 6

A method for dialing an out-going telephone number derived from a telephone number received from a caller-ID signal, comprising the steps of: retrieving a desired telephone number from a memory storing a caller-ID telephone number transmitted over a telephone line; presenting said desired telephone number on a display, said desired telephone number having an area code, an exchange, and an extension; thereafter creating an out-going telephone number in response to selection of one of three actuators, wherein selection of a first actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of said exchange and said extension, wherein selection of a second actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of said area code, said exchange, and said extension, and wherein selection of a third actuator creates said out-going telephone number consisting of a long distance code concatenated with said area code, said exchange, and said extension; and thereafter dialing said out-going telephone number.