Abstract:
An electronic phone book dialing system is combined with a vehicle-installed hand-free system of a cellular phone. In particular, the dialing system can automatically dial out phone numbers including an extension number stored in an electronic memory unit. A person can make use of simple code names, personal names or phonetic sounds as indexes for locating telephone numbers stored in an electronic memory unit. Thereby, a person can make a hand-free system to automatically dial out a selected phone number with an extension in response to a person&#39;s simple selection of a representing code name, personal name or phonetic sound. It can thus facilitate a person to dial a phone number in driving.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electronic phone book dialing system which is combined with a vehicle-installed hand-free system of a cellular phone, and more particularly to a dialing system which can automatically dial out phone numbers including an extension number stored in an electronic memory unit in advance. A person can make use of simple code names, people&#39;s names or phonetic sounds as indexes for locating telephone numbers stored in an electronic memory unit. Thus a person can make a hand-free system to automatically dial out a selected phone number with an extension in response to a person&#39;s simple selection of a representing code name, person&#39;s name or phonetic sound. It facilitates a person to dial out a phone number in driving in a more secure and easier manner. 
     In a busy commerce-oriented society, frequent communication or close association among people is more and more unavoidable. Advancement in technologies of cellular phones has made such close connection easier and faster. It is commonly seen that cellular phones are operated in cooperation with a hand-free system mounted onto a vehicle, and people are becoming more and more dependent of such mobile phones when driving on roads or staying outdoors. However, a bunch of phone numbers becomes troublesome to most people who are not good at keeping phone numbers in memory by rote. 
     So, there are prior art electronic phone books or electronic dialing devices developed and sold in markets to solve the cited problems. However, the conventional electronic dialing devices can not either dial out phone numbers with extension or operate in match with cellular phones and hand-free systems in vehicles. They can only serve as an electronic phone book in many cases. 
     Noticing the disadvantages of prior art electronic dialing devices and the potential advantages and facility of an electronic dialing device, the present inventor has devoted his effort and time to the development and improvement on such an electronic dialing device. This dialing device can search for a phone number stored in a memory unit and represented by an index such as a code name, a personal name or phonetic sound and make a dial automatically without resorting to a manual phone book or note. Thereby, a person can make a call by automatically dialing out a phone number even with an extension portion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an electronic phone book dialing system in combination with a vehicle-installed hand-free system of a cellular phone. The dialing system can automatically dial out telephone numbers with extensions stored in an electronic memory unit in advance, by simple selection of a code name, or a personal name or phonetic sound. Thus, it enables people dial out phone numbers readily in driving without resorting to manual phone books awkwardly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operational flow chart of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of another operational flow chart thereof; 
     FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the other part of another operational flow chart thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the system of a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operational flow chart of the second embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of another operational flow chart of the second embodiment thereof; 
     FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the other part of another operational flow chart of the second embodiment thereof; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram showing a first practical embodiment of the present invention. The electronic phone book dialing system of the present invention combined with a vehicle-installed hand-free system of a cellular phone is disclosed. It is comprised of an index unit  11 , a data pool  12 , a temporary register  13  for dialed numbers, a numerical code checking device  14 , a dial control device  16 , a dialing device  15 , a time counter  17  and a far-end sound detecting unit  18 . 
     The index unit  11  is responsible for locating a key phone number data stored therein for the dialing system as an abridged index information related to a to-be-dialed phone number is input. Thus complete phone data related to the phone number can be located in the data pool  12 . 
     The data pool  12  is used to store all kinds of telephone number data applied to the dialing system of the present invention. 
     The temporary register  13  for dialed phone numbers is used to temporarily retain telephone numbers dialed in the dialing system at a moment. 
     The numerical code checking device  14  is used to check for the dialing system of the present invention if each code delivered from the temporary register  13  for dialed numbers is within a range from 0 to 9. That enables the dialing system to discern if input codes are associated with an extension number. 
     The dial control unit  16  is used to hold a dialing of an extension number for a short time as a telephone associated with a dialed number is successfully connected at another end, permitting an addressing message of the telephone in connection to be delivered. 
     The dialing device  15  is responsible for dialing out digital numbers transmitted from the numerical code checking device  14  for the dialing system of the present invention. 
     The far-end sound detecting device  18  is used to detect if an addressing message at other end of a connected phone is broadcast or not. 
     The time counter  17  is used to count time in a temporary holding of a dialing operation for the dialing system of the present invention. 
     The electronic phone book dialing system of the present invention combined with a vehicle-installed hand-free system of a cellular phone can make a dial by inputting an index represented in a simple code name, a personal name or phonetic sound. Due to diversity of input methods and not being of major concern of the present invention, the input methods are not described herein. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the flow chart of the present invention is illustrated. As the index unit  11  confirms on an input index, it will read out a phone number, which is stored in the temporary register  13  first. In case of an input phone number with an extension being 0227380007#512, # is an identifying code for an extension number. Then, the temporary register  13  delivers the phone number code by code to the numerical code checking device  14  to identify if the input codes are numerals from 0 to 9. If the dial is carried out by the dialing device  15  code by code and the code is not a numeral from 0 to 9 but a code denoting # or *, the dial control unit  16  will put off the dialing operation temporarily. At the same time the time counter  17  is activated to count until the response of the far-end sound detecting device  18  is positive. If the far-end sound detecting device  18  confirms that the telephone  2  at the other end is picked or hooked up (the judgement of the pick-up can be performed by way of time count or acoustic range judgement and etc.), the time counter  17  starts to count. It intends to delay till the broadcast of an addressing message. At the stop of the counting, the temporary register  13  begins to send off an extension number and the numerical code checking device  14  keeps on operation until a blank code is detected to complete the dialing operation. This state can take place only when the call-receiving end permits an extension number to be input even in the broadcasting procedure of an addressing message of the telephone. If the call-receiving end does not accept the input of an extension number then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A, the far-end sound detecting device  18  will detect on the addressing message at the call-receiving end and starts accordingly a flag function with an initial value set as “ON”. After the dialing device  15  makes a dial, the far-end sound detecting device  18  checks if the sound at the other end lasts or not. If the sound lasts, the dialing control unit  16  will hold for a short time and then make a dial again till the far-end detecting device  18  receives no sound at the far-end. Afterwards, the temporary register  13  will continue to dispatch data whereby phone numbers with an extension can be directed dialed out, facilitating the dialing operation of users. 
     Referring to FIGS. 4,  5 , another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. It intends to make an application to those telephones, which can not dial out numbers by buttons in a course of a dialing operation. Such an embodiment is comprised of a collection of basic elements of an index unit  31 , a data pool  32 , a dial temporary register  33 , a numerical code detecting device  34 , a dialing control unit  36 , a dialing device  35 , a time counter  37  and a far-end sound detecting device  38  and an additional DTMF generator  39  in cooperation with a near-end sound input  30  which produces dialing tone representing numbers. 
     Its operation mode is illustrated in FIG.  5 . An operator makes use of simple code name, personal name or phonetic sound as the index input. As the index unit  31  confirms on the data and the data pool  32  outputs data concerning telephone numbers which will be stored in the dial temporary register  33 . The dialed number is assumed to be 0227380007#512, the # mark stands for an extension. Then, the temporary register  33  sends off its codes one by one to the numerical code detecting device  34  which is responsible for checking if a code is a numerical code ranging from 0 to 9. If the codes are numerical ones, then the codes will be dialed via the dialing device  35  code by code. If a code is # or * instead of a numerical code ranging from 0 to 9, the dial control unit  36  will put off the dialing operation temporarily, waiting for the response of the far-end sound detecting device  38 . If the far-end sound detecting device  38  detects the telephone is picked up at the other end (the pick-up at the other end being judged by means of time counting, or acoustic range judgement and etc.), the time counter starts to count to get a time delay until the completion of an addressing message at the far-end. Then, the DTMF generator  39  produces an extension number until a blank code appears to complete the dialing operation. Such a mode can be carried out only in a condition that the telephone system at the receiving end permits an input of an extension number from the calling end even in the course of the broadcasting of an addressing message. If the input is not permitted, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the far-end sound detecting device  38  will detect the addressing message at the receiving end and activate the flag function with its initial value set as “ON”. After the dialing device makes its dial, the far-end sound detecting unit is used to detect if the sound at the far-end is lasting or not. If sound lasts, the dial control device  36  will delay the dialing operation for a period of time and then it redials until the far-end sound detecting unit receives no sound at all. Then the dial temporary register will continue to send off data whereby a phone number with an extension can be directly dialed out accordingly. 
     In addition, the dialing system of the present invention not only can be installed inside a hand-free system but also place inside a telephone embodiment directly to meet different environmental requirements in practical use. 
     It will be appreciated that although particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, modifications may be easily made by those who are skilled in this art after reviewing the detailed description provided herein. It is intended in the claims to cover all such modifications, which come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.