Patent Publication Number: US-2003228004-A1

Title: Method for generating a telephone number

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0001] The present invention is directed to a method of generating a telephone number according to the definition of the species in the main claim. Data processing systems capable of running applications which permit a user of the data processing system to generate a telephone number by activating a button programmed on a screen mask using a mouse, for example, are known in general.  
       ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The method according to the present invention having the features of the main claim has the advantage over the related art that the symbol whose activation causes the telephone number to be generated is very easily generated or created. Thus even an inexperienced user of a data processing system is capable of generating symbols or general images whose activation causes a telephone number to be generated and is not obligated to use the services of an experienced computer user (programmer) just for generating such symbols.  
       [0003] It is furthermore advantageous that the hyperlink is a standard hyperlink, which further simplifies the method according to the present invention, because the functions provided in standard data processing applications in particular may also be used for generating a standard hyperlink.  
       [0004] It is furthermore advantageous that the hyperlink includes an identifier for generating telephone numbers. This permits the user of the data processing system to immediately recognize, for a hyperlink in general, whether this is a hyperlink specifically created for generating a telephone number (phone hyperlink).  
       [0005] It is furthermore advantageous that the identifier includes the word “phone.” In this way, reference is made, via the identifier, to the function which triggers the activation of the hyperlink, namely, the generation of a telephone number.  
       [0006] It is furthermore advantageous that activating the hyperlink corresponds to selecting by pressing an input button of an input device at least once, which permits the hyperlink to be rapidly and easily activated.  
       [0007] It is furthermore advantageous that the input device is a mouse and the input button is a mouse button. This makes a particularly simple operation of the data processing application for generating telephone numbers possible, because the user normally operates the data processing application mostly by operating a mouse as an input device.  
       [0008] It is furthermore advantageous that the activation of the symbol for generating the telephone number corresponds to the input of specific information. This makes particularly fast and reliable activation of the symbol possible, in particular when the symbol is created by entering the telephone number as text, because the specific information almost completely prevents input errors or misinterpretations.  
       [0009] It is furthermore advantageous that the specific information corresponds to the actuation of a function key, which provides particularly simple operation.  
       [0010] It is furthermore advantageous that the data processing application is a standard program for use with data processing systems, which makes the method according to the present invention broadly usable, while compatibility problems are largely limited. 
     
    
    
     DRAWING  
     [0011] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing and elucidated in detail in the description that follows.  
     [0012]FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary configuration for the integration of a telephone with a data processing system;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary configuration for the integration of a telephone with a data processing system; and  
     [0014]FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of an exemplary implementation of the method according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT  
     [0015]FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary configuration of the interaction between a data processing system and a telephone. A telephone  22  is connected to a private branch exchange  15  via a telephone network  20 . Private branch exchange  15  is in turn connected to an external telephone network  10 , in particular the public telephone network  10 . Furthermore, a data processing system  32  is connected to a data network  30 . Data processing system  32  includes a display device (not illustrated) and an input means (not illustrated), in particular input devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, and the like. Data network  30  is an internal network in particular, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network). Data network  30  is connected according to the present invention in particular to other networks (not illustrated), for example, the Internet, via components which are also not illustrated. To run telephony applications on data processing system  32 , it is necessary that data processing system  32  communicate with telephone  22  or private branch exchange  15 . This is accomplished in the first exemplary configuration using an intermediary component  25 , which is connected to both telephone  22  and data processing system  32 . According to the present invention, intermediary component  25  is an interface adapter in particular. The first exemplary configuration largely corresponds to a “first-party architecture” of CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) implementations. Obviously, both telephone  22  and data processing system  32  represent a plurality of such components.  
     [0016]FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary configuration of the interaction between a data processing system and a telephone. Essentially, this is a third-party architecture of a CTI implementation. Also in this case, telephone  22  is connected to private branch exchange  15  via telephone network  20 , while private branch exchange  15  is in turn connected to external telephone network  10 . Data processing system  32  is in turn connected to data network  30 . In contrast with a first-party architecture, however, in this case telephone  22  and data processing system  32  are not directly connected, but via telephone network  20 , private branch exchange  15 , and data network  30 . A CTI server  16  is provided for this purpose between data network  30  and private branch exchange  15 . CTI server  16  is thus connected to both private branch exchange  15  and data network  30 . Control data and useful data to be transmitted from a telephony application running on data processing system  32  to telephone  22  are transmitted, over the path including data network  30 , CTI server  16 , private branch exchange  15 , and telephone network  20 , to telephone  22 , where the control data and useful data received are converted as would be the action performed by the user of the data processing application on data processing system  32 , i.e., dialing a node, call-back, storing a telephone number in the telephone directory, or the like, for example, by the user on telephone  22 .  
     [0017]FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of an exemplary implementation of the method according to the present invention. A data processing application  100  provides the possibility of creating or generating a hyperlink, for example, in a text document or an Internet document (e.g., in HTML format). In standard data processing applications, in word processing programs in particular, this is accomplished, for example, by providing an “Insert hyperlink” function, which can always be selected by the user whenever a document created by the user is to contain one or more hyperlink(s). When viewing such a document containing (a) hyperlink(s), the hyperlinks are usually in color, underscored, or made recognizable in some other way, so that the user, who may not necessarily be the same as the author of the document, is able to recognize the hyperlink without difficulty. Such a hyperlink is activated according to the present invention by pressing an input button of an input device at least once. This is accomplished according to the present invention by the fact that data processing system  32  includes a mouse as an input device and the user of data processing system  32  then positions the cursor that appears on the display device of the data processing system on the hyperlink and activates it by pressing a mouse button.  
     [0018] According to the present invention, a hyperlink includes an identifier which signals to data processing application  100  that a telephone number is to be generated by the activation of the hyperlink. Subsequently, data processing application  100  forwards the information that the hyperlink has been activated to a telephony application  200 . Telephony application  200  processes the information received from data processing application  100  so that an instruction to generate a telephone number is transmitted to a TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface)  300 , which further processes the instruction until the telephone number is generated by telephone  22  or private branch exchange  15 .  
     [0019] In an advantageous embodiment, telephony application  200  may also monitor all the information that is generated by data processing application  100  as a result of a hyperlink having been activated. This may include either hyperlinks provided for generating a telephone number or hyperlinks provided for other purposes, for-example, for accessing a web site. In the second embodiment, the identifier of the hyperlink, which indicates that the hyperlink is provided for generating a telephone number, is not recognized in data processing application  100 , but in telephony application  200 . As in the first embodiment, telephony application  200  generates an instruction to TAPI  300  to generate the telephone number.  
     [0020] If the symbol is not a hyperlink, but only an input text which includes the telephone number, the appropriate text block is essentially selected in data processing application  100  and the information about the telephone number is relayed, for example, by actuating a function key, to telephony application  200 , which in turn relays the instruction for generating this telephone number to TAPI  300 . Telephony application  200  is embodied, in particular, as CTI software, which makes a dialable number out of the string of the telephone number transmitted via the hyperlink or the text. Generating a symbol representing the telephone number is convenient, in particular, in the following cases according to the present invention: inserting telephone numbers in the automatic signature of e-mail messages, inserting telephone numbers in the headers of letters, inserting telephone numbers in Internet documents (HTML files), or inserting telephone numbers in telephone directory applications.