IIIH
US006807268B1
(12) United States Patent ao) Patent No.: us 6,807,268 Bi
Wierzbitzki et al. (45) Date of Patent: Oct. 19,2004
(54) SEQUENTIAL CALLING SYSTEM WITH PRIORITIZATION OF THE LAST DIALED TELEPHONE NUMBER
(75) Inventors: Dirk Wierzbitzki, Ratingen (DE);
Matthias Kromer, Diisseldorf (DE)
(73) Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH, Diisseldorf (DE)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/787,159
(22) PCT Filed: Mar. 17, 1999
(86) PCT No.: PCT/DE99/00846
§ 371 (c)(1),
(2), (4) Date: Apr. 26, 2001
(87) PCT Pub. No.: WO00/16540 PCT Pub. Date: Mar. 23, 2000
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data
Sep. 14, 1998 (DE) 198 43 201
(51) Int. C I. I HUM 3/42
(52) U.S. CI 379/211.01; 379/211.12;
455/417
(58) Field of Search 379/211.01, 211.02,
379/212.01, 201.01, 207.02, 207.04, 207.05;
455/414.1, 417, 445
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,315,636 A * 5/1994 Patel 379/201.07
A waiting time optimization for a caller of a called party having a number of telephone numbers is obtained by a device and a method for establishing a telecommunication connection from a caller to a called party via at least one telecommunication network, in which the called party can possibly be reached on a number of telephone numbers stored in the telecommunication network. A telecommunication connection between the caller and the called party is set up in each case successively attempted on the stored telephone numbers by dialing in each case one of the stored telephone numbers of the called party until a telecommunication connection to the called party has been successfully set up. When a telecommunication connection has been successfully set up, the telephone number of the called party on which this successful setting-up took place is stored in the telecommunication network. In the case of a successive calling of stored telephone numbers of a called party, the stored telephone number of this called party on which a telecommunication connection has last been set up successfully is called as the first or second telephone number.
18 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
