Automatic dialing system

Abstract

The invention relates to a credit card dialing apparatus for use in automatically dialing account numbers, security codes and phone numbers into telephones. The apparatus includes a credit card size device having a memory, encoder, speaker, microphone and switch embedded into a circuit board for inputting and outputting specific information depending on the use of the card. The circuit described accesses the account by tones or signals fed through the receiver or direct data input from a small databus. In another embodiment, a microprocessor unit having a keyboard, microprocessor memory, encoder, a speaker unit and microphone as well as an alphanumeric display is utilized. This system permits the user to input the desired numbers and provide serial dialing and identification for particular sources.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An electronic credit card and direct dialing device comprising: 
       a case of a size and shape to fit in the user's wallet corresponding to the size of a credit card and to be held in hand during use or inserted into a corresponding input device;  
       a keyboard on said device comprising alphanumeric keys for numerals 0 to 9 and letters A to Z and function keys;  
       alphanumeric display means in said case with a capacity for displaying a plurality of telephone numbers, credit card numbers and other data;  
       read-write memory circuit means in said case for storing and retrieving data items comprising selected ones of said credit card numbers, said telephone numbers, and identification, said memory circuit having a capacity for storing a plurality of data items under a multiplicity of identification names as memory addresses;  
       said storing means controlled by said alphanumeric keys and functions keys for feeding to said memory circuit means said data items including said selected ones of said telephone numbers, said credit card numbers, and said identification to be stored and for identifying the names under which said items are to be stored;  
       retrieving means controlled by said alphanumeric keys and said functions keys for retrieving said data items stored by said memory circuit means including means for designating the name under which the desired data items are stored and for displaying by display means said name and said data items stored under the designated name; and  
       means for imparting a first audio signal identified by a telephone for dialing one of said telephone numbers;  
       means for sensing a dial tone and request tones from said telephone, said means for sensing capable of sensing said dial tone and request tones from an earpiece of said telephone when said device is located at a mouthpiece of said telephone; and  
       means for automatically actuating said means for imparting a second audio signal corresponding to a charge number upon sensing said dial tone from said telephone, said second audio signal being imparted to said telephone to complete a call.  
     
     
       2. The device according to  claim 1  wherein said retrieving means comprises retrieving a name by inputting a mnemonic address of said name by said keyboard and means for sequencing from one name to another when two or more names having the same mnemonic address have been stored. 
     
     
       3. The device according to  claim 1  wherein said storing means comprises means for replacing data stored under a name by another data item. 
     
     
       4. The device according to  claim 1  wherein said storing means includes means for storing additional data under said names under which previous data has been stored. 
     
     
       5. The device according to  claim 1  wherein said retrieving means includes protective means requiring inputting of a secret code in order to retrieve said data. 
     
     
       6. The device according to  claim 1  further comprising means for storing data items at a memory address and for retrieving said data items by inputting said address. 
     
     
       7. The device according to  claim 1  further comprising a calculating circuit means in said device for performing mathematical calculations under the control of said keyboard and for displaying the results of said calculations by said display means, and switch means for shifting between calculating mode of operation and teleaddress mode of operation. 
     
     
       8. The device according to  claim 1  wherein said retrieving means includes means for converting retrieved data representing one of said telephone numbers into a sequence of dialing tones receivable to a telephone system to actuate switching gear to make a connection with the telephone of a person whose name has been inputted by said keyboard. 
     
     
       9. The device according to  claim 8  wherein said converting means comprises touch tone signal generating means receiving said retrieved data, a wave shaper receiving output of said generating means, an audio amplifier for amplifying an output of said wave shaper, and a speaker driven by said amplifier. 
     
     
       10. The device according to  claim 1  further compressing input/output bus for programming said device. 
     
     
       11. The device according to  claim 10  further comprising an input/output bus for outputting information directly into a phone system or a credit card system. 
     
     
       12. An electronic credit card and direct dialing device comprising: 
       a case of a size to fit in the user's wallet corresponding to the size of a credit card and to be held in hand during use or inserted into a corresponding input device;  
       read-write memory circuit in said case for storing and outputting data corresponding to credit card preselected information;  
       means for feeding data to the memory corresponding to a plurality of account numbers or access numbers to be stored;  
       means for sensing a dial tone and request tones from a telephone, said means for sensing capable of sensing said dial tone and request tones from an earpiece of said telephone when said device is located at a mouthpiece of said telephone;  
       a speaker;  
       means for imparting an audio signal from said speaker identified by a phone system for dialing a telephone number, inputting data, and entering selected ones of said account or access numbers;  
       means for automatically actuating an audio signal corresponding to a charge number upon sensing said dial tone from said telephone, said audio signal being imparted to said telephone to complete a call;  
       a data bus; and  
       retrieving means for retrieving said data stored by said memory to be output to said speaker or data bus.  
     
     
       13. The device according to  claim 12  wherein said retrieving means includes means for converting said retrieved data into a sequence of dialing tones receivable by a telephone system for at least one of the following: to complete said call, to access a desired telephone system, and to make use of a credit card account. 
     
     
       14. The device according to  claim 13  wherein said converting means comprises touch tone signal generating means receiving said retrieved data, a wave shaper receiving an output of said generating means, an audio amplifier for amplifying an output of said wave shaper, and said speaker being driven by said amplifier. 
     
     
       15. The device according to  claim 12  further comprising input/output bus for programming said device. 
     
     
       16. The device according to  claim 15  further comprising an input/output bus for outputting information directly into a phone system or a credit card system. 
     
     
       17. An electronic credit card sized direct dialing device comprising: 
       a case of a size to fit in a user's wallet corresponding to the size of a credit card and to be held in hand during use or inserted into a corresponding input device;  
       a shift register memory for storing data;  
       a clock connected to said shift register for imparting a clock signal thereto;  
       a switch connected to said shift register and to said clock for actuating said clock and said shift register to shift data out of said shift register;  
       means for sensing a dial tone and request tones from a telephone, said means for sensing capable of sensing said dial tone and request tones from an earpiece of said telephone when said device is located at a mouthpiece of said telephone;  
       means for actuating an audio signal corresponding to a charge number upon sensing said dial tone from said telephone, said audio signal being imparted to said telephone to complete a call; and  
       an encoder in operative connection with said shift register for converting a signal from said shift register to signals to operate a speaker for emitting touch tone frequencies corresponding to a user's account number.  
     
     
       18. The device according to  claim 17  further comprising input/output bus for programming said device. 
     
     
       19. The device according to  claim 18  further comprising an input/output bus for outputting information directly into a phone system or a credit card system. 
     
     
       20. The device according to  claim 17  further comprising a printed circuit board wherein said shift register, said clock, said means for sensing the dial tone, said means for actuating an audio signal and said encoder are embedded on the printed circuit board to minimize size. 
     
     
       21. A credit card sized communications device comprising: 
       
         a credit card sized housing insertable into a computer and couplable to a telephone network, said credit card sized housing including:  
       
         a )  a processor;    
         b )  a plurality of control lines being coupled to the processor;    
         c )  a data bus coupled to the processor;    
         d )  an address bus coupled to the processor;    
         e )  a memory coupled to the processor via the data bus and the address bus, wherein the processor retrieves data over the data bus from the memory by specifying an address over the address bus, and stores data in the memory by transmitting the data over the data bus to the memory and by specifying the address over the address bus;    
         f )  an input/output port couplable to the computer and to the telephone network, said input/output port being coupled to the processor via the data bus and a plurality of control lines, transmitting data to and from the processor via the data bus, and receiving data from and transmitting data to the computer and telephone network, said input/output port controlled by the processor via the plurality of control lines, wherein said processor outputs a plurality of access signals to the input/output port upon detecting an available access signal from the telephone network and then waits until receiving an additional signal from the telephone network via the input/output port before sending additional data signals to the telephone network via the input/output port.   
     
     
       22. The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the input/output port further comprises a microphone and a speaker that transmit audible signals to and from a telephone handset to access the telephone network. 
     
     
       23. The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the processor receives access data from the computer and at least temporarily stores the access data in the memory. 
     
     
       24. The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the processor is programmable from an external source with access data. 
     
     
       25. The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the additional data signals include account information and the additional signal includes a request signal. 
     
     
       26. The device according to  claim 21 , wherein said credit card sized communications device is a direct dialing device.