Apparatus and Method Pertaining to the Obtainment and Use of Call Information
An apparatus, such as a portable communication device, has a wireless transceiver configured to conduct voice calls, a close-proximity reader (such as, but not limited to, a near-field communications (NFC) reader), and a control circuit that operably couples to the wireless transceiver and the close-proximity reader. The control circuit uses the close-proximity reader to obtain call information from another device and uses the wireless transceiver to initiate a call using the call information to thereby permit joining, or establishing, a conference call with three or more access points.
1 . An apparatus comprising:
a wireless transceiver configured to conduct voice calls;
a close-proximity reader;
a control circuit operably coupled to the wireless transceiver and the close-proximity reader and configured to:
use the close-proximity reader to obtain call information from another device;
use the wireless transceiver to initiate a call using the call information.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a portable communication device.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the call information comprises at least one of:
a telephone number for the another device;
conference call dial-in information for an in-progress conference call that includes the another device.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein using the wireless transceiver to initiate the call comprises a part of a conference-call setup process to add the portable communication device to a conference call that includes a second party associated with the another device.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein using the wireless transceiver to initiate the call using the call information comprises automatically responding to obtaining call information comprising a telephone number from the another device, which another device comprises a portable communication device, by initiating the call to the portable communication device using the telephone number.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the close-proximity reader comprises a near-field communications (NFC) reader.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to use the close-proximity reader to obtain the call information from the another device and to use the wireless transceiver to initiate a call using the call information while the wireless transceiver is engaged in a voice call with a second party.
8 . A method comprising:
by a control circuit that operably couples to a wireless transceiver configured to conduct voice calls and to a close-proximity reader:
using the close-proximity reader to obtain call information from another device;
using the wireless transceiver to initiate a call using the call information.
9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the call information comprises at least one of:
a telephone number for the another device;
conference call dial-in information for an in-progress conference call that includes the another device.
10 . The method of claim 8 wherein using the wireless transceiver to initiate the call comprises a part of a conference-call setup process to add the portable communication device to a conference call that includes a second party associated with the another device.
11 . The method of claim 8 wherein using the wireless transceiver to initiate the call using the call information comprises automatically responding to obtaining call information comprising a telephone number from the another device, which another device comprises a portable communication device, by initiating the call to the portable communication device using the telephone number.
12 . The method of claim 8 wherein the control circuit carries out the method while the wireless transceiver is engaged in a voice call with a second party.
13 . A non-transitory memory having computer instructions stored therein, the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to:
use a close-proximity reader to obtain call information from another device;
use a wireless transceiver to initiate a call using the call information.
14 . The non-transitory memory of claim 10 wherein the call information comprises at least one of:
a telephone number for the another device;
conference call dial-in information for an in-progress conference call that includes the another device.