Convenient dialing of names and numbers from a phone without alpha keypad

摘要

Retrieving a desired telephone number from a database in a mobile communication unit is facilitated by utilizing the frequency with which the user calls each telephone number stored in the database in a manner that allows the mobile communication unit to make a best guess of which phone number the user is seeking each time the user pushes a key while inputting a name or character string representing the person that the user wishes to call from the mobile communication unit. If the database does not include any name or character string potentially matching a desired character string entered via a keypad, the mobile communication unit automatically switches to normal phone number entry mode.