Mobile unit, call origination controlling method, and call termination controlling method

• US 20030162530A1
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Tatsuya, Fujita, Masanori, Ishii, Kenji, Morota, Satoru, Urakawa, Yasutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,336,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A mobile unit 10 is provided with a called party number acquiring unit 102 for acquiring a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user, a number checking unit 103 for checking the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring unit 102, against every origination-restricted number stored in an origination-restricted number storing unit 112, and an origination restricting unit 104 for restricting origination of a call on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking unit 103.

Claims

1. A mobile unit comprising:

called party number acquiring means for acquiring a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user;

number checking means for checking the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means, against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

origination restricting means for restricting origination of a call on the basis of a result of the checking by the number checking means.

2. The mobile unit according to claim 1, wherein the origination restricting means orders information outputting means to output warning information on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means, and permits origination of the call when the user enters a further call origination command in reply to the warning information outputted on the basis of the order.

3. The mobile unit according to claim 1, wherein the origination restricting means prohibits origination of the call on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means.

5. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

6. The mobile unit according to claim 2, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

7. The mobile unit according to claim 3, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

9. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

10. The mobile unit according to claim 2, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

11. The mobile unit according to claim 3, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

4. A mobile unit comprising:

called party number acquiring means for acquiring a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user;

number checking means for checking the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means, against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

origination restricting means for permitting origination of a call without notification of an originating number on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means.

8. The mobile unit according to claim 4, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

12. The mobile unit according to claim 4, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

13. A mobile unit comprising:

ring counting means for counting the number of rings of an incoming call; and

storage restricting means for storing a calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in calling party number storing means when the number of rings counted by the ring counting means is greater than a predetermined number, and for avoiding storing the calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in the calling party number storing means when the number of rings is not more than the predetermined number.

14. A mobile unit comprising:

ringing time measuring means for measuring a ringing time of an incoming call; and

storage restricting means for storing a calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in calling party number storing means when the ringing time measured by the ringing time measuring means is longer than a predetermined time, and for avoiding storing the calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in the calling party number storing means when the ringing time is not longer than the predetermined time.

15. A call origination controlling method comprising:

a called party number acquiring step wherein called party number acquiring means acquires a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user of a mobile unit;

a number checking step wherein number checking means checks the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means, against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

an origination restricting step wherein origination restricting means restricts origination of a call on the basis of a result of the checking by the number checking means.

16. The call origination controlling method according to claim 15, wherein in said origination restricting step the origination restricting means orders information outputting means to output warning information on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means, and permits origination of the call when the user enters a further call origination command in reply to the warning information outputted on the basis of the order.

17. The call origination controlling method according to claim 15, wherein in said origination restricting step the origination restricting means prohibits origination of the call on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means.

19. The call origination controlling method according to claim 15, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means acquires every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

20. The call origination controlling method according to claim 16, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means acquires every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

21. The call origination controlling method according to claim 17, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means acquires every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

23. The call origination controlling method according to claim 15, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

24. The call origination controlling method according to claim 16, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

25. The call origination controlling method according to claim 17, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

18. A call origination controlling method comprising:

a called party number acquiring step wherein called party number acquiring means acquires a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user;

a number checking step wherein number checking means checks the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means, against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

an origination restricting step wherein origination restricting means permits origination of a call without notification of an originating number on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means.

22. The call origination controlling method according to claim 18, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means acquires every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, through an information communication network and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired, in the origination-restricted number storing means.

26. The call origination controlling method according to claim 18, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

27. A call termination controlling method comprising:

a ring counting step wherein ring counting means counts the number of rings of an incoming call; and

a storage restricting step wherein storage restricting means stores a calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in calling party number storing means when the number of rings counted by the ring counting means is greater than a predetermined number, and avoids storing the calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in the calling party number storing means when the number of rings is not more than the predetermined number.

28. A call termination controlling method comprising:

a ringing time measuring step wherein ringing time measuring means measures a ringing time of an incoming call; and

a storage restricting step wherein storage restricting means stores a calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in calling party number storing means when the ringing time measured by the ringing time measuring means is longer than a predetermined time, and avoids storing the calling party number corresponding to the incoming call in the calling party number storing means when the ringing time is not longer than the predetermined time.