METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TELEPHONE NUMBER CHANGE NOTIFICATION AND TRACKING

• US 20080089487A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

A system for broadcasting a notification. In response to receiving a new telephone number for a communication device from a service provider, a telephone number change notification is automatically broadcast to a plurality of contact telephone numbers within a contact list. Each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers within the contact list is tracked to determine whether each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers received the telephone number change notification. In response to a contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers not receiving the telephone number change notification, a configurable indicator is displayed in a display when a user inputs the contact telephone number into the communication device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a communication device for broadcasting a notification, the method comprising:

responsive to receiving a new telephone number for the communication device from a service provider, automatically broadcasting a telephone number change notification to a plurality of contact telephone numbers within a contact list;

tracking whether each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers within the contact list received the telephone number change notification; and

responsive to a contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers not receiving the telephone number change notification, displaying a configurable indicator in a display when a user inputs the contact telephone number into the communication device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers receiving the telephone number change notification, tracking an action taken by a contact; and

displaying the configurable indictor in the display based upon the action taken by the contact when the user inputs the contact telephone number into the communication device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the telephone number change notification includes the new telephone number for the communication device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the action taken by the contact includes one of saving the new telephone number contained within the telephone number change notification, deleting the new telephone number contained within the telephone number change notification, or taking no action on the new telephone number contained within the telephone number change notification.

5. A computer program product for broadcasting a notification, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to automatically broadcasting a telephone number change notification to a plurality of contact telephone numbers within a contact list in response to receiving a new telephone number for a communication device from a service provider;

computer usable program code configured to track whether each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers within the contact list received the telephone number change notification; and

computer usable program code configured to display a configurable indicator in a display when a user inputs a contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers into the communication device in responsive to the contact telephone number not receiving the telephone number change notification.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising;

computer usable program code configured to track an action taken by a contact in response to the contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers receiving the telephone number change notification; and

computer usable program code configured to display the configurable indictor in the display based upon the action taken by the contact when the user inputs the contact telephone number into the communication device.