Free Agent Telephony
First Claim
1. A phone infrastructure, the phone infrastructure comprising:
- a plurality of phone networks that are communicatively coupled via a backbone network;
a central database that is communicatively coupled to the backbone network, the central database storing ported phone numbers;
a phone comprising a phone number porting application;
the phone associating with a first of the plurality of phone networks, the phone being assigned a phone number by the first of the plurality of networks upon association;
the phone retaining the phone number after disassociating from the first of the plurality of phone networks by using the phone number porting application;
the phone directing a second of the plurality of phone networks to identify the phone by the phone number upon association of the phone with the second of the plurality of phone networks by using the phone number porting application; and
the phone further directing the second of the plurality of phone networks to enter the phone number and an identification corresponding to the second of the plurality of phone networks in the central database.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless phone has a communication application that enables the phone to retain a phone number used in a first network when the phone switches association from the first network to a second network. Switching of network association by the phone is triggered by a user input entered via a user input interface of the phone. The phone directs the first network to not release the phone number upon disassociation of the phone from the first network, sends the phone number to the second network, directs the second network to identify the phone in second network by the phone number, and triggers the second network to attach a tag corresponding to the second network to the phone number and enter the tagged phone number in a central database. In another embodiment a subscriber identity module (SIM) enables the phone to use the communication application for phone number porting.
-
Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A phone infrastructure, the phone infrastructure comprising:
-
a plurality of phone networks that are communicatively coupled via a backbone network; a central database that is communicatively coupled to the backbone network, the central database storing ported phone numbers; a phone comprising a phone number porting application; the phone associating with a first of the plurality of phone networks, the phone being assigned a phone number by the first of the plurality of networks upon association; the phone retaining the phone number after disassociating from the first of the plurality of phone networks by using the phone number porting application; the phone directing a second of the plurality of phone networks to identify the phone by the phone number upon association of the phone with the second of the plurality of phone networks by using the phone number porting application; and the phone further directing the second of the plurality of phone networks to enter the phone number and an identification corresponding to the second of the plurality of phone networks in the central database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A subscriber identity module, the subscriber identity module comprising:
-
a communication application; a storage that stores a service-subscriber key; an application program interface that enables the communication application to interact with a phone when the subscriber identity module is plugged into the phone; and the communication application enabling the phone to retain phone number used in a first network when the phone switches association from the first network to a second network. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method performed by a phone that is switching association from a first phone network to a second phone network, the phone being identified by a phone number, the phone comprising a number porting application wherein the first phone network and the second phone are communicatively coupled to a central database that stores ported phone numbers, the method comprising:
-
the phone sending a number retention request to the first phone network, if the phone number is assigned to the phone by the first phone network; the phone directing the first phone network to remove entry corresponding to the phone from the central database if the phone number is not assigned to the phone by the first phone network; the phone directing the second phone network to enter an entry corresponding to the phone in the central database upon association of the phone with the second phone network; and the phone directing the second phone network to use the phone number for identifying the phone until the phone remains associated with the second phone network. - View Dependent Claims (13)
-
-
14. A phone having a radio, a processing circuitry, a memory and a user input interface, the phone comprising:
-
a first slot for inserting a first subscriber-identity module; a second slot for inserting a second subscriber-identity module; a communication application that interacts with one of the first and the second subscriber-identity modules; the phone attaches to a phone network in pursuance to direction from subscriber-identity module with which the communication application interacts. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
-
Specification