LINE NUMBER PORTING FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20100184408A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Shmunis, Vladimir, Young, Bruce, Shah, Praful, Vendrow, Vlad, Elpiner, Boris
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/52 Telephonic communication in combination with fax communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatus including computer program products having instructions for porting numbers are provided. In one example system and method, a vPBX system can receive a request from a user to port an existing phone number to the vPBX system. The vPBX server can identify a porting authentication template, based on the requirements of an existing service provider. The vPBX server generate a fax document on the retrieved template. The vPBX server can populate the generated fax document with user information. The vPBX server can receive a user'"'"'s hand signature from a touch-screen interface of a mobile device. The vPBX server can authenticate the fax document with the received signature, and transmit the authenticated fax document to the existing service provider. The vPBX server can provide the user with a temporary line number with forwarding functions until porting is completed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to migrate a phone number associated with a user from an existing service provider to a new service provider;

retrieving migration information associated with the existing service provider;

receiving authorization information from a mobile device associated with the user;

generating a migration document including the migration information and the authorization information; and

transmitting the migration document to the existing service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, where retrieving migration information includes identifying a transmission means by which the migration document is to be transmitted to the existing service provider;

and

where transmitting the migration document includes transmitting the migration document using the identified transmission means.

3. The method of claim 2, where the identified transmission means includes fax transmission;

and

where generating the migration document includes generating a fax document including inserting the migration information and the authorization information into the fax document.

4. The method of claim 2, where generating the migration document includes:

retrieving a document template associated with the identified transmission means;

retrieving user information associated with the user;

inserting the user information into the document template; and

generating the migration document using the document template containing the user information.

5. The method of claim 4, where retrieving user information associated with the user includes determining the user information based on device information of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, where retrieving migration information includes identifying one or more authorization requests for authorizing the migration of the phone number.

7. The method of claim 6, where receiving authorization information from the mobile device includes:

displaying the one or more authorization requests to the user through the mobile device; and

receiving one or more authorization responses to the one or more authorization requests displayed to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a temporary line to allow the user to transmit or receive calls using the temporary line while the migration of the phone number is pending.

9. The method of claim 1, where receiving a request includes receiving the phone number from the user, the method further comprising:

identifying the existing service provider based on the received phone number.

10. The method of claim 1, where generating the migration document includes:

identifying a calling plan and a geographic location associated with the phone number; and

identifying the migration document based on the identified calling plan and geographic location.

11. The method of claim 1, where receiving authorization information includes receiving a digital signature from the mobile device.

12. A method comprising:

retrieving information at a mobile device, the information including at least one of user information or mobile device information;

generating, at the mobile device, a request associated with creating a migration document by a server using the retrieved information, the migration document containing migration information associated with an existing service provider and the retrieved information; and

transmitting the request to the server.

13. The method of claim 12, where generating the request includes generating instructions to instruct the server to authenticate the request using the retrieved information.

14. The method of claim 13, where generating instructions includes generating instructions to instruct the server to retrieve a pre-stored digital signature and to authenticate the request using the pre-stored digital signature.

15. The method of claim 14, where generating instructions includes generating instructions to instruct the server to create the migration document using the authenticated request.

16. The method of claim 12, where generating the request includes authenticating the request by digitally signing the request.

17. The method of claim 12, where generating the request includes:

receiving a migration document template from the server;

editing the migration document template to include the retrieved information; and

generating the request based on the edited migration document template.

18. The method of claim 12, where transmitting the request to the server includes transmitting the request to a private branch exchange server through which the migration document is sent to the existing service provider.

19. A method comprising:

accessing a remote server using a mobile device to retrieve a migration document stored on the remote server, the migration document containing a request to migrate a phone number associated with the mobile device from an existing service provider to a new service provider;

manipulating the migration document through an interface provided by the mobile device;

authenticating the manipulated migration document using the interface; and

transmitting the authenticated migration document from the remote server to the existing service provider.

20. The method of claim 19, where manipulating the migration document includes sending one or more editing commands from the mobile device to the remote server to edit the migration document.

21. The method of claim 19, where authenticating the manipulated migration document includes digitally signing the migration document using the interface.

22. The method of claim 21, where digitally signing the migration document includes:

inserting a digital signature onto the manipulated migration document; and

disabling modification of the migration document after inserting the digital signature.

23. The method of claim 22, where inserting the digital signature includes manually signing the manipulated migration document using the interface.

24. The method of claim 19, where authenticating the manipulated migration document includes authenticating a user associated with the mobile device.

25. The method of claim 19, where authenticating the manipulated migration document includes:

determining a geographic location associated with the mobile device; and

authenticating the manipulated migration document using the determined geographic location.