METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AUTOMATIC INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL CALL DIALING IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20100184413A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Bo-Ram, JO, Sun-Haeng, Lee, Hye-Soo, Kang, Seong-Hoon, Kim, Ji-Young
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal. Country identification information is received from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located. When a request for an outgoing is received from a user, a country code corresponding to the received country identification information is extracted, and the extracted country code is compared with a country code included in a phone number for the outgoing call. Based on the comparison it is determined whether the outgoing call is an international or local call. The phone number is then changed in accordance with the outgoing call being the international or local call.

Claims

1. A method for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

receiving a request for an outgoing call to a previously stored phone number from a user;

receiving, by the mobile communication terminal, country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

extracting, by the mobile communication terminal, a country code corresponding to the received country identification information;

comparing, by the mobile communication terminal, the extracted country code with a country code included in the previously stored phone number;

determining, by the mobile communication terminal, whether the outgoing call to the previously stored phone number is for an outgoing international call or an outgoing local call, based on a result of the comparing;

changing, by the mobile communication terminal, the previously stored phone number in accordance with an international phone number system of a pertinent country, when the outgoing call to the previously stored phone number is the outgoing international call;

changing, by the mobile communication terminal, the previously stored phone number in accordance with a local phone number system, when the outgoing call to the previously stored phone number is the outgoing local call; and

dialing, by the mobile communication terminal, the changed phone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the previously includes a country code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a phone number;

receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

extracting a country code corresponding to the received country identification information;

storing the extracted country code and the phone number corresponding to the incoming call; and

displaying the extracted country code and the phone number, upon receipt of a call log search request from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input phone number from a user for an outgoing call;

receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

extracting a country code corresponding to the received country identification information;

storing the extracted country code and the input phone number corresponding to the outgoing call; and

displaying the extracted country code and the input phone number, upon receipt of a call log search request from the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for the outgoing call to the previously stored phone number comprises:

sensing a selection of the previously stored phone number from one of a call log and a phonebook.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the previously stored phone number in accordance with the international phone number system of the pertinent country comprises:

determining that the extracted country code is not identical to the country code included in the previously stored phone number; and

changing the previously stored phone number by adding or deleting a trunk code depending on use/nonuse of the trunk code in a country corresponding to the country code included in the phone number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the trunk code represents a number added at a front of an area code or a mobile service identification code.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

deleting a country code and a trunk code when the previously stored phone number is redialed as a local call in another country.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the previously stored phone number in accordance with the local phone number system comprises:

determining that the extracted country code is identical to the country code included in the previously stored phone number; and

changing the previously stored phone number such that the phone number has no country code and no international access code.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adding a country code and a trunk code to the previously stored phone number, when the previously stored phone number is redialed as an international call in another specific country, after being dialed as a local call.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the country identification information comprises receiving Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC) information from Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a preset key input from the user;

determining that the user is entering a phone number on a keypad included in the mobile communication terminal; and

initiating a country code search mode for searching for a country code for the telephone number;

displaying a menu for searching for the country code;

receiving a menu selection from the user; and

displaying a pertinent country code corresponding to the menu selection.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the menu comprises:

upon receipt of a specific number, displaying at least one country whose country code starts with the specific number; and

upon receipt of a specific alphabetic letter, searching displaying at least one country whose country name starts with the specific alphabetic letter.

14. An apparatus for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a country identification unit for receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

a key input unit including a plurality of keys;

a memory for storing country identification information, a country codes, and international access codes corresponding to the country codes; and

a controller for extracting from the memory a country code corresponding to the country identification information received from the country identification unit, comparing the extracted country code with a country code included in a phone number for an outgoing call, and making a local call or an international call according to whether the country codes are identical.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises:

a first area in which at least one phone number and a country code corresponding to the at least one phone number are stored together.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller determines use/nonuse of a trunk code in each country and adds or deletes the trunk code in the phone number based on the determination.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller automatically removes the country code from the phone number, when making the local call.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller automatically adds an international access code to the phone number, when making the international call.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from the memory.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from a call log included in the memory.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from a phone book included in the memory.