APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DESTINATION PHONE NUMBER STRING CREATION

• US 20110034167A1
• Filed: 08/09/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: ERUCHIMOVITCH, Baruch, BEN-SHAUL, Itay
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

A method and apparatus facilitating access to a communication session for a client is provided. The method may comprise obtaining one or more call plan proposals, receiving a destination phone number for making a call on a wireless communications device (WCD) when the WCD is in a source country, determining the source country from which the call is to be made, determining a destination country code of the destination phone number, identifying each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals, generating a destination number string, and executing the call using the destination number string. The destination number string can comprise the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal.

Claims

1. A method for making calls from a wireless communications device in a source country outside of a home country, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

receiving a destination phone number for making a call on the wireless communications device (WCD) when the WCD is in the source country;

determining the source country from which the call is to be made, wherein the source country corresponds to the current country location of the WCD;

determining a destination country code of the destination phone number;

identifying each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals comprises a plan-specific discount identifier code;

selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals;

generating a destination number string comprising the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal; and

executing the call using the destination number string.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a security code associated with the discount identifier code; and

wherein the generating further comprises combining the security code with the destination number string.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a destination number string further comprises inserting one or more pauses within the destination number string, wherein the pauses are inserted between one or more of the combined codes and prompt the WCD for an interaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each country access code is unique to a service provider and a source country.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each discount identifier code is unique to a service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a destination phone number further comprises receiving the destination phone number from an address book associated with the WCD, and wherein the address book includes the destination country code for the destination phone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the source country further comprises at least one of obtaining latitude and longitude data for the WCD, or obtaining user inputted source country information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the source country further comprises:

obtaining a country mapping table having a name of the source country mapped to an International Country Code (ICC);

obtaining a cellular network identification (CNID) mapping table having the ICC mapped to one or more CNIDs corresponding to the source country;

obtaining CNID data from a base station available to the WCD; and

determining the source country from the CNID data mapped to the ICC and further mapped to the source country.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying further comprises:

identifying call plan proposals available in the source country; and

determining which of the available call plan proposals is available for communicating with the WCD.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying further comprises identifying call plan proposals available to communicate with the destination country.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the call plan proposal is selected through a user selection, or the least expensive call price, or the call plan proposal with prepaid call time available, or the call plan proposal corresponding to a base station having the strongest signal strength, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second destination phone number as part of a conference call enabled through the WCD;

determining a second destination country code for the second destination phone number;

selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals for the second destination phone number;

generating a second destination number string comprising the second destination phone number combined with the second destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the second selected call plan proposal; and

executing the call using the second destination number string.

13. At least one processor configured for making calls from a wireless communications device in a source country outside of a home country, the at least one processor comprising:

a first module for obtaining one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

a second module for receiving a destination phone number for making a call on the wireless communications device (WCD);

a third module for determining the source country from which the call is to be made, wherein the source country corresponds to the current country location of the WCD;

a fourth module for determining a destination country code of the destination phone number;

a fifth module for identifying each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals comprises a plan-specific discount identifier code;

a sixth module for selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals;

a seventh module for generating a destination number string comprising the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal; and

an eighth module for executing the call using the destination number string.

14. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

at least one instruction for causing a computer to obtain one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to receive a destination phone number for making a call on the wireless communications device (WCD);

at least one instruction for causing the computer to determine the source country from which the call is to be made, wherein the source country corresponds to the current country location of the WCD;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to determine a destination country code of the destination phone number;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to identify each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals comprises a plan-specific discount identifier code;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to select a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to generate a destination number string comprising the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal; and

at least one instruction for causing a computer to execute the call using the destination number string.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

means for receiving a destination phone number for making a call on the wireless communications device (WCD);

means for determining the source country from which the call is to be made, wherein the source country corresponds to the current country location of the WCD;

means for determining a destination country code of the destination phone number;

means for identifying each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals comprises a plan-specific discount identifier code;

means for selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals;

means for generating a destination number string comprising the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal; and

means for executing the call using the destination number string.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage module;

a processor coupled to the storage module operable for obtaining one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code; and

a user interface coupled to the processor and the storage module operable for receiving a destination phone number for making a call on the wireless communications device (WCD);

wherein the processor is further operable for;

determining a destination country code of the destination phone number;

identifying each of the one or more call plan proposals available to the WCD in the source country, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals comprises a plan-specific discount identifier code;

selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals;

generating a destination number string comprising the destination phone number combined with the destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the selected call plan proposal; and

executing the call using the destination number string.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for:

obtaining a security code associated with the discount identifier code; and

combining the security code with the destination number string.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for:

inserting one or more pauses within the destination number string, wherein the pauses are inserted between one or more of the combined codes and prompt the WCD for an interaction.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each country access code is unique to a service provider and a source country.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each discount identifier code is unique to a service provider.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for receiving the destination phone number from an address book associated with the WCD, and wherein the address book includes the destination country code for the destination phone number.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for using at least one of obtaining latitude and longitude data for the WCD, or obtaining user inputted source country information in determining the source country.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for:

obtaining a country mapping table having a name of the source country mapped to an International Country Code (ICC);

obtaining a cellular network identification (CNID) mapping table having the ICC mapped to one or more CNIDs corresponding to the source country;

obtaining CNID data from a base station available to the WCD; and

determining the source country from the CNID data mapped to the ICC and further mapped to the source country.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for:

identifying call plan proposals available in the source country; and

determining which of the available call plan proposals is available for communicate with the WCD.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable for identifying call plan proposals available to communicate with the destination country.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the call plan proposal is selected by a user selection, or the least expensive call price, or the call plan proposal with prepaid call time available, or the call plan proposal corresponding to a base station having the strongest signal strength, or any combination thereof.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user interface is further operable for receiving a second destination phone number as part of a conference call enabled through the wireless communications device (WCD);

and

the processor is further operable for;

determining a second destination country code for the second destination phone number;

selecting a call plan proposal from the identified available call plan proposals for the second destination phone number; and

generating a second destination number string comprising the second destination phone number combined with the second destination country code and the country access code and the discount identifier code of the second selected call plan proposal; and

the user interface is further operable for executing the second call using the second destination number string.

28. A method for facilitating calls from a wireless communications device:

receiving, from a user, one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

generating a call plan proposal database from the received call plan proposals, wherein the database is indexed by source country; and

transmitting information associated with the call plan proposal database to a WCD for access when the WCD is in a source country.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein each country access code is unique to a service provider and a source country.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein each discount identifier code is unique to a service provider.

31. At least one processor configured for facilitating calls from a wireless communications device, the at least one processor comprising:

a first module for receiving from a user, one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

a second module for generating a call plan proposal database from the received call plan proposals, wherein the database is indexed by source country; and

a third module for transmitting information associated with the call plan proposal database to a WCD for access by the WCD when the WCD is in a source country.

32. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

at least one instruction for causing a computer to receive, from a user, one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

at least one instruction for causing a computer to generate a call plan proposal database from the received call plan proposals, wherein the database is indexed by source country; and

at least one instruction for causing a computer to transmit information associated with the call plan proposal database to a WCD for access by the WCD when the WCD is in a source country.

33. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving, from a user, one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

means for generating a call plan proposal database from the received call plan proposals, wherein the database is indexed by source country; and

means for transmitting information associated with the call plan proposal database to a WCD for access by the WCD when the WCD is in a source country.

34. An apparatus, comprising

a storage module;

a receiver coupled to the storage module operable for receiving, from a user, one or more call plan proposals associated with one or more service providers, wherein each of the one or more call plan proposals includes a call price, a country access code, and a discount identifier code;

a processor coupled to the storage module operable for generating a call plan proposal database from the received call plan proposals, wherein the database is indexed by source country; and

a transmitter coupled to the storage module operable for transmitting information associated with the call plan proposal database to a WCD for access by the WCD when the WCD is in a source country.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein each country access code is unique to a service provider and a source country.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein each discount identifier code is unique to a service provider.