Mobile unit, call origination controlling method, and call termination controlling method

• US 7,336,975 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Tatsuya, Fujita, Masanori, Ishii, Kenji, Morota, Satoru, Urakawa, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/346,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20030162530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455/564, 455/415, 455/418, 455/567, 455/555, 455/445, 455/560, 455/550.1, 379/142.14, 379/88.14, 379/215
• US Class Current: 455/565
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• 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 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A mobile unit 10 is provided with a called party number acquiring unit 102 for acquiring a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user, a number checking unit 103 for checking the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring unit 102, against every origination-restricted number stored in an origination-restricted number storing unit 112, and an origination restricting unit 104 for restricting origination of a call on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking unit 103.

Claims

1. A mobile unit comprising:

called party number acquiring means for acquiring a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user;

number checking means for checking the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

origination restricting means for restricting origination of a call on the basis of a result of the checking by the number checking means, wherein

the origination restricting means orders information outputting means to output warning information on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means, and permits origination of the call after receiving a further call origination command in reply to the outputted warning information.

2. The mobile unit according to claim 1, wherein the origination-restricted number storing means stores the origination-restricted number and corresponding restriction contents, and

when the number checking means determines that the called party number matches the origination-restricted number, origination restricting means determines the restriction contents corresponding to the origination-restricted number and prohibits origination of the call in accordance with the result of determining the restriction contents.

3. The mobile unit according to claim 1, wherein the origination-restricted number storing means stores the origination-restricted number and corresponding restriction contents, and

when the number checking means determines that the called party number matches the origination-restricted number, the origination restricting means determines the restriction contents corresponding to the origination-restricted number and permits origination of a call without notification or an originating number in accordance with the result of determining the restriction contents.

4. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring through an information communication network every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

5. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring through an information communication network every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

6. The mobile unit according to claim 2, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring through an information communication network every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

7. The mobile unit according to claim 3, further comprising restricted number updating means for acquiring through an information communication network every origination-restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and for storing every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

8. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

9. The mobile unit according to claim 1, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

10. The mobile unit according to claim 2, further comprising restricted number updating means for updating every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

11. A call origination controlling method comprising:

a called party number acquiring step wherein a called party number acquiring means acquires a called party number corresponding to a call origination command entered by a user of a mobile unit;

a number checking step wherein a number checking means checks the called party number acquired by the called party number acquiring means against every origination-restricted number stored in origination-restricted number storing means; and

an origination restricting step wherein an origination restricting means restricts origination of a call on the basis of a result of the checking by the number checking means,

wherein

in said origination restricting step the origination restricting means orders information outputting means to output warning information on the basis of the result of the checking by the number checking means, and permits origination of the call after receiving a further call origination command in reply to the outputted warning information.

12. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, wherein the origination-restricted number storing means stores the origination-restricted number and corresponding restriction contents, and

when the number checking means determines that the called party number matches the origination-restricted number in said origination restricting step, the origination restricting means determines the restriction contents corresponding to the origination-restricted number and prohibits origination of the call in accordance with the result of determining the restriction contents.

13. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, wherein the origination-restricted number storing means stores the origination-restricted number and corresponding restriction contents, and

when the number checking means determines that the called party number matches the origination-restricted number in said origination restricting step, the origination restricting means determines the restriction contents corresponding to the origination-restricted number and permits origination of a call without notification of an originating number in accordance with the result of determining the restriction contents.

14. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means acquires through an information communication network every origination restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

15. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means acquires through an information communication network every origination restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

16. The call origination controlling method according to claim 12, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means acquires through an information communication network every origination restricted number to be stored in the origination-restricted number storing means, and stores every origination-restricted number thus acquired in the origination-restricted number storing means.

17. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

18. The call origination controlling method according to claim 11, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.

19. The call origination controlling method according to claim 12, further comprising a restricted number updating step wherein a restricted number updating means updates every origination-restricted number stored in the origination-restricted number storing means in accordance with an update command entered by the user.