Method and system for verifying telephone numbers across service providers

• US 7,877,083 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar; Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asanbayev; Oleg
• Application Number:
  US11/553,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20080101572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 37914201-14204, 37920101-20105, 379/207.14, 379/216.01, 379/218.01, 37935501-3551, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455418-420
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A system for verifying and updating a telephone number across service providers. After dialing a telephone number, a contact name and a timestamp in a central repository is compared with a contact name and a timestamp in a storage device. If the contact name in the central repository does not match the contact name in the storage device and the timestamp in the central repository is not more recent than the timestamp in the storage device, a determination is made as to whether the central repository indicates that a new telephone number is associated with the contact name. If a new telephone number is indicated for the contact name, the central repository is queried for the new telephone number. In response to the new telephone number being found, the dialed telephone number is routed to the new telephone number. Also, the storage device is updated with the new telephone number.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a communication device for automatically verifying and updating a telephone number across service providers, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to a telephone number within a plurality of telephone numbers stored in a storage device being automatically dialed into a central repository by a telephone number verification unit in a cellular telephone during non-peak cellular telephone service provider network hours on a predetermined periodic basis in the background when the cellular telephone is not in use, wherein, the verification unit when enabled can only connect the cellular telephone to the central repository, determining, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, if the central repository indicates that a new telephone number is associated with the dialed telephone number, wherein the central repository stores data from a plurality of databases for a plurality of different cellular telephone service providers, and wherein the central repository is synchronized with the plurality of databases for the plurality of different cellular telephone service providers;

responsive to the central repository indicating that a new telephone number is associated with the dialed telephone number, querying, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the central repository for the new telephone number; and

updating, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the storage device with the new telephone number.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the cellular telephone, an alert message via a display to a user of the cellular telephone.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores user data, and wherein the user data includes contact names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and instant messaging screen names, and wherein the user data is included within one or more contact lists, and wherein the one or more contact lists are automatically forwarded to a new cellular telephone service provider when the user switches to the new cellular telephone service provider from a previous cellular telephone service provider.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the central repository is located at a remote site.

5. A computer usable storage medium storing computer usable program code when executed by a processor cause the processor to automatically verify and update a telephone number, the computer usable storage medium comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine, by a telephone number verification unit in a cellular telephone, if a central repository indicates that a new telephone number is associated with a dialed telephone number in response to a telephone number within a plurality of telephone numbers stored in a storage device being automatically dialed into the central repository by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone during non-peak cellular telephone service provider network hours on a predetermined periodic basis in the background when the cellular telephone is not in use, wherein, the verification unit when enabled can only connect the cellular telephone to the central repository, and wherein the central repository includes data from a plurality of databases for a plurality of different cellular telephone service providers, and wherein the central repository is synchronized with the plurality of databases for the plurality of different cellular telephone service providers;

computer usable program code configured to query, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the central repository for the new telephone number in response to the central repository indicating that a new telephone number is associated with the dialed telephone number; and

computer usable program code configured to update, by telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the storage device with the new telephone number.

6. The computer usable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to send, by the cellular telephone, an alert message via a display to a user of the cellular telephone.

7. The computer usable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the storage device stores user data, and wherein the user data includes contact names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and instant messaging screen names, and wherein the user data is included within one or more contact lists, and wherein the one or more contact lists are automatically forwarded to a new cellular telephone service provider when the user switches to the new cellular telephone service provider from a previous cellular telephone service provider.

8. The computer usable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the central repository is located at a remote site.

9. A data processing system for automatically verifying and updating a telephone number across service providers, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device stores instructions; and

a processor device connected to the bus, wherein the processor device executes the instructions to determine, by a telephone number verification unit in a cellular telephone, if a central repository indicates that a new telephone number is associated with the dialed telephone number in response to a telephone number within a plurality of telephone numbers stored in a storage device being automatically dialed into the central repository by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone during non-peak cellular telephone service provider network hours on a predetermined periodic basis in the background when the cellular telephone is not in use, wherein, the verification unit when enabled can only connect the cellular telephone to the central repository, and wherein the central repository includes data from a plurality of databases for a plurality of different cellular telephone service providers, and wherein the central repository is synchronized with the plurality of databases for the plurality of different cellular telephone service providers;

query, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the central repository for the new telephone number in response to the central repository indicating that a new telephone number is associated with the dialed telephone number; and

update, by the telephone number verification unit in the cellular telephone, the storage device with the new telephone number.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the processor device executes further instructions to send an alert message via a display to a user of the cellular telephone.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the storage device stores user data, and wherein the user data includes contact names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and instant messaging screen names, and wherein the user data is included within one or more contact lists, and wherein the one or more contact lists are automatically forwarded to a new cellular telephone service provider when the user switches to the new cellular telephone service provider from a previous cellular telephone service provider.

12. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the central repository is located at a remote site.