Procedure for processing user's identification numbers in communication networks corresponding communication terminal sim-card and computer product

• US 7,894,856 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tim Italia Spa (Telecom Italia S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Tim Italia Spa (Telecom Italia S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Puntillo, Domenico Francesco, Di Giorgio, Vincenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/567,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20060270453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• 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 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection

Abstract

A terminal for telecommunications networks, such as a mobile telephone, has at least one storage area for storing user indicators and acting as an electronic address book and processing capacity for processing user indicators stored in the storage area. The terminal is configured for organizing the indicators in at least a first and a second configuration. The first configuration has identifiers organized with the insertion of an identification code of an operator, such as long distance operator, selected by the user of the terminal, while the second configuration has identifiers organized with the inclusion of at least one of a country prefix and a local prefix. The user can thus make calls with the aid of his/her electronic address book without having to manually modify the stored numbers when the user moves (physically or in terms of service) between environments characterized by different telephone number configurations, without having to change back the numbers in the address book on return to the usual environment.

Claims

1. A method for processing user identifiers stored in a terminal for telecommunications networks, comprising:

modifying the user identifiers by including an identification code of an operator selected by a user of the terminal or at least one of a country prefix and a local prefix;

selectively organizing said user identifiers in one of a plurality of configurations, said plurality of configurations comprising at least a first and a second configuration; and

generating said user identifiers organized in said at least the first configuration and the second configuration by means of an if/then mechanism, in which the if function identifies at least one value selected from the group of;

a number of digits included in the user identifiers to be organized, and

the digits present in specified positions of said user identifiers to be organized;

wherein said first configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the insertion of the identification code of the operator selected by the user of the terminal,

wherein said second configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the inclusion of at least one of the country prefix and the local prefix, and

wherein the modified user identifiers are stored in the terminal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said identification code of the operator is an identifier of a long distance operator.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating said user identifiers organized in said at least the first configuration and the second configuration by means of an if/then mechanism in which the then function implements at least one function selected from the group of

adding said identification code to the user identifiers to be organized in said first configuration, and

associating with the user identifiers to be organized at least one of the country prefix and the local prefix in said second configuration.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising receiving from the user of the terminal information relating to a location of said terminal and the operation of switching said user identifiers between said first configuration and said second configuration following the receipt of the information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising detecting a location of said terminal and of switching said user identifiers between said first configuration and said second configuration according to the detected location of the terminal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 7 or 8 digits

by adding a digit 0, the local prefix identified by the user and said identification code to the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by adding a character “

+”

, the country prefix and the local prefix provided by the user to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 10 or 11 digits

by adding said identification code to the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing a “

0”

in a first position and adding the country prefix to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 12 or 13 digits

by replacing a second and a third digit with said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing a “

0”

in a first position and the second and third digits, replacing the second and third digits with an international prefix in the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally comprising the code “

00”

by replacing a third and a fourth digit with said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing the first four digits and adding a symbol “

+”

to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally comprising said country prefix

by removing said country prefix and including said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by leaving the user identifiers unchanged in the case of said second configuration.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising organizing said user identifiers originally comprising a symbol “

+”

by removing the symbol “

+” and

entering said identification code preceded by two “

0”

symbols in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by leaving the user identifiers unchanged in the case of said second configuration.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

when indicators corresponding to special services are present, leaving the user identifiers unchanged without carrying out the configuration in said at least the first and at least the second configuration.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises a network call configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a code for activation of a call by the network designed to enable said terminal to be called back by the corresponding network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said call activation code is associated with a prepaid roaming service.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises a debiting configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a billing code for configuring stored numbers of said terminal for making calls to be debited to a called user.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises an authorization configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a code which authorizes calls from two or more lines associated with the terminal or with a corresponding card of the SIM type.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program product loadable into the memory of at least one computer and containing portions of software code for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 5-16.

18. A terminal for telecommunications networks, comprising at least a storage area for storing user identifiers and acting as an electronic address book, and processing capacity for processing the user identifiers stored in said storage area, said processing capacity being configured for modifying the user identifiers by including an identification code of an operator selected by a user of the terminal or at least one of a country prefix and a local prefix and organizing said user identifiers selectively in one of a plurality of configurations, said plurality of configurations comprising at least a first and a second configuration,

wherein said first configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the insertion of the identification code of the operator selected by the user of the terminal,

wherein said second configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the inclusion of at least one of the country prefix and the local prefix, and

wherein the modified user identifiers are stored in the terminal, and

wherein said processing capacity is configured for generating said user identifiers organized in one of said at least the first and at least the second configuration by means of an if/then mechanism, in which the if function identifies at least one value selected from the group of:

a number of digits included in the user identifiers to be organized, and

the digits present in specified positions of said user identifiers to be organized.

19. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said identification code of the operator is an identifier of a long distance operator.

20. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for generating said user identifiers organized in one of said at least the first and at least the second configuration by means of an if/then mechanism, in which the then function implements at least one function selected from the group of:

adding said identification code to the user identifiers to be organized in said first configuration, and

associating with the user identifiers to be organized at least one of the country prefix and the local prefix in said second configuration.

21. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein the terminal can receive from the user of the terminal information relating to a location of said terminal and said processing capacity is configured for switching said user identifiers between said first configuration and said second configuration following the receipt of the information.

22. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein the terminal can detect a location of said terminal and said processing capacity is configured for switching said user identifiers between said first configuration and said second configuration according to the detected location of the terminal.

23. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 7 or 8 digits

by adding a digit 0, the local prefix identified by the user and said identification code to the user identifiers organized in said first configuration,

by adding a character “

+”

, the country prefix and the local prefix provided by the user to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

24. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 10 or 11 digits

by adding said identification code to the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing a “

0”

in a first position and adding the country prefix to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

25. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally consisting of 12 or 13 digits

by replacing a second and a third digit with said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing a “

0”

in a first position and the second and third digits, and replacing the second and third digits with an international prefix in the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

26. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally comprising the code “

00”

by replacing a third and a fourth digit with said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by removing the first four digits and adding a symbol “

+”

to the user identifiers organized in said second configuration.

27. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally comprising said country prefix

by removing said country prefix and including said identification code in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by leaving the user identifiers unchanged in the case of said second configuration.

28. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for organizing said user identifiers originally comprising a symbol “

+”

by removing the symbol “

+” and

entering said identification code preceded by two “

0”

symbols in the user identifiers organized in said first configuration, and

by leaving the user identifiers unchanged in the case of said second configuration.

29. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said processing capacity is configured for leaving the user identifiers unchanged, without carrying out the configuration in said at least the first and at least the second configuration, when user identifiers corresponding to special services are present.

30. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises a network call configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a code for activation of a call by the network, designed to enable said terminal to be called back by the corresponding network.

31. The terminal as claimed in claim 30, wherein said call activation code is associated with a prepaid roaming service.

32. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises a debiting configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a billing code for configuring stored numbers of said terminal for making calls to be debited to a called user.

33. The terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein said plurality of configurations comprises an authorization configuration with an associated identification code consisting of a code which authorizes calls from two or more lines associated with the terminal or with a corresponding SIM-type card.

34. A card of the SIM type for a telecommunications network terminal, wherein said card hosts, at least partially, at least one of said storage area and said processing capacity for a terminal according to any one of claims 18, 19, 20, 22-33.

35. A terminal for telecommunications networks, comprising at least a storage area for storing user identifiers and acting as an electronic address book, and processing capacity for processing the user identifiers stored in said storage area, said processing capacity being configured for modifying the user identifiers by including an identification code of an operator selected by a user of the terminal or at least one of a country prefix and a local prefix and organizing said user identifiers selectively in one of a plurality of configurations, said plurality of configurations comprising at least a first and a second configuration,

wherein said first configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the insertion of the identification code of the operator selected by the user of the terminal,

wherein said second configuration comprises the user identifiers organized with the inclusion of at least one of the country prefix and the local prefix,

wherein the modified user identifiers are stored in the terminal, and

wherein the terminal can receive from the user of the terminal information relating to a location of said terminal and said processing capacity is configured for switching said user identifiers between said first configuration and said second configuration following the receipt of the information.