Network and location based phone number format identification

• US 8,483,716 B1
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Albuquerque, Bruno, Damazio, Rodrigo, Jia, Shaopeng, Rennie, Lara Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US13/078,802
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use

Abstract

Method, system, and computer readable medium for detecting the correct phone number format to use based on the user current country and an original country associated with a number to be dialed. This information can be used to allow a user to keep phone numbers in his/her contact list in any common format on his/her country of origin and still allow numbers to be dialed correctly when the user is travelling anywhere in the world.

Claims

1. A method for automatically formatting a telephone number based on location information, comprising:

in a mobile device;

transforming numbers in a phone book of a user from their original format into a universal international dialing format, wherein the original format is associated with an original location of the mobile device, and the universal international dialing format comprises “

+”

, a country code, an area code, and a phone number;

accessing a dialed number from the phone book using a processor on the mobile device;

determining a current location of the mobile device;

determining a destination format based on the current location;

reformatting the dialed number from the universal international dialing format into the determined destination format; and

sending the result of the reformatting to a dialer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transforming of the numbers in the phone book comprises:

for a corresponding number in the phone book;

detecting the original format associated with the corresponding number based on one of the original location of the mobile device or a country designated by the user and associated with the corresponding number in the phone book;

decomposing the corresponding number using one of a plurality of decomposition templates, based on the detected original format, to generate at least a country code, an area code, and a phone number associated with the corresponding number; and

generating a universal international dialing number for the corresponding number, based on the generated country code, the area code, and the phone number associated with the corresponding number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising dialing the number returned to the dialer using a telecommunications network associated with the current location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising breaking the dialed number into a set of parts, comprising one or more of:

a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code, a phone number, and an extension.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using a template based on the source location to recognize how to break the dialed number into a set of parts.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising using a template based on the current location to recognize how to reformat the parts of the dialed number into the reformatted number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more of the current location, a number format repository, and user input to provide one or more of a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code, or an extension in order to reformat the dialed number in accordance with the current location.

8. A system for automatically formatting a telephone number based on location information, comprising:

in a mobile device comprising a processor, a number reformatting module and a dialer, wherein the number reformatting module is operable to;

transform numbers in a phone book of a user from their original format into a universal format, wherein the original format is associated with an original location of the mobile device, and the universal international dialing format comprises “

+”

, a country code, an area code, and a phone number;

receive a dialed number from the phone book and a current location of the mobile device; and

use the processor to reformat the dialed number from the universal international dialing format into a reformatted number so that it reflects a correct dialing format for the current location; and

the dialer is operable to receive the result of the reformatting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the result of the reformatting is the dialed number when reformatting is not possible.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising that the dialer dials the result of the reformatting using a telecommunications network associated with the current location.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a dialed number decomposition module that breaks the dialed number into a set of parts, comprising one or more of:

a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code, a phone number, and an extension.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising using a template based on the source location to recognize how to break the dialed number into a set of parts.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising using a template based on the current location to recognize how to reformat the parts of the dialed number into the reformatted number.

14. The system of claim 8, farther comprising using one or more of the current location, a number format repository, and user input to provide one or more of a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code or an extension in order to reformat the dialed number in accordance with the current location.

15. A computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to automatically format a telephone number based on location information, by executing steps comprising:

in a mobile device;

transforming numbers in a phone book of a user from their original format into a universal international dialing format, wherein the original format is associated with an original location of the mobile device, and the universal international dialing format comprises “

+”

, a country code, an area code, and a phone number;

accessing a dialed number from the phone book using a processor on the mobile device;

determining a current location of the mobile device;

determining a destination format based on the current location;

reformatting the dialed number from the universal international dialing format into the determined destination format; and

sending the result of the reformatting to a dialer.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the result of the reformatting is the dialed number if reformatting is not possible.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising breaking the dialed number into a set of parts, comprising one or more of:

a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code, a phone number, and an extension.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, further comprising using a template based on the original location to recognize how to break the dialed number into a set of parts.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, further comprising using a template based on the current location to recognize how to reformat the parts of the dialed number into the reformatted number.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, further comprising using one or more of the current location, a number format repository, and user input to provide one or more of a dialing prefix, a country code, a carrier code, an STD code, an area code, or an extension in order to reformat the dialed number in accordance with the current location.

21. A method for automatically formatting a telephone number based on location information, comprising:

in a mobile device;

transforming numbers in a phone book of a user from their original format into a universal international dialing format, wherein the original format is associated with an original location of the mobile device, and the universal international dialing format comprises “

+”

, a country code, an area code, and a phone number;

accessing a dialed number from the phone book using a processor on the mobile device;

determining a destination format based on a determination of a current location of the mobile device;

reformatting the dialed number from the universal international dialing format into the determined destination format; and

sending the result of the reformatting to a dialer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the transforming of the numbers in the phone book comprises:

for a corresponding number in the phone book;

detecting the original format associated with the corresponding number based on one of the original location of the mobile device or a country designated by the user and associated with the corresponding number in the phone book;

decomposing the corresponding number using one of a plurality of decomposition templates, based on the detected original format, to generate at least a country code and a phone number associated with the corresponding number; and

generating a universal international dialing number for the corresponding number, based on the generated country code and the phone number associated with the corresponding number.