Method and apparatus for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal

• US 8,874,106 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jo, Sun-Haeng, Park, Bo-Ram, Kim, Ji-Young, Lee, Hye-Soo, Kang, Seong-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/718,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20130183964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.1, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/456.2, 379/219, 379/221.1, 379/226, 379/221.2, 379/221.02
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• 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 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal. The apparatus includes a country identification unit for receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located; a memory for storing country identification information, a country codes, and international access codes corresponding to the country codes; and a controller for extracting from the memory a country code corresponding to the country identification information received from the country identification unit, comparing the extracted country code with a country code included in a phone number for an outgoing call, and making a local call or an international call according to whether the country codes are identical.

Claims

1. A method for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

extracting a country code corresponding to the received country identification information;

comparing the extracted country code with a country code included in a phone number for an outgoing call; and

making a local call or an international call according to whether the country codes are identical,

wherein the country identification information, country codes, and international access codes are stored corresponding to the country codes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining use/nonuse of a trunk code in each country and, based on the determination, adding or deleting the trunk code in the phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically removing the country code from the phone number, when making the local call; and

automatically adding an international access code to the phone number, when making the international call.

4. An apparatus for providing automatic international and local call dialing in a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a country identification unit for receiving country identification information from a network in which the mobile communication terminal is currently located;

a memory for storing country identification information, country codes, and international access codes corresponding to the country codes; and

a controller for extracting from the memory a country code corresponding to the country identification information received from the country identification unit, comparing the extracted country code with a country code included in a phone number for an outgoing call, and making a local call or an international call according to whether the country codes are identical.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the memory comprises:

a first area in which at least one phone number and a country code corresponding to the at least one phone number are stored together.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller determines use/nonuse of a trunk code in each country and adds or deletes the trunk code in the phone number based on the determination.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller automatically removes the country code from the phone number, when making the local call.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller automatically adds an international access code to the phone number, when making the international call.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from the memory or Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from a call log included in the memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the phone number for the outgoing call is retrieved from a phone book included in the memory.