Callback for multi subscription

• US 9,078,112 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Singvall, Jakob, Mansson, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/014,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20140171038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/406, 455/417, 455/344, 455/414.1, 455/405, 455/422, 455/435, 455/424, 455/558, 455/435.2, 455/445
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/66 user interface aspects for indicating selection options for a communication line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42187 Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42238 in systems with telephone lines with multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42289 with carrierprovider selection by subscriber
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A communication device and method for facilitating call back from a communication device with multiple subscriber identities comprising at least a first subscriber identity and a second subscriber identity. The method comprises receiving a telephone call on a first subscription associated with the first subscriber identity from another communication device. The method also comprises determining an order of prioritization among the subscriber identities according to at least one parameter for establishing the telephone call with the other communication device on the subscription associated with the respective subscriber identities. In further addition, the method comprises facilitating call back to the other communication device using the second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity.

Claims

1. A method in a communication device for facilitating call back, comprising:

receiving a telephone call on a first subscription that is associated with a first subscriber identity from another communication device;

determining an order of prioritization among subscriber identities according to at least one parameter for establishing the telephone call with the other communication device on the subscription associated with the respective subscriber identities; and

facilitating callback to the other communication device using a second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity,

wherein the communication device is configured for multiple subscriber identities,

wherein the multiple subscriber identities comprise the first subscriber identity and the second subscriber identity,

wherein the callback is facilitated by presenting a list of alternatives to a user on a display of the communication device,

wherein the list of alternatives comprises accepting the call, rejecting the call, and calling back the other communication device using the second subscriber identity,

wherein the list of alternatives further comprises a list of subscription identities that may be used to call back the other communication device,

wherein the list of subscription identities are presented in a decreasing order of preference,

wherein each of the subscription identities corresponds to a subscription identity module of the communication device, and

wherein the communication device comprises three or more subscription identity modules.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein facilitating callback to the other communication device comprises:

presenting a list of alternatives to the user of the communication device, wherein the list of alternatives comprises at least one of;

accepting the call, rejecting the call, callback using the second subscriber identity, and callback using the subscriber identity which is most prioritized;

acquiring a user selection of one of the presented alternatives on the list from the user of the communication device;

rejecting the incoming call; and

initiating callback using the second subscriber identity when the user of the communication device selects to callback using the second subscriber identity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein facilitating callback to the other communication device comprises:

rejecting the incoming call; and

initiating callback using the second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising checking availability of alternative subscriptions associated with the subscriber identities on the communication device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first subscriber identity and the second subscriber identity comprise any of a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), an Internet protocol multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Subscriber Identity Module (CSIM), Willcom-SIM (W-SIM), and/or a Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscription.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter used for determining the order of prioritization among the subscriber identities comprises price, link quality, time of the day, roaming, location of the communication device, and/or properties of the other communication device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is only performed when the telephone number of the other communication device is available.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication device configured for the multiple subscriber identities is configured for communication on any technology of:

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA 2000, Time Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) as defined by any of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards 802.11 a, b, g and/or n and/or the Internet Protocol (IP).

9. A communication device configured for multiple subscriber identities, comprising:

at least a first subscriber identity;

a second subscriber identity;

a receiver configured for receiving a telephone call on a first subscription associated with the first subscriber identity from another communication device;

a processing circuit configured for determining an order of prioritization among the subscriber identities according to at least one parameter for establishing the telephone call with the other communication device and also configured for facilitating callback to the other communication device using the second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity, and

a display for presenting a list of alternatives to a user of the communication device,

wherein the list of alternatives comprises accepting the call, rejecting the call, and calling back the other communication device using the second subscriber identity,

wherein the list of alternatives further comprises a list of subscription identities that may be used to call back the other communication device,

wherein the list of subscription identities are presented in a decreasing order of preference,

wherein each of the subscription identities corresponds to a subscription identity module of the communication device, and

wherein the communication device comprises three or more subscription identity modules.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a display for presenting a list of alternatives to the user of the communication device, wherein the list of alternatives comprises at least one of;

accepting the call, rejecting the call, callback using the second subscriber identity, and callback using the subscriber identity which is most prioritized; and

a transmitter configured for initiating callback using the second subscriber identity when the user of the communication device selects to callback using the second subscriber identity,

wherein the processing circuit is further configured for acquiring a selection of one of the presented alternatives on the list from the user of the communication device and also configured for rejecting the incoming call.

11. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the processing circuit is further configured for rejecting the incoming call, and wherein the communication device further comprises a transmitter configured for initiating callback using the second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity.

12. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the processing circuit is further configured for checking availability of alternative subscriptions associated with subscriber identities on the communication device.

13. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the first subscriber identity and the second subscriber identity comprise any of a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), an Internet protocol multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Subscriber Identity Module (CSIM), a Willcom-SIM (W-SIM), and/or a Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscription.

14. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one parameter used for determining the order of prioritization among the alternative subscriptions comprises price, link quality, time of the day, roaming, location of the communication device, and/or properties of the other communication device.

15. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the processing circuit is further configured for only performing the method when the telephone number of the other communication device is available.

16. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the communication device is configured for communication on any technology of:

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA 2000, Time Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) as defined by any of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards 802.11 a, b, g and/or n and/or the Internet Protocol (IP).

17. A non-transitory computer program product in a communication device, which when loaded in a processing circuit of the communication device, causes the communication device to perform a method for facilitating call back comprising:

receiving a telephone call on a first subscription that is associated with a first subscriber identity from another communication device;

determining an order of prioritization among subscriber identities according to at least one parameter for establishing the telephone call with the other communication device on the subscription associated with the respective subscriber identities; and

facilitating callback to the other communication device using a second subscriber identity when it is determined that the second subscriber identity is more prioritized than the first subscriber identity,

wherein the communication device is configured for multiple subscriber identities,

wherein the multiple subscriber identities comprise the first subscriber identity and the second subscriber identity,

wherein the callback is facilitated by presenting a list of alternatives to a user on a display of the communication device,

wherein the list of alternatives comprises accepting the call, rejecting the call, and call back the other communication device using the second subscriber identity,

wherein the list of alternatives further comprises a list of subscription identities that may be used to call back the other communication device,

wherein the list of subscription identities are presented in a decreasing order of preference,

wherein each of the subscription identities corresponds to a subscription identity module of the communication device, and wherein the communication device comprises three or more subscription identity modules.