Network servers, systems, and methods for multiple personas on a mobile device

• US 9,119,058 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ring, Douglas Scott, Gao, Yakun, Mullis, Karen, Siegel, Steven A., Steinbrueck, Scott Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US14/251,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20140220932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/338, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/445, 455/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Network servers, systems, and methods are disclosed which relate to providing a plurality of user identities or personas on a single mobile device. The mobile device has a unique address to communicate with entities on the network. The mobile device is further associated with a plurality of telephone numbers. The usage of each telephone number may be billed to a separate account. Each telephone number is associated with a plurality of personas, and each persona has a corresponding visual interface on the mobile device and a corresponding set of rules. The relationship between personas, telephone numbers, and associated rules is stored on an application server on the network. The application server routes incoming connections to a specific persona on the mobile device based on the plurality of rules. The rules can be edited by a user of the mobile device via an interface or another device connected to the network.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a first remote device via a network, a first connection request directed to a mobile device,

accessing information about the mobile device, the information comprising a first destination number corresponding to the mobile device and a second destination number corresponding to the mobile device, the first destination number associated with a first persona and a first billing account and the second destination number associated with a second persona and a second billing account, and the first persona associated with a first rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device and the second persona associated with a second rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device,

determining, based on an identity of the first remote device, that the first remote device is associated with the first persona, and

in response to determining that the first remote device is associated with the first persona,

transmitting the first connection request to the mobile device based on the first rule associated with the first persona to initiate a first session between the mobile device and the first remote device, and

associating the first session with the first billing account such that the first billing account is billed for the first session.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the first session is initiated using a session initiation protocol.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the first remote device is on a public switched telephone network, and wherein the first connection request is for a telephone call.

4. The server of claim 3, wherein receiving the first connection request from the first remote device is by way of a gateway.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the mobile device, an outgoing connection request to a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the second persona; and

transmitting the outgoing connection request to the second remote device to initiate a second session between the mobile device and the second remote device, wherein the outgoing connection request is associated with the second destination number corresponding to the mobile device based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the second persona.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise associating the second session with the second billing account such that the second billing account is billed for the second session.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the first session billed to the first billing account is not visible to the second billing account.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the first destination number is also associated with a third persona, the third persona associated with a third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the network, a second connection request from a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the third persona;

determining, at least based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the third persona, to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device; and

routing the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, wherein routing the second connection request based on the third rule comprises routing the second connection request to a message inbox associated with the mobile device.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein determining to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device is further based on a time of day when the second connection request is received.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first remote device via a network, a first connection request directed to a mobile device;

accessing information about the mobile device, the information comprising a first destination number corresponding to the mobile device and a second destination number corresponding to the mobile device, the first destination number associated with a first persona and a first billing account and the second destination number associated with a second persona and a second billing account, and the first persona associated with a first rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device and the second persona associated with a second rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device;

determining, based on an identity of the first remote device, that the first remote device is associated with the first persona; and

in response to determining that the first remote device is associated with the first persona,

transmitting the first connection request to the mobile device based on the first rule associated with the first persona to initiate a first session between the mobile device and the first remote device, and

associating the first session with the first billing account such that the first billing account is billed for the first session.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the mobile device, an outgoing connection request to a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the second persona; and

transmitting the outgoing connection request to the second remote device to initiate a second session between the mobile device and the second remote device, wherein the outgoing connection request is associated with the second destination number corresponding to the mobile device based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the second persona.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise associating the second session with the second billing account such that the second billing account is billed for the second session.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first session billed to the first billing account is not visible to the second billing account.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first destination number is also associated with a third persona, the third persona associated with a third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the network, a second connection request from a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the third persona;

determining, at least based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the third persona, to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device; and

routing the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, wherein routing the second connection request based on the third rule comprises routing the second connection request to a message inbox associated with the mobile device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device is further based on a time of day when the second connection request is received.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server comprising a processor from a first remote device via a network, a first connection request directed to a mobile device;

accessing, by the processor, information about the mobile device, the information comprising a first destination number corresponding to the mobile device and a second destination number corresponding to the mobile device, the first destination number associated with a first persona and a first billing account and the second destination number associated with a second persona and a second billing account, and the first persona associated with a first rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device and the second persona associated with a second rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device;

determining, by the processor based on an identity of the first remote device, that the first remote device is associated with the first persona; and

in response to determining that the first remote device is associated with the first persona,

transmitting, by the processor, the first connection request to the mobile device based on the first rule associated with the first persona to initiate a first session between the mobile device and the first remote device, and

associating, by the processor, the first session with the first billing account such that the first billing account is billed for the first session.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, from the mobile device, an outgoing connection request to a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the second persona; and

transmitting the outgoing connection request to the second remote device, wherein the outgoing connection request is associated with the second destination number corresponding to the mobile device based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the second persona.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first session billed to the first billing account is not visible to the second billing account.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first destination number is also associated with a third persona, the third persona associated with a third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network, a second connection request from a second remote device;

determining, based on an identity of the second remote device, that the second remote device is associated with the third persona;

determining, at least based on determining that the second remote device is associated with the third persona, to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device; and

routing the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device, wherein routing the second connection request based on the third rule comprises routing the second connection request to a message inbox associated with the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining to route the second connection request based on the third rule for handling connection requests directed to the mobile device is further based on a time of day when the second connection request is received.