System and method for remote dialable number conversion

• US 20040203954A1
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mikan, Jeffrey Clinton, Heil, Kenneth D., Creigh, George Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A server for use in a mobile communications network to convert an input alphanumeric string into an output numeric string. The server includes an input gateway to receive the input alphanumeric string; memory; and a processor coupled to the input gateway and the memory. The processor is operable to receive the input alphanumeric string; replace one or more characters within the input alphanumeric string with its numeric equivalent to generate an output numeric string; and return the output numeric string.

Claims

1. A server for use in a mobile communications network to convert an input alphanumeric string into an output numeric string, comprising:

an input gateway to receive the input alphanumeric string;

memory; and

a processor coupled to the input gateway and the memory, the processor operable to;

receive the input alphanumeric string;

replace one or more characters within the input alphanumeric string with its numeric equivalent to generate an output numeric string; and

return the output numeric string.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is an SMS server and the processor is further operable to:

retrieve the input alphanumeric string from within a received SMS message; and

return the output numeric string as a return SMS message that includes the output numeric string.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is a Mobitex server and the processor is further operable to:

retrieve the input alphanumeric string from within a received Mobitex message; and

return the output numeric string as a return Mobitex message that includes the output numeric string.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is a WAP application server and the processor is further operable to:

retrieve the input alphanumeric string from within a received WML message; and

return the output numeric string as a returned WML message that includes the output numeric string and a WTAI dial command.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is an Internet application server and the processor is further operable to:

retrieve the input alphanumeric string from within a received HTML message; and

return the output numeric string as a returned HTML message that includes the output numeric string.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the server is a mobile telephony switch and the processor is further operable to:

retrieve the input alphanumeric string from within a received dialed number from a mobile platform; and

initiate a dialed call using the output numeric string.

7. A method of converting an alphanumeric input string into a numeric input string on a server, the method comprising:

receiving the input alphanumeric string from a mobile device;

replacing one or more characters within the input alphanumeric string with its numeric equivalent to generate an output numeric string; and

providing the output numeric string to the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the output numeric string to the mobile device further comprises encapsulating the output numeric string in an SMS message.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the output numeric string to the mobile device further comprises encapsulating the output numeric string in a Mobitex message.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the output numeric string to the mobile device further comprises encapsulating the output numeric string in a WML message along with a WTIA command to dial the output numeric string.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the output numeric string to the mobile device further comprises encapsulating the output numeric string in an HTML message.

12. A method of converting an alphanumeric input string into a numeric input string on a server, the method comprising:

receiving the input alphanumeric string from a mobile device;

replacing one or more characters within the input alphanumeric string with its numeric equivalent to generate an output numeric string; and

dialing a destination based on the output numeric string.