Phone number replace code system and method

• US 6,968,214 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2004
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bumiller, George B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/787,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20050186951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 455/564, 455/550.1, 455/551, 455/432.1, 4554121-4122, 455/422.1, 455/425, 455403-407, 455/517, 4554561-4562, 455/418, 45522101-22103, 455/445, 455/457, 379/200.01
• US Class Current: 455/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set

Abstract

A processor-implemented method of placing telephone calls includes inputting a toll-free number to initiate a phone call, determining whether the mobile device is within a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) service area, upon determining that the mobile device is within a NANP service area, initiating the phone call to the toll-free number, and upon determining that the mobile device is not within a NANP service area, replacing the Numbering Plan Area Code (NPA) of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code toll-free number and initiating the phone call to the replace code toll-free number.

Claims

1. A mobile device operable to initiate and receive communications over one or more communication networks, the mobile device comprising:

a processing subsystem, a memory subsystem, a display subsystem, a communication subsystem, and an input/output subsystem, the processing subsystem coupled to the memory subsystem, display subsystem, input/output subsystem and communication subsystem, and operable to store and retrieve data in the memory subsystem, to execute instructions stored in the memory subsystem, receive input data from the input/output subsystem, and to cause the communication subsystem to transmit and receive data over the communication network; and

mobile device program code comprising program instructions executable by the processing subsystem and stored in the memory subsystem and upon such execution cause the mobile device to;

receive a toll-free number as input to initiate a phone call;

determine whether the mobile device is within a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) service area;

upon determining that the mobile device is within a NANP service area, initiate the phone call to the toll-free number; and

upon determining that the mobile device is not within a NANP service area, replace the Numbering Plan Area Code (NPA) of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code toll-free number and initiate the phone call to the replace code toll-free number.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile device that cause the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device is within a NANP service area comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile device to make the determination based on a country code.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the country code is received from a wireless network in communication with the mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the country code is received from a user input.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile device that cause the mobile device to initiate the phone call to the toll-free number upon determining that the mobile device is within a NANP service area comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile device to:

determine if intra-numbering plan toll charges apply to the phone call; and

upon determining that intra-numbering plan toll charges apply to the phone call, replace the NPA of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code toll-free number and initiate the phone call to the replace code toll-free number.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a GSM device.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile device that cause the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device is within a NANP service area comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile device to operate in replace code mode and upon such operation automatically replace the NPA of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code.

8. A mobile telephone communication device operable to initiate and receive communications over one or more communication networks, the mobile telephone communication device comprising:

a processing subsystem, a memory subsystem, a display subsystem, a communication subsystem, and an input/output subsystem, the processing subsystem coupled to the memory subsystem, display subsystem, input/output subsystem and communication subsystem, and operable to store and retrieve data in the memory subsystem, to execute instructions stored in the memory subsystem, receive input data from the input/output subsystem, and to cause the communication subsystem to transmit and receive data over the communication network; and

mobile telephone communication device program code comprising program instructions executable by the processing subsystem and stored in the memory subsystem and upon execution cause the mobile telephone communication device to;

receive a phone number as input to initiate a phone call;

determine if the phone number corresponds to a national numbering plan of the current service area serving the mobile telephone communication device;

upon determining that the phone number corresponds to the national numbering plan of the current service area serving the mobile telephone communication device, initiate a phone call to the phone number;

upon determining that the phone number does not correspond to the national numbering plan of the current service area serving the mobile telephone communication device, determine if the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number; and

upon determining that the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number, replace the any subset of the phone number with the corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code number and initiate a phone call to the replace code number.

9. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile telephone communication device that cause the mobile telephone communication device to determine if the phone number corresponds to a national numbering plan of the current service area serving the mobile telephone communication device comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile telephone communication to make the determination based on a country code.

10. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 9, wherein the country code is received from a user input.

11. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 9, wherein the mobile telephone communication device is a mobile device, and wherein the country code is received from a wireless network in communication with the mobile device.

12. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile telephone communication device that cause the mobile telephone communication device to determine if the phone number corresponds to a national numbering plan of the current service area serving the mobile telephone communication device comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile telephone communication device to operate in a replace code mode and upon such operation automatically determine if the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number and upon determining that the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number, replace the any subset of the phone number with the corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code number and initiate a phone call to the replace code number.

13. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the mobile telephone communication device that cause the mobile telephone communication device to determine if the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number comprise program instructions that upon execution cause the mobile telephone communication device to:

determine the national numbering plan to which the phone number corresponds;

identify replace codes corresponding to the national numbering plan to which the phone number corresponds; and

make the determination of whether the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number based on identified replace codes.

14. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 8, comprising further mobile telephone communication device program code comprising program instructions executable by the processing subsystem and stored in the memory subsystem and upon execution cause the mobile telephone communication device to:

determine if the phone call initiated to the phone number connected;

upon determining that the phone call initiated to the phone number did not connect, determine if the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number; and

upon determining that the phone number has an associated replace code for any subset of the phone number, replace the any subset of the phone number with the corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code number and initiate a phone call to the replace code number.

15. The mobile telephone communication device of claim 14, wherein the determination is made based on a user input.

16. A processor-implemented method of placing a telephone call to a toll-free number from a mobile device, comprising:

determining whether the mobile device is within a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) service area;

upon determining that the mobile device is within a NANP service area, initiating the phone call to the toll-free number; and

upon determining that the mobile device is not within a NANP service area, replacing the Numbering Plan Area Code (NPA) of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code toll-free number, and initiating the phone call to the replace code toll-free number,

wherein initiating the phone call to the toll-free number upon determining that the mobile device is within a NANP service area comprises;

determining if intra-numbering plan toll charges apply to the phone call; and

upon determining that intra-numberina elan toll charges apply to the phone call, replacing the NPA of the toll-free number with a corresponding replace code to obtain a replace code toll-free number and initiating the Phone call to the replace code toll-free number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the mobile device is within a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) service area is based on a country code.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the country code is received from a wireless network.

19. A processor-implemented method of placing a telephone call to a phone number, from a mobile telecommunication device, comprising:

determining whether the phone number requires modification by an associated replace code;

upon determining that the phone number does not require modification by an associated replace code, placing a call from the mobile telecommunication device to the phone number; and

upon determining that the phone number requires modification by an associated replace code, modifying the phone number by the replace code to obtain a replace code number and placing a call from the mobile telecommunication device to the replace code number;

wherein determining if the phone number requires modification by an associated replace code comprises;

determining whether the country called is the same as the country in which the mobile telecommunication device is operating;

determining that the phone number does not require modification by an associated replace code if the country called is the same as the country in which the mobile telecommunication device is operating; and

determining that the phone number does require modification by an associated replace code if the country called is not the same as the country in which the mobile telecommunication device is operating;

wherein determining if the phone number requires modification by an associated replace code comprises;

determining whether the mobile telecommunication device is operating in a replace code mode;

determining that the shone number does not require modification by an associated replace code if the mobile telecommunication device is not operating in a replace code mode; and

determining that the phone number does require modification by an associated replace code if the mobile telecommunication device is operating in a replace code mode.