Apparatus and method for subscribing to international roaming plan for communication device

• US 8,977,256 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Jun-Wei, Zhang, Jun, Li, Cheng-Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US13/662,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20130260748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A computerized method for subscribing an international roaming plan for a communication device, the communication device includes an electronic map. At least one border checkpoint of a predetermined country can be determined on the electronic map. A distance between a current location of the communication device and the location of the at least one border checkpoint is calculated. When the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance and the current location of the communication device is within the home country, a user may be prompted to select whether to subscribe to an international roaming plan for a particular period of time. A preset message is sent to a predetermined service terminal provided by a telecommunication company to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device when the user makes a selection to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device.

Claims

1. A computerized method for subscribing to an international roaming plan for a communication device, the communication device comprising a positioning device and an electronic map, the method comprising:

determining a location of at least one border checkpoint of a predetermined country on the electronic map;

obtaining a current location of the communication device using the positioning device;

calculating a distance between the current location and the location of the at least one border checkpoint;

determining whether the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance and whether the current location of the communication device is inside the predetermined country;

notifying a user to select whether to subscribe to an international roaming plan for the communication device when the calculated distance is less than the predetermined distance and the current location of the communication device is inside the predetermined country;

sending a first preset message to a predetermined service terminal provided by a telecommunication company to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device, when the user makes a selection to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device;

determining whether the current location of the communication device is located outside the predetermined country and whether the distance between the current location and the location of the at least one border checkpoint is less than the predetermined distance at regular intervals after the international roaming plan has been subscribed to for a predetermined period of time;

prompting the user to select whether to cancel the international roaming plan which has previously been subscribed to, when the current location of the communication device is located outside the predetermined country and the distance between the current location of the communication device and the location of the at least one border checkpoint is less than the predetermined distance; and

sending a second preset message to the predetermined service terminal to cancel the international roaming plan in relation to the communication device, when the user makes a selection to cancel the international roaming plan.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notifying step comprises:

displaying a dialog box including options on a display of the communication device, and triggering the communication device to vibrate and/or to give audible warnings to the user that the dialog box is being displayed.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the notifying step comprises:

determining a foreign region outside of the predetermined country which the user is likely to enter according to the at least one border checkpoint, and displaying information as to the determined foreign region on the display.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining step comprises:

obtaining geographical coordinates including a longitude and latitude of the current location of the communication device and a longitude and latitude of the at least one border checkpoint.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the calculating step comprises:

calculating the distance between the current location and the location of the at least one border checkpoint according to the obtained geographical coordinates of the current location of the communication device and the at least one border checkpoint.

6. A communication device, comprising:

a display;

a positioning device;

a storage storing an electronic map;

a processor; and

one or more programs stored in the storage and executed by the processor, the one or more programs comprising;

a determination module that determines at least one border checkpoint of a predetermined country on the electronic map;

a location module that obtains a current location of the communication device using the positioning device, and calculates a distance between the current location and the location of at least one border checkpoint;

a first notification module that determines whether the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance and whether the current location of the communication device is inside the predetermined country, and notifies a user to select whether to subscribe to an international roaming plan for the communication device when the calculated distance is less than the predetermined distance and the current location of the communication device is inside the predetermined country;

a subscribing module that sends a first preset message to a predetermined service terminal provided by a telecommunication company to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device, when the user makes a selection to subscribe to the international roaming plan for the communication device;

a second notification module that determines whether the current location of the communication device is located outside the predetermined country and whether the distance between the current location and the location of the at least one border checkpoint is less than the predetermined distance at regular intervals when the international roaming plan has been subscribed to for a predetermined period of time, and prompts the user to select whether to cancel the international roaming plan which is being subscribed to when the current location of the communication device is located outside the predetermined country and the distance between the current location of the communication device and the location of the at least one border checkpoint is less than the predetermined distance; and

a cancellation module that sends a second preset message to the predetermined service terminal to cancel the international roaming plan in relation to the communication device, when the user makes a selection to cancel the international roaming plan.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the first notification module further displays a dialog box including options on the display of the communication device, and triggers the communication device to vibrate and/or to give audible warnings to the user that the dialog box is being displayed.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the first notification module further determines a foreign region outside of the predetermined country which the user is likely to enter according to the at least one border checkpoint, and displays information as to the determined foreign region on the display.

9. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the location module further obtains geographical coordinates including a longitude and latitude of the current location of the communication device and the at least one border checkpoint, and calculates the distance between the current location and the location of the at least one border checkpoint according to the obtained geographical coordinates of the current location of the communication device and the at least one border checkpoint.