Method for displaying special alerting icon
View Patent ↗A method used in wireless communications for displaying an icon on a wireless communications device indicating that a calling party is a subscriber of a same wireless communications service provider of a called party. A terminating mobile station switching center (MSC) flags a routing number port associated with a routing number and returns the routing number to an originating MSC when it determines that a request for the routing number is sent from a home locator register (HLR) of the called party's wireless communications service provider and the calling party is also a subscriber of the called party's wireless communications service provider. When receiving an incoming call, the terminating MSC inspects whether the incoming call is to be sent through a flagged routing number port. If so, the terminating MSC generates a SETUP message with an instructions to display the icon. In responsive to the SETUP message, the wireless communications device of the called party displays the icon accordingly, indicating that the calling party is a subscriber of the same wireless communications service provider as the called party.
1. A method for displaying an indication, comprising:
receiving a request of a routing number that is used for transmitting a network message from a calling party to a called party;
determining whether the request is sent from an equipment that belongs to a specific wireless communications service provider;
establishing that the called party is a subscriber of the specific wireless communications service provider if the equipment belongs to the specific wireless communications service provider;
flagging a routing number port associated with the routing number if the calling party is a subscriber of the specific wireless communications service provider and returning the routing number; and
displaying an icon on a wireless communications device of the called party when the routing number port is flagged to indicate that the calling party is a subscriber of the specific wireless communications service provider.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the equipment requesting the routing number is a home location register (HLR).
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising launching a query to an external database to obtain a carrier information of the calling party to determine the calling party's wireless communications service provider.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a telephone number of the calling party with the icon in an address book of the wireless communications device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the icon is displayed during an alerting tone cycle.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communications device includes one of a Personal Database Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a computer, and a 802.1X device.
7. The method for displaying an indication, comprising:
receiving a request for a routing number that is used for transmitting a network message from a calling party to a called party;
determining whether the request is sent from an equipment that belongs to a specific wireless communications service provider;
determining whether the calling party is a subscriber of the specific wireless communications service provider by launching a query to an external database to obtain carrier information of the calling party if the equipment belongs to the specific wireless communications service provider;
flagging a routing number port associated with the routing number and returning the routing number if the calling party is a subscriber of the specific wireless communications service provider;
returning the routing number without flagging the routing number port if the originating equipment does not belong to the specific wireless communications service provider;
receiving an incoming network message that is to be routed through the flagged routing number port;
generating a SETUP message to include an instruction command to display an icon;
transmitting the SETUP message to a terminating wireless communications device; and
displaying the icon on the terminating wireless communications device corresponding to the instruction command included in the SETUP message.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising when receiving an incoming network message that is not routed through a flagged routing number port, generating a different SETUP message without the instruction of displaying the icon.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the equipment is an HLR.