WO2004098165A1

WO2004098165A1 - Masked phone service with mask phone number

Info

Publication number: WO2004098165A1
Application number: PCT/CN2003/000909
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tsung-Hsing Wei
Original assignee: Tsung-Hsing Wei
Priority date: 2002-04-18
Filing date: 2003-10-28
Publication date: 2004-11-11
Also published as: DE60307790T2; JP2003333168A; ATE337677T1; RU2314652C2; EP1473915A1; CA2447105A1; RU2005136905A; EP1473915B1; KR20060006067A; DE60307790D1; US6829340B2; ES2271417T3; BR0318313A; DK1473915T3; AU2003275908A1; KR100788497B1; US20030198326A1

Abstract

The present invention is disclosed a masked phone service, which depending on phone user's original phone number to virtually create multiple new corresponding substitutive phone numbers, called mask phone numbers; to mask phone user's original phone number when on demand; by adding this new created mask phone number, therefore, to make the phone user have at least two phone numbers on single phone device so that the phone user's original phone number and the mask phone number may be separately used for his working and private time respectively, and by this way the phone user's personal privacy is then improved.

Description

Masked Phone Service with Mask Phone Number

BACKGROUND⁾ OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Field of the Present Invention:

The present invention relates to a new method of protecting telephone user's

privacy from disturbance, and more particularly to a method of making a

common phone device with two phone numbers separately used for people

communication of working and private time respectively.

Description of Prior Art:

Life with better personal privacy is very important for modern people.

Most of people divided private and working territory separately.

Recently, with such a convenient and powerful communicating device,

mobile phone rapidly becomes the most important tool or equipment for modern

life. Modern people cannot live without his mobile phone in a single day. While

people's good private life were heavily interrupted by the mobile phones. The

mobile phone can penetrate into any space at any time regardless of any

distance.

Due to improve personal privacy, some people maybe buy two or more

phone numbers (accounts) for his one phone device. With two SIM (Subscriber

Identity Module) chips, people may draw and change different SIM chip for his

different time interval and different personal relationship's communication on

one phone. Otherwise, many other people maybe buy two or more phone devices

together with different SIM chip equipped directly. These different phone

devices are separately used for his different time interval and different personal

relationship's communication. Thus, it is very funny and troublesome for a

person carrying two or more phone devices with him just for separately used for

different people communication or for working and private time respectively.

This invention is to develop a new simplified method to make telephone

user have two or more phone numbers on one phone device for his working and

private times respectively. With this new invented method, phone user's privacy

improved and the cost for phone devices decreased.

Summary of the Present Invention:

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method to have

user's original phone number be substituted or masked by a virtual created

number. By this way, the present invention makes one phone device with two or

more phone numbers that are separately used for communicating with user's

working and private territories respectively.

The second object of the present invention provides a masked phone

service with mask phone number to let registered member user may set his new

mask number in opened or closed state at any time according to user's demand.

With this service, the registered member user may divide his private time and

working time separately very easy.

The third object of the present invention provides a masked phone service with mask phone number to let a registered member user use his original phone

number and mask phone number arbitrarily, separately, and independently.

When the registered member user set his mask number opened, his original

number is masked. At the moment, the connected recipient's phone device will

show caller's mask number instead of his original number. The connected

recipient doesn't see caller's original number and keep the member user's

privacy good. When the registered member user set his mask number closed, his

original number is exposed and any contacted recipient's phone device will

show the caller's original number again.

The fourth object of the present invention provides a masked phone service

with mask phone number to improve registered member user's privacy and

ensure better life. When the registered member user set his mask number closed,

the only way to communicate with the user is the original phone number. Any

people want to contact with the user must dial his original number. At this time,

any caller dialing user's mask number will not touch the user temporarily. With

this new invented method, the masked phone service will protect member user's

privacy firmly.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures:

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of the masked phone service of this invention to

illustrate how to mask user's original number and protect user's privacy.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart to illustrate how the masked phone service of this

invention operated. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments:

The present invention disclosed a new method of masked phone service

with user's mask phone number. The key point is a computer controlled

management system (we defined it as "Masked Phone Service System") that

creates a virtual phone number depending on and to substitute member user's

original phone number. This substitutive number (we called it "mask phone

number") will correspond to and mask user's original phone number in the

service system operation.

Based on the "Masked Phone Service System", the phone user's mask

phone number are created depend on original phone number. Both of those two

numbers are identifiable, interchangeable and corresponding mutually. In the

actual telecommunication service system operation, there is only one original

number operated.

But based on the view of phone users in the real world, the original phone

number and the newly given mask phone number are two independent numbers,

which have same shape and same function to dial, and are respectively used for

different territories of people communication. The users cannot imagine how

interchangeable between these two numbers.

When a phone user use original number to communicate other people (set

mask number closed), the "Masked Phone Service System" sent message

through original phone number, of course. While the user use registered mask

number to communicate other people (set mask number opened), the "Masked Phone Service System" will revert the member user's mask number to

corresponding original number immediately, sent message through original

phone number, as usual. By the novel method of this invention, the user's

original number was seemed to be masked and not disabled temporarily. Thus,

the member user may apply two different phone numbers separately on one

phone device.

Referred to Figure 1, it explains what procedure is operated on a mask

phone number to mask user's original number and protect user's privacy.

When a Phone user wants to use the present invention of "Masked Phone

Service", the user must enter "Masked Phone Service System" (20) which

constructed by a telecommunication operator (11). Anew user (21) must sign up

to be a member user and register his original phone number (22) currently used.

"Masked Phone Service System"(20) will create a mask number (23) depend on

user's original phone number.

Before the new member user set his new mask number to be opened (24),

any message call out from his phone device will be operated through his

original phone number as usual (step 32).

After the new member user of "Masked Phone Service System" decide to

start using the "Masked Phone Service" (24) and set his mask number be

opened (step 25), the member user communicate outside through his mask

number (27). The mask number musk or substitute his original number

temporarily (28). All messages call in and out seems to operate through the mask number (29). At this time interval, the certain working territory of people,

which communicated user with only mask number, may contact user fluently

without any obstacle.

At a certain time of interval, the member user set his mask number closed

(25), and the mask number is shut down (26). It means that the user don't want

use his mask number to communicate outside, any message through the mask

number will be stopped. In the meantime, the user's operating phone number

reverts to the only one original number as usual (32). At this time interval, all

messages through user's original phone number may contact user as usual. Any

messages through user's mask number will not contact user temporarily.

Referred to figure 2, it explains how the masked phone service operated.

When a phone user dial a recipient's phone number (10), the "Masked Phone

Service System" (20) will automatically identify the matter of "is the dialer a

member user of the new service system (30)?"

If the dialer is not a member of the new service system, the system will

send message with dialer's original number to recipient (31). The recipient's

phone device will show dialer's original phone number (80). If the dialer is

identified to be a member user (30) of "Masked Phone Service System", but the

mask phone number set to be "closed" state (30), the system will also send

message with dialer's original number to recipient (31). The recipient's phone

device will also show dialer's original phone number (step 80).

If the dialer is identified to be a member user of "Masked Phone Service System", and the mask phone number set to be "opened" state (40), the system

will transfer member dialer's original number to his registered mask number

automatically and send message with dialer's mask number to recipient (41).

The recipient's phone device will show dialer's mask phone number (step 80).

The member dialer's original number masked.

The "Masked Phone Service System" then automatically identifies the

matter of "is the recipient's phone number a mask number (50)?"

If the recipient's phone number is identified not a mask number, that means

the recipient is not a member user of the new "Masked Phone Service System".

The system will send message to recipient's original phone number (70), and

recipient's phone device will show dialer's mask phone number or original

number (80) according to dialer's setting state. Both dialer and recipient can be

connected and communicated each other (90).

While the system confirmed that the recipient's phone number is a

member's mask number (50), then the system check the matter of "is the

recipient's mask number set "closed" state (60)?"

If the recipient's mask number is set "closed" state, it means that the

recipient is at his private time, the communication channel of this number

closed. To ensure recipient's privacy (61), the "Masked Phone Service System"

will answer dialer that recipient's phone device is shutdown state (62). The

message through recipient's mask number will be stopped temporarily. Member

recipient's privacy ensured. If the recipient's mask number is set "opened" state (60), it means that the

recipient is not at his private time, he would like receive messages through mask

phone number. The system will revert recipient's mask number to registered

original number automatically (63) and send message to recipient's original

phone number (70), and recipient's original phone device will show dialer's

mask phone number or original number according to dialer's setting state (step

80). Both dialer and recipient can be connected and communicated each other

(90).

By this method, when a member user in his personal private time and

private space, he may set his mask number be "closed" state. Thus, all working

territory people's communication through this mask or substitutive phone

number will be stopped temporarily. The member user's privacy protected.

While at this time, the member user's phone device is not shut down in fact. The

member user's family and his personal friend may contact him through original

private number as usual.

As described above, in the other specified time of interval, the member

user set his mask number be "opened" state, the member user's original number

masked temporarily. And, all working territory people's communication through

this mask phone number operated fluently, no obstacle. At this same time, the

member user's family and his personal friend may contact him through original

number free as usual.

As described above, the invented "Masked Phone Service" will make user's one phone device equipped with two phone numbers at least and used for

at least two different territorial communications. The user's privacy protected

while he need not shut down his phone device.

Additionally, the Masked Phone Service of this invention may be applied

to Short Message Service or E-mail service too. The message sending between

dialer and recipient may be Short Message or E-mail.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for producing masked phone service with mask phone number,

by depending on user's original phone number to virtually create a

corresponding substitutive mask phone number by a Masked Phone Service

System controlled by general computer, to make user's one phone device

equipped with two phone numbers at least separately used for his working time

and private time to improve user's personal privacy, which comprising the

following steps:

(a) registering original number to be a new user of the Masked Phone Service

System;

(b) depending on original number to choose a created corresponding number or

a mask phone number used for user's certain time of interval;

(c) setting mask phone number to be "opened" or "closed" state;

when the user set his mask number "opened", original phone number

masked, it looks like to use mask number to communicate with outside recipient;

when the user set his mask number "closed", outside dialer cannot contact the

user through user's mask number.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following

steps:

(d) identifying the membership of the dialer by the Masked Phone Service System;

according to dialer's phone number, the Masked Phone Service System

identifying the membership of the dialer automatically;

if the dialer is not a member, the system sending message with dialer's

original number to recipient, then the recipient's phone device shows out the

dialer's original phone number, then execute step (f); or,

if the dialer is identified to be a member user of the Masked Phone Service

System, then execute step (e);

(e) identifying the status of the dialer's mask phone number;

if the dialer's mask phone number set to be "closed" state, the system sending

message with dialer's original number to recipient, the recipient's phone

device show out dialer's original phone number, then execute step (f); or

if the dialer's mask phone number set to be "opened" state, the system

transferring member dialer's original number to his registered mask number

automatically and sending message with dialer's mask number to recipient,

the recipient's phone device shows out dialer's mask phone number, then

execute step (f);

(f) identifying the membership of the recipient;

if the recipient's phone number is identified not a mask number, then execute

(h); or, if the recipient's phone number is identified a mask number of the

system, then execute step (g);

(g) identifying the status of the recipient's mask phone number;

π if the recipient's mask number is set "closed" state, the Masked Phone

Service System answers dialer that recipient's phone device is shutdown state,

then the message through recipient's mask number be stopped temporarily to

ensure member recipient's privacy; or,

if the recipient's mask number is set "opened" state, it means that the

recipient is not at his private time, he would like receive messages through

mask phone number, the system will revert recipient's mask number to

registered original number automatically and execute step (h);

(h) connecting recipient's original phone number, and sending message between

dialer and recipient;

recipient's phone device will show dialer's mask phone number or original

number according to dialer's setting state, both dialer and recipient connected

and communicated each other.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the original phone number is

user's mobile phone number.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the original phone number is

user's desktop phone number.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the original phone number is

user's mobile phone number.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the original phone number is

user's desktop phone number.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the message sending between dialer and recipient is Short Message or E-mail.