Server-Side Unified Number Routing for Roaming Business Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems fail to recognize unified communication numbers starting with symbols (*, **, or ##) and do not support seamless communication across different countries or regions, especially for global communication entities like WhatsApp and Messenger, leading to customer inconvenience when traveling abroad.
Innovation Solution
A unified number coordinator in a server for an internet communications app on a mobile device, comprising a roaming checker and an app router, determines the user's location and provides the appropriate business address associated with the unified number in the user's country of origin or roaming region, enabling communication via voice, chat, video, or visual IVR.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If unified communication numbers starting with symbols (*, **, or ##) are used, then the number of contact details is reduced, but existing communication systems fail to recognize these numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (unified number coordinator with app router) that sits between the user's communication app and the communication network. This intermediary translates unified numbers starting with symbols into recognizable formats that existing communication systems can handle, while maintaining the benefit of unified numbering. The router intercepts communications using unified numbers, resolves them to actual contact information, and forwards them appropriately, thus bridging the gap between the unified numbering system and legacy communication infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single unified number is used for a business, then multiple contact details are reduced, but the system cannot determine which business address to route to when the user is roaming in a different country
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple business addresses associated with each unified number in different countries or regions. The system stores this routing information in advance in a database. When a communication is initiated, the app router queries the user's current location and automatically selects the appropriate pre-configured address, eliminating the need for real-time user intervention and ensuring accurate routing even when roaming.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring the user's current location through GPS or network-based location services. This location feedback is fed back to the app router, which then dynamically selects the appropriate business address based on the user's current country or region. This closed-loop feedback ensures that communications are always routed to the correct local business address regardless of where the user is traveling.
3Ease of operation
If the system automatically routes communications based on user location, then user convenience is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex routing logic from the user's mobile device and places it in a separate server-based unified number coordinator. The mobile device only needs to run a simple communication app that sends communications through the unified number system. The complex tasks of location determination, address selection, and routing are extracted and handled by the server-side app router, which has access to databases of business addresses and routing rules. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on the user's device while maintaining automatic routing functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A unified number coordinator is in a server for an internet communications app on a mobile device of a user. The coordinator includes a roaming checker which receives region of origin information from the server, in response to identification of the user of a mobile device running the app. It also receives location information of the mobile device and determines if the user is in the region of origin or in a different region. An app router receives a unified number dialed by the user, the region of origin and, if the user is roaming, the different region. The app router provides a first business and its address associated with the unified number in the region of origin and, if the user is roaming, a second business and its address associated with the unified number in the different region, for the user to select.