Telephone Number Parser for Global Dialability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer systems face challenges in storing and accessing telephone numbers due to variations in format, errors, and geographic location-specific dialing requirements, leading to difficulties in establishing successful connections.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that parses, validates, and generates 'ready-to-dial' global phone numbers by decomposing received numbers into components, validating them against metadata databases, and reassembling them with necessary codes to ensure dialability from any location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If telephone numbers are stored in various formats as entered by users, then the system can accommodate diverse input styles, but the telephone numbers become difficult to dial correctly from different geographic locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the telephone number into distinct components (country code, area code, local number, extension) and stores them separately in a normalized format. This segmentation allows the system to maintain format flexibility while enabling correct dialing from any location by reassembling the components with appropriate formatting rules for the caller's geographic location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the storage parameter from raw user-input format to a standardized normalized format with specific delimiters and ordering. This parameter transformation enables the system to store diverse inputs uniformly while providing consistent dialable output regardless of the caller's location.
2Reliability
If telephone numbers are validated after entry into the database, then the system can maintain stored numbers, but verification occurs when the entering person is unavailable and errors persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs validation and normalization of telephone numbers immediately upon entry, while the user is still available to correct errors. The system validates the number format, extracts components, and stores the normalized version right away, preventing errors from persisting and eliminating the need for later verification attempts.
3Ease of operation
If telephone numbers are stored with various delimiters and formats, then user entry flexibility is maintained, but the numbers cannot be reliably dialed from different geographic locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary normalization layer that converts diverse user inputs into a standardized internal representation. The system accepts various user formats, transforms them into normalized components through parsing and validation, and stores the standardized version. This intermediary process ensures both user entry convenience and reliable dialability from any location.
4Quantity of substance
If the system stores millions of telephone numbers in various formats, then comprehensive coverage is achieved, but the complexity of managing and ensuring dialability increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the storage parameter from diverse formats to a unified normalized structure with consistent delimiters and component ordering. This parameter standardization enables the system to manage millions of numbers efficiently, as the consistent format simplifies parsing, validation, and retrieval operations regardless of the original input variety.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for providing ready-to-dial global phone numbers is provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, a telephone number parser parses a received telephone number into a collection of telephone number components. The telephone number parser validates each telephone number component of the collection of telephone number components. A telephone number manager stores the collection of telephone number components. In response to receiving a request for a telephone number, a telephone number assembler generates the telephone number from the collection of telephone number components. The telephone number is configured to be successfully dialed from a location from which the telephone number is to be dialed. Finally, the telephone number manager displays the telephone number.