Methods for address book synchronization and subscription status notification

摘要

The various disclosed techniques and equipment relate to synchronizing a subscriber's address books located in a portal and in the subscriber's mobile station, determining the subscription status of a directory number of another party with whom the subscriber intends to communicate, and/or for enabling the subscriber to make a referral to another party who might not be a qualified subscriber.

主权项

1. A method comprising steps of:
a) sending, from a mobile station, a subscription status request to a subscription database, requesting a subscription status of an other station; b) receiving, at the mobile station, a subscription status response from the subscription database, wherein the subscription status response includes the subscription status of the other station, including an identification of at least one of: a carrier associated with the other station, a subscription plan associated with the other station, or whether the other station belongs to a mobile service provider or a landline service provider; c) calculating a cost of a communication associated with the mobile station based at least in part on the received subscription status of the other station; d) displaying, on the mobile station, the subscription status of the other station and the calculated cost of the communication; e) determining whether the carrier associated with the other station is different from a carrier of the mobile station based at least in part on the received subscription status of the other station; f) prompting, on the mobile station, a user of the mobile station to indicate whether to send a subscription offer to the other station, responsive to the determination that the carrier associated with the other station is different; and g) sending the subscription offer to the other station, upon detecting, by the mobile station, an indication by the user of the mobile station to send the subscription offer, the subscription offer customized to indicate a benefit associated with communication between the mobile station and the other mobile station using the subscription offer.