One number service using mobile assisted call forwarding facilities

Abstract

A call forwarding automation feature in a wireless telephone provides automated activation and deactivation of conventional carrier system call forwarding. The wireless telephone provides for storing multiple call forwarding telephone numbers, selecting a call forwarding telephone number based upon location information, automatically activating call forwarding to the selected telephone number during a wireless telephone power down sequence, and automatically deactivating the call forwarding during a wireless telephone power up sequence. Programming is also provided for configuring and enabling the call forwarding feature. In another embodiment, the wireless telephone automatically prompts the user for activation of call forwarding each time the user powers down the wireless telephone. The process also provides the user an ability to select from a list of stored call forwarding telephone numbers to use, as well as providing the user an ability to manually input a new telephone number. In this embodiment, the location information is used only to provide a suggested forwarding telephone number, rather than automatically activating call forwarding without user input during the power down sequence. If user input is not received during a defined time period in response to the prompt, the wireless telephone automatically activates call forwarding only if an automatic call forwarding time-out default option is enabled. The user is also automatically prompted each time the user powers up the wireless telephone to deactivate call forwarding if call forwarding is activated, and real-time idle mode automated call forwarding activation and deactivation are also provided.