DESC:
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION
SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MANAGE A CALL BETWEEN A USER AND A THIRD PARTY
2. APPLICANT(S)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
JIO PLATFORMS LIMITED INDIAN OFFICE-101, SAFFRON, NR. CENTRE POINT, PANCHWATI 5 RASTA, AMBAWADI, AHMEDABAD 380006, GUJARAT, INDIA
3.PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE NATURE OF THIS INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication systems, more particularly relates to call management between a user and a third party in wireless communication systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, now days, security of mobile numbers has become a major concern across the globe, since mobile numbers of a user are shared with many people and organizations.
[0003] When a call is initiated between the user and a third party such as, other consumers or service professionals, the third party will be able to see the mobile number of the user since the mobile number is displayed on the mobile phone. Service professionals may be the one, but not limited to, cab drivers, technician, business organizations, etc. For example, the user may call the cab driver, and the mobile number of the user is displayed on the mobile phone of the cab driver.
[0004] There may be instances such as the mobile number of the user is being misused by the third parties. Misusing instances may include targeting the user with phishing calls and messages, hacking mobile number, scamming users, etc. This may affect the security of the users as mobile numbers are used for very important authentication of users such as banking transactions, login to other important websites, etc.
[0005] In view of the above, in order to avoid misuse of mobile numbers, there is a need for providing virtual mobile number, which ensures that the original mobile numbers of the users are safe and secured.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provides a method and a system to manage a call between a user and a third party.
[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, the method to manage the call between the user and the third party is disclosed. The method includes the step of receiving, by one or more processors, a request from the user via a User Equipment (UE) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). The method further includes the step of validating, by the one or more processors, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user. The one or more attributes including at least one of, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy related to the user. The method further includes the step of generating, by the one or more processors, a session between the UE of the user and at least one available instance based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. The method further includes the step of assigning, by the one or more processors, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE and the at least one instance. The method further includes the step of establishing, by the one or more processors, the call between the UE of the user and the third party using the assigned VMN.
[0008] In another embodiment, the request received from the user is at least one of, an Application Programming Interface (API) call.
[0009] In yet another embodiment, the at least one available instance is at least one of, a Business Telephony Application Server (BTAS) instance.
[0010] In yet another embodiment, the step of validating, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, includes the steps of extracting, by the one or more processors, information of the token and the key from the request. Further, validating, by the one or more processors, the token and the key by comparing the token and the key with pre-stored information of the user stored in a storage unit. Upon successful validation of the token and the key, extracting, by the one or more processors, from the storage unit, data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user based on the validated key. Furthermore checking, by the one or more processors, if the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user matches with the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy of the user extracted from the request and in response to matching, inferring, by the one or more processors, that the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user is valid.
[0011] In yet another embodiment, the step of, generating, a session between the UE of the user and at least one available instance based on successful validation of the one or more attributes, includes the steps of performing, by the one or more processors, an enrichment task on data related to the user by receiving one or more additional data points from external sources. Further, identifying, by the one or more processors, the at least one available instance from a plurality of instances in a network. Thereafter, generating, by the one or more processors, the session represented by a session identifier between the UE and the at least one available instance, one or more future requests from the user is routed to the at least one available instance.
[0012] In yet another embodiment, the step of, assigning, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE and the at least one instance, includes the step of selecting, by the one or more processors, via the at least one available instance, the VMN from a plurality of VMNs utilizing at least one of, a round robin order based on the generated session between the UE and the at least one instance. Thereafter, assigning, by the one or more processors, the VMN to the user.
[0013] In yet another embodiment, if the one or more attributes are not valid, the method further includes the step of notifying, by the one or more processors, the user of invalidity of the one or more attributes.
[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, the system to manage a call between a user and a third party is disclosed. The system includes a transceiver, configured to, receive, a request from the user via a User Equipment (UE) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). The system includes a validating unit, configured to, validate, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, the one or more attributes including at least one of, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy related to the user. The system further includes a generating unit, configured to, generate, a session between the UE of the user and at least one available instance based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. The system further includes an assigning unit, configured to, assign, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE and the at least one instance. The system further includes a connection establishing unit, configured to, establish, the call between the UE of the user and the third party using the assigned VMN.
[0015] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor. The processor is configured to receive, a request from the user via a User Equipment (UE) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). The processor is further configured to validate, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, wherein the one or more attributes including at least one of, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy related to the user. The processor is further configured to generate, a session between the UE of the user and at least one available instance based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. The processor is further configured to assign, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE and the at least one instance. The processor is further configured to establish, the call between the UE of the user and the third party using the assigned VMN.
[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, a User Equipment (UE) is disclosed. One or more primary processors is communicatively coupled to one or more processors. The one or more primary processors is further coupled with a memory. The memory stores instructions which when executed by the one or more primary processors causes the UE to transmit, a request to the one or more processors for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN).
[0017] Other features and aspects of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. The features and advantages described in this summary and in the following detailed description are not all-inclusive, and particularly, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, in view of the drawings, specification, and claims hereof. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to the claims being necessary to determine such inventive subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components, electronic components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.
[0019] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of an environment to manage a call between a user and a third party, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a system to manage the call between the user and the third party, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is an exemplary architecture of the system of FIG. 2, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is an exemplary architecture to manage the call between the user and the third party, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 5 is an exemplary signal flow diagram illustrating the flow to manage the call between the user and the third party, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0024] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method to manage the call between the user and the third party, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
[0025] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0027] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure including the definitions listed here below are not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0028] A person of ordinary skill in the art will readily ascertain that the illustrated steps detailed in the figures and here below are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.
[0029] Various embodiments of the present invention provide a system and a method to manage a call between a user and a third party. The present invention is able to ensure that misuse of a user’s mobile numbers is avoided. The disclosed system and the method aim at enhancing security of the user by providing a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN) instead of an original mobile number of the user. The VMN provides the user with the opportunity to communicate with anyone in the world at any time, using almost any internet-connected device. The VMN offers flexible communication options along with privacy. In other words, the present invention provides a unique approach of providing the VMN for the users to communicate with any third party at the same time providing a secured connection and avoiding any misuse of the original mobile number of the user. In particular, VMN service provides the ability to avoid direct communication between the user and the third party.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an environment 100 to manage a call between a user and a third party 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. The environment 100 includes a User Equipment (UE) 102, a server 104, a network 106, a system 108, and the third party 110. Herin, managing the call pertains to establishing the call between the user and the third party 110 using a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN) instead of an original mobile number of the user or the third party 110 in order to avoid misuse of the original mobile number of the user or the third party 110. For example, the user may be at least one of, but not limited to, a consumer or a subscriber and the third party 110 may be at least one of, but not limited to, an enterprise or a service provider.
[0031] For the purpose of description and explanation, the description will be explained with respect to one or more user equipment’s (UEs) 102, or to be more specific will be explained with respect to a first UE 102a, a second UE 102b, and a third UE 102c, and should nowhere be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Each of the at least one UE 102 namely the first UE 102a, the second UE 102b, and the third UE 102c is configured to connect to the server 104 via the network 106.
[0032] In an embodiment, each of the first UE 102a, the second UE 102b, and the third UE 102c is one of, but not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electro-mechanical or an equipment and a combination of one or more of the above devices such as smartphones, Virtual Reality (VR) devices, Augmented Reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device.
[0033] In one embodiment, the third party 110 includes, by way of example but not limitation, one or more UEs operated by other users or service professionals. In particular, the service professionals may be at least one of, but not limited to, a cab driver, a technician, a business organization, etc. In particular, the third party 110 is configured to connect to the server 104 via the network 106.
[0034] The network 106 includes, by way of example but not limitation, one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, an internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched network, an ad hoc network, an infrastructure network, a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, or some combination thereof. The network 106 may include, but is not limited to, a Third Generation (3G), a Fourth Generation (4G), a Fifth Generation (5G), a Sixth Generation (6G), a New Radio (NR), a Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), and the like.
[0035] The network 106 may also include, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth.
[0036] The environment 100 includes the server 104 accessible via the network 106. The server 104 may include by way of example but not limitation, one or more of a standalone server, a server blade, a server rack, a bank of servers, a server farm, hardware supporting a part of a cloud service or system, a home server, hardware running a virtualized server, a processor executing code to function as a server, one or more machines performing server-side functionality as described herein, at least a portion of any of the above, some combination thereof. In an embodiment, the entity may include, but is not limited to, a vendor, a network operator, a company, an organization, a university, a lab facility, a business enterprise side, a defense facility side, or any other facility that provides service.
[0037] In one embodiment, the server 104 is at least one of, but not limited to, a Telephony Application Server (TAS) or a Business Telephony Application Server (BTAS) instance which is communicably coupled to the UE 102 via the network 106. In particular, the BTAS is a network element that deals with voice related use cases. The BTAS is an Application Programming Interface (API) provider which is responsible for managing call flows in order to manage calls between the user and the third party 110. In an alternative embodiment, the environment 100 includes a plurality of instances pertaining to the BTAS from which at least one available instance is selected based on the availability. The selected at least one available instance is utilized for assigning the Virtual Mobile Number (VMN) to the user.
[0038] Hereinafter, the server 104 may be used as the at least one available instance 104 from the plurality of instances of the BTAS in the network 106 as per the requirement without limiting the scope of the invention. In particular, the at least one available instance 104 is the BTAS instance.
[0039] The environment 100 further includes the system 108 communicably coupled to the server 104, the UE 102, and the third party 110 via the network 106. The system 108 is adapted to be embedded within the server 104 or embedded as the individual entity.
[0040] Operational and construction features of the system 108 will be explained in detail with respect to the following figures.
[0041] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the system 108 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.
[0042] As per the illustrated and preferred embodiment, the system 108 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110, includes one or more processors 202, a memory 204 and a storage unit 206. The one or more processors 202, hereinafter referred to as the processor 202, may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, single board computers, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. However, it is to be noted that the system 108 may include multiple processors as per the requirement and without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Among other capabilities, the processor 202 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 204.
[0043] As per the illustrated embodiment, the processor 202 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 204 as the memory 204 is communicably connected to the processor 202. The memory 204 is configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which may be fetched and executed for managing the call between the user and the third party 110. The memory 204 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as disk memory, EPROMs, FLASH memory, unalterable memory, and the like.
[0044] As per the illustrated embodiment, the storage unit 206 is configured to store data associated with the user and the third party 110. In particular, the storage unit 206 is configured to store data associated with one or more attributes of the user and the third party 110. The storage unit 206 is one of, but not limited to, a centralized database, a cloud-based database, a commercial database, an open-source database, a distributed database, an end-user database, a graphical database, a No-Structured Query Language (NoSQL) database, an object-oriented database, a personal database, an in-memory database, a document-based database, a time series database, a wide column database, a key value database, a search database, a cache databases, and so forth. The foregoing examples of storage unit 206 types are non-limiting and may not be mutually exclusive e.g., the database can be both commercial and cloud-based, or both relational and open-source, etc.
[0045] As per the illustrated embodiment, the system 108 includes the processor 202 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110. The processor 202 includes a transceiver 208, a validating unit 210, a generating unit 212, an assigning unit 214, a connection establishment unit 216, and a notifying unit 218. The processor 202 is communicably coupled to the one or more components of the system 108 such as the memory 204 and the storage unit 206. In an embodiment, operations and functionalities of the transceiver 208, the validating unit 210, the generating unit 212, the assigning unit 214, the connection establishment unit 216, the notifying unit 218 and the one or more components of the system 108 can be used in combination or interchangeably.
[0046] Initially, the transceiver 208 of the processor 202 is configured to receive a request from the user via the UE 102 for assigning the Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). In other words, a VMN request is transmitted by the user to the processor 202. The VMN is a cloud-based telephone or mobile number that allows the user to make and receive calls anywhere in the world. Unlike usual mobile numbers, the VMN is not contained in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card and is issued online. The SIM card is an integrated circuit (IC) which is used to identify and authenticate users of the UE 102.
[0047] In one embodiment, the request received from the user is at least one of, but not limited to, an Application Programming Interface (API) call. The API calls are the medium by which the user interacts with the at least one of, the system 108 or the server 104 within the network 106. In particular, the API call is a message sent to at least one of, the system 108 or the server 104 such as the BTAS instance, the API call is requesting an API to provide a VMN service to the user. The API call includes at least one of, but not limited to, a Representational State Transfer (REST) based API with a real time calling feature which allows the user to connect with the third party 110 using the VMN in real time. The Representational State Transfer (REST) is a software architecture that imposes conditions on how an API should work. The REST was initially created as a guideline to manage communication on a complex network like the Internet.
[0048] Upon receiving the request, the validating unit 208 of the processor 202 is configured to validate one or more attributes associated with the user based on the received request. In particular, the one or more attributes includes at least one of, but not limited to, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy associated with the user. In order to validate the one or more attributes, the validating unit 208 extracts the one or more attributes from the received request. For example, the data related to the token, the key, the subscription plan and the access control policy is extracted from the received request.
[0049] In one embodiment, the token is a string of codes containing comprehensive data that identifies a specific user. In one embodiment, the key defines a source of the requesting entity. In other words, the key is a unique identifier that is included in the requests to authenticate the request associated with the VMN. In one embodiment, the subscription plan stores information about the VMN service subscribed by the user. In other words, the subscription plan includes an amount of money that is paid by the user to receive the VMN service. In one embodiment, the access control policies are essential elements of security, which ensures that user can only access the VMN service using secure and pre-approved methods. In other words, the access control policies are a set of rules or permissions that specifies the specific user which is allowed to access the VMN service by at least one of, but not limited to, authenticating user credentials.
[0050] Upon extracting the one or more attributes from the received request, the validating unit 208 validates the extracted one or more attributes such as the token and the key by comparing with pre-stored information of the user stored in the storage unit 206. In particular, the validating unit 208 validates the token included in the request received by at least one of, but not limited to, parsing the token, and verifying a token signature. The key is validated by at least one of, but not limited to, checking for a match between the key extracted from request with a similar key which is pre-stored in the storage unit 206. In one embodiment, the validating unit 208 validates the token and the key in order to authenticate the user.
[0051] Upon successfully validating of the token and the key, the validating unit 208 extracts data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy associated with the user from the storage unit 206 based on the validated key. Further, the validating unit 208 checks whether the extracted data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy associated with the user matches with the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy of the user extracted from the received request. In particular, the subscription plan of the user is checked by the validating unit 208 to determine a valid subscription plan in order to provide the user with the VMN service.
[0052] In one embodiment, the validating unit 208 determines that the data extracted from the storage unit 206 related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user is not matching with the data extracted from the received request related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user. In this regard, the notifying unit 218 of the processor 202 is configured to notify the user regarding the invalidity of the one or more attributes.
[0053] In another embodiment, the validating unit 208 determines that that the data extracted from the storage unit 206 related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user is matching with the data extracted from the received request related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user. In this regard, the validating unit 208 infers that the user requesting for the VMN is valid. Therefore, the one or more attributes based on the received request from the user are validated.
[0054] Upon successful validation of the one or more attributes, the generation unit 212 of the processor 202 is configured to generate a session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104 of the BTAS. based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. In one embodiment, in order to generate the session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104, the generation unit 212 performs an enrichment task on data related to the request received from the user by receiving one or more additional data points from external sources. Herein, the data pertains to at least one of, but not limited to, identifier of the user requesting the VMN and historical data pertaining to the VMN service associated with the user. In other words, the request enrichment task is performed to enable the user to add additional data points for requesting data from other sources to improve accuracy of data. For example, in some cases, the request is not included with data which is required to provide the VMN service to the user based on which the enrichment task is performed that modifies or adds the required data in the received request.
[0055] Upon performing the enrichment task, the generation unit 212 of the processor 202 is further configured to identify, the at least one available instance 104 from the plurality of instances of the BTAS in the network 106. In particular, the generation unit 212 determines availability of at least one available instance 104 among the plurality of instances and selects at least one instance 104 in a round robin manner based on the determination.
[0056] Upon identifying the at least one available instance 104, the generation unit 212 of the processor 202 is further configured to generate the session represented by a session identifier between the UE 102 and the at least one available instance 104. In particular, the generation unit 212 generates the session identifier in order to establish the call between the user and the third party 110 utilizing the selected at least one available instance 104. In one embodiment, the one or more future requests from the user is routed to the at least one available instance 104. The session identifier is a unique identification number that is generated by the generation unit 212. This unique identification number includes at least one of, but not limited to, a number code, a numerical code, or an alphanumeric code. The session identifier is also known as a session token which is assigned to the user for the duration of a session established between the user and at least one available instance 104.
[0057] Upon generating the session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104, the assigning unit 214 of the processor 202 is configured to assign the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE 102 and the at least one instance 104. In particular, the assigning unit 214 selects the VMN from a plurality of VMNs via the at least one available instance 104 utilizing at least one of, a round robin order and assigns the VMN to the user. In one embodiment, the assigning unit 214 allows the at least one available instance 104 to create a VMN mapping. For example, once the API call reaches the at least one available instance 104, the assigning unit 214 selects the VMN and creates the mapping via the at least one available instance 104 to map the user and the third party 110. This mapping will be used when a call is initiated by at least one of, the user and the third party 110.
[0058] Upon assigning the VMN to the user, the connection establishing unit 216 of the processor 202 is configured to establish the call between the UE 102 of the user and the third party 110 using the assigned VMN.
[0059] The transceiver 208, the validating unit 210, the generating unit 212, the assigning unit 214, the connection establishment unit 216, and the notifying unit 218 in an exemplary embodiment, are implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processor 202. In the examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processor 202 may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processor may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the memory 204 may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processor 202. In such examples, the system 108 may comprise the memory 204 storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the memory 204 may be separate but accessible to the system 108 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processor 202 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture for the system 108, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates the system 108 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110. It is to be noted that the embodiment with respect to FIG. 3 will be explained with respect to the UE 102 for the purpose of description and illustration and should nowhere be construed as limited to the scope of the present disclosure.
[0061] FIG. 3 shows communication between the UE 102, the system 108, the at least one available instance 104 and the third party 110. For the purpose of description of the exemplary embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3, the UE 102, uses network protocol connection to communicate with the system 108. In an embodiment, the network protocol connection is the establishment and management of communication between the UE 102, the system 108, the least one available instance 104 and the third party 110 over the network 106 (as shown in FIG. 1) using a specific protocol or set of protocols. The network protocol connection includes, but not limited to, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), System Information Block (SIB) protocol, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and Terminal Network (TELNET).
[0062] In an embodiment, the UE 102 includes a primary processor 302, and a memory 304 and a User Interface (UI) 306. In alternate embodiments, the UE 102 may include more than one primary processor 302 as per the requirement of the network 106. The primary processor 302, may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, single board computers, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.
[0063] In an embodiment, the primary processor 302 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 304. The memory 304 may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which may be fetched and executed to manage the call between the user and the third party 110. The memory 304 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as disk memory, EPROMs, FLASH memory, unalterable memory, and the like.
[0064] In an embodiment, the User Interface (UI) 306 includes a variety of interfaces, for example, a graphical user interface, a web user interface, a Command Line Interface (CLI), and the like. The User Interface (UI) 306 of the UE 102 allows the user to transmit the request to the system 108 for assigning the VMN. In one embodiment, the user may be at least one of, but not limited to, a consumer, a network operator, and the service professional, etc.
[0065] For example, based on the request received from the UE 102, the system 108 manages the call between the user and the third party 110. For example, when the user connects with the third party 110 such as, other consumers and the service professionals, the third party 110 cannot see the original or actual mobile number of the user, instead of the original mobile number the VMN such as a random number will be visible to the third party 110. Advantageously, due to VMN, the original mobile number of the users are secured from the third party 110 and the misuse of the original mobile number of the user is avoided.
[0066] As mentioned earlier in FIG.2, the system 108 includes the processors 202, and the memory 204, for managing the call between the user and the third party 110, which are already explained in FIG. 2. For the sake of brevity, a similar description related to the working and operation of the system 108 as illustrated in FIG. 2 has been omitted to avoid repetition.
[0067] Further, as mentioned earlier the processor 202 includes the transceiver 208, the validating unit 210, the generating unit 212, the assigning unit 214, the connection establishment unit 216, and the notifying unit 218 which are already explained in FIG. 2. Hence, for the sake of brevity, a similar description related to the working and operation of the system 108 as illustrated in FIG. 2 has been omitted to avoid repetition. The limited description provided for the system 108 in FIG. 3, should be read with the description provided for the system 108 in the FIG. 2 above, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
[0068] FIG. 4 is an exemplary the system 108 architecture 400 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0069] The architecture 400 includes an Application Programming Interface (API) consumer 402, an UI API dashboard 404, a common API gateway 406, a BTAS cluster 408, an API publisher 410, a persistence database 416a and a cache 416b communicably coupled to each other via the network 106.
[0070] The architecture 400 of the present invention comprises of the API consumer 402. The API consumer 402 may be at least one of, an application, a developer or an enterprise that intend to use Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for their respective use cases such as managing call between the API consumer 402 and the third party 110. Herin the call is established between the API consumer 402 and the third party 110 via the BTAS cluster 408 utilizing the VMN. Herin, the persistent database 422a and the cache 422b includes the plurality of VMNs. The persistent database 422a is a database for all persistent records, the persistent database 422a is a scalable, a document oriented, a schema free database. The persistent database 422a is at least one of, but not limited to, Elastic search, and Redis, etc. The cache 422b is a distributed cache which is an in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache and a message broker. The message broker is software that enables the applications, systems and services to communicate with each other and exchange information.
[0071] In an embodiment, the UI API Dashboard 404 is a User Interface (UI) from where the user transmits the request or API calls for assigning the VMN.
[0072] In an embodiment, the common API gateway 406 may be a part of the system 108. The common API gateway 406 is a data-plane entry point for the API calls that represent API consumer 402 requests for assigning the VMN. The common API gateway 406 typically performs request/API calls processing based on defined policies, including authentication, authorization, access control, routing, and load balancing.
[0073] The common API gateway 406 comprises one or more modules, such as the CAPIF 406a, an Access Management System (AMS) 406b, an Identity and Access Management (IAM) 406d and an Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) 406c. The CAPIF 406a module is a complete 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) API framework that covers functionality related to managing call between the API consumer 402 and the third party 110. The CAPIF 406a is a common API gateway for API consumer 402, and the API providers 408. The CAPIF 406a also deals with security and authorization of the APIs. The AMS 406b module outsources the task of providing ongoing support for applications to an external provider that specializes in this type of maintenance and monitoring. The AMS 406b performs access control policy check and enrichment of the API call. The IAM 406d module is used for authentication and authorization of a third-party consumers. The ELB 406c module automatically distributes incoming traffic pertaining to API calls across multiple targets and virtual appliances in one or more availability zones.
[0074] In one embodiment, the plurality of API Providers 408 is an application that hosts the APIs and uses CAPIF 406a to expose their APIs. Similar to the API consumer 402, the API publisher 410 comprises an API developer, an API playground, and an enterprise architecture. Further, the API publisher 410 comprises a subscription engine 412 which manages the user subscriptions, billing and quota enforcement and a marketplace engine 414 which serves as a platform for listing APIs, allowing consumers to discover, evaluate, and subscribe to APIs.
[0075] In one embodiment, the BTAS cluster 408 includes multiple BTAS instances such as a BTAS instance-1 408a, a BTAS instance-2 408b, and a BTAS instance-N 408c that deals with voice related use cases.
[0076] In an embodiment, the CAPIF 406a validates requests/call for assigning the VMN. The CAPIF 406a validates the key and the token for each call. In particular, the key is extracted from the token and the key validation is performed. Based on key, the users subscription plan and the access control policy are checked. Thereafter, the requests/call reaches to at least one instance such as BTAS instance-1 408a of the BTAS cluster 408 for the VMN. Once call reaches the BTAS instance-1 408a, the BTAS instance-1 408a selects the VMN from the persistent database 422a and creates a mapping of the user with the third party 110 such as a service professional. This mapping will be used when a call is initiated by a consumer or service professional. Herin the mapping may be modified or configured at any time interval to get a new VMN for the calling party that may be the user or the third party 110.
[0077] FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the flow to manage the call between the user and the third party 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, consider a situation when the user (passenger) is calling a service professional to book a ride. It is be understood that the method disclosed below is for the purpose of explanation and description and is purely exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Various components of the system/architecture are described below.
[0078] At step 502, an invite is transmitted from the UE 102 of the user such as the passenger to an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Invite may be a call from the user or passenger who had to book the ride and call is transmitted to the IMS. The IMS is a standard-based architectural framework for delivering multimedia communications services such as voice, video and text messaging over IP networks.
[0079] At step 504, the invite from the IMS is transmitted to the at least one instance 104 (BTAS). The IMS transmits the call to at least one instance 104 (BTAS) or routes the call to a terminating BTAS which is serving the VMN service.
[0080] At step 506, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) applies the VMN service and initiates a call to a driver’s number. Herin the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) checks for the incoming invites or call and applies a VMN logic to fetch actual driver’s number. While initiating the call towards the driver, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) hides the actual users or passengers’ number by changing from P-Asserted-Identity (PAI) header number to VMN number in the invite. The PAI is a header field used in the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) within trusted networks to carry the identity of the user. Advantageously, the original mobile number of the user or passenger is hidden from the service professionals such as drivers. Therefore, any misuse of the mobile number is substantially negligible.
[0081] At step 508, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) checks a Mobile number portability (MNP) dip for the driver’s number. In particular, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) performs the MNP dip operation for the driver’s number. Dipping is the MNP operator's question-answer method for getting the precise location routing number of the call or SMS. For example, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) checks the service provider of the driver.
[0082] At step 510, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) applies a Credit Control Request (CCR) / Credit Control Answer (CCA) charging through a Charging Function (CHF). Charging is the process that is used to make periodic "dips" into the prepaid account of the user or the passenger. In one embodiment, the CHF checks whether funds are available or not in the prepaid account of the user or the passenger. If funds are not available, the telephony voice or data session is terminated.
[0083] At step 512, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) transmits an invite to an Interconnect Border Control Function (IBCF). The IBCF offers boundary control between various service provider networks, providing IMS network security in terms of signaling information. The IBCF is used whenever the service provider of the driver is different from the service provider of the user or passenger.
[0084] At step 514, the IBCF transmits an invite to a terminating network 106 for establishing call between the user or the passenger and the driver. The terminating network 106 indicates that the network to which a receiver of a telecommunication message (voice and non-voice) is proximately connected to. In particular, terminating network 106 is the network where the driver is connected.
[0085] At step 516, the terminating network 106 transmits an invite to the driver for establishing call between the user or the passenger and the driver. Herin the driver receives the call, initiated by the user or the passenger.
[0086] At step 518, the terminating network 106 receives the response from the driver in which an OK success status response code is received. The OK success response code indicates that the request has succeeded.
[0087] At step 520, the IBCF receives the response from the terminating network 106 in which the OK success status response code is received. The OK success status response code indicates that the request has succeeded.
[0088] At step 522, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) receives the response from the IBCF in which the OK success status response code is received. The OK success status response code indicates that the request has succeeded.
[0089] At step 524, the IMS receives the response from the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) in which the OK success status response code is received. The OK success status response code indicates that the request has succeeded.
[0090] At step 526, the UE 102 of the user or the passenger receives the response from the IMS in which the OK success status response code is received. The OK success status response code indicates that the request has succeeded.
[0091] At step 528, the at least one instance 104 (BTAS) establishes a Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) connection between the user or the passenger and the driver. Thereafter, the user or the passenger and the driver can have the conversations.
[0092] Similarly, in a situation when the driver is calling to the user (passenger) when reached at a pick up location, similar steps are performed which are disclosed above and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.
[0093] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method 600 to manage the call between the user and the third party 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. For the purpose of description, the method 600 is described with the embodiments as illustrated in FIG. 2 and should nowhere be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
[0094] At step 602, the method 600 includes the step of receiving, the request from the user via the UE 102 for assigning the Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). In one embodiment, the transceiver 208 receives the request from the user via the UE 102 for assigning the VMN. In an alternate embodiment, the API call is received at the transceiver 208 for assigning the VMN to the user. For example, let us consider that the passenger is calling the service professional such as the driver to book a ride via a mobile phone.
[0095] At step 604, the method 600 includes the step of validating, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user. In one embodiment, the validating unit 210 validates the one or more attributes based on the request received from the user. Herin, the one or more attributes including at least one of, but not limited to the token, the key, the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user. For example, by validating the token and the key the passenger is validated. Further, the passenger’s subscription plan and the access policy are validated such as whether the passenger requesting for assigning the VMN has subscribed for the VMN service, the access control policy pertains to a limited number of times the VMN service is allowed to the passenger in a day based on the subscription plan.
[0096] At step 606, the method 600 includes the step of generating, the session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104 based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. In one embodiment, the generating unit 212 generates the session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104. For example, let us assume there are plurality of instances such as BTAS instance 1, BTAS instance 2,…,BTAS instance N. Once the one or more attributes of the passenger is validated, an enrichment task is performed which modifies the request.
[0097] Further, the generation unit 212 identifies the at least one available instance from the plurality of instances. If the generation unit 212 determines that the BTAS instance 1 is not available, then generation unit 212 will check for the BTAS instance 2. Subsequent to determining that the BTAS instance 2 is available, then the generation unit 212 selects the BTAS instance 2 and generates the session to connect an A party with a B party. Herein, the A party relates to the passenger and the B party relates to the at least one available instance 104 such as the BTAS instance 2 or vice versa.
[0098] At step 608, the method 600 includes the step of assigning the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE 102 and the at least one instance 104. In one embodiment, the assigning unit 214 is configured to assign the VMN to the user utilizing the at least one available instance 104. For example, among the plurality of VMNs stored in the storage unit 206, the assigning unit 214 utilizes the BTAS instance 2 and selects at least one VMN which is any random number from the plurality of VMNs in round robin order. Then the selected at least one VMN is assigned to the passenger. In other words, the VMN is different from the actual mobile number of the passenger.
[0099] At step 610, the method 600 includes the step of establishing, the call between the UE 102 of the user and the third party 110 using the assigned VMN. In one embodiment, the connection establishing unit 216 is configured to establish the call between the UE 102 of the user and the third party 110 using the assigned VMN. For example, when the call is established between the passenger and the driver, the VMN will we visible to the driver instead of the actual mobile number of the passenger. Advantageously, due to the VMN the actual mobile numbers of the passengers are safe and secured.
[00100] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor 202. The processor 202 is configured to receive the request from the user via the User Equipment (UE) 102 for assigning the Virtual Mobile Number (VMN). The processor 202 is further configured to validate, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user. The processor 202 is further configured to generate, the session between the UE 102 of the user and at least one available instance 104 based on successful validation of the one or more attributes. The processor 202 is further configured to assign the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE 102 and the at least one instance 104. The processor 202 is further configured to, establish the call between the UE 102 of the user and the third party 110 using the assigned VMN.
[00101] A person of ordinary skill in the art will readily ascertain that the illustrated embodiments and steps in description and drawings (FIG.1-6) are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.
[00102] The present disclosure provides technical advancements of the present invention such as preventing mobile number of the user from not showing up on the mobile number of any third party. Allowing users to reach to their service professionals by calling on the VMN and vice versa, service professionals can also connect with the user using the VMN. Notifying the users or the service professionals regarding the call status which includes at least one of, such as call connected, call connecting, call ended, call failed, subscription of the VMN service is expired. Herein, based on monitoring every API call, the access control policy is applied on every API call to validate the user, and logs for every API call are stored.
[00103] The present invention offers multiple advantages over the prior art and the above listed are a few examples to emphasize on some of the advantageous features. The listed advantages are to be read in a non-limiting manner.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[00104] Environment - 100;
[00105] User Equipment (UE) - 102;
[00106] Server - 104;
[00107] Network- 106;
[00108] System -108;
[00109] Third party – 110;
[00110] Processor - 202;
[00111] Memory - 204;
[00112] Storage unit – 206;
[00113] Transceiver– 208;
[00114] Validating unit – 210;
[00115] Generating unit – 212;
[00116] Assigning unit – 214;
[00117] Connection establishment unit – 216;
[00118] Notifying unit - 218;
[00119] Primary Processor – 302;
[00120] Memory – 304;
[00121] User Interface (UI) – 306;
[00122] API consumer – 402;
[00123] UI API Dashboard – 404;
[00124] Common API Gateway – 406;
[00125] BTAS cluster - 408;
[00126] API Publisher – 410;
[00127] Subscription Engine - 412;
[00128] Market Place – 414;
[00129] Persistent database - 422a;
[00130] Cache - 422b.
,CLAIMS:CLAIMS
We Claim:
1. A method (600) to manage a call between a user and a third party (110), the method (600) comprises the steps of:
receiving, by one or more processors (202), a request from the user via a User Equipment (UE) (102) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN);
validating, by the one or more processors (202), one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, wherein the one or more attributes including at least one of, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy related to the user;
generating, by the one or more processors (202), a session between the UE (102) of the user and at least one available instance (104) based on successful validation of the one or more attributes;
assigning, by the one or more processors (202), the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE (102) and the at least one instance (104); and
establishing, by the one or more processors (102), the call between the UE (102) of the user and the third party (102) using the assigned VMN.

2. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request received from the user is at least one of, an Application Programming Interface (API) call.

3. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one available instance (104) is at least one of, a Business Telephony Application Server (BTAS) instance.

4. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of, validating, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, includes the steps of:
extracting, by the one or more processors (202), information of the token and the key from the request;
validating, by the one or more processors (202), the token and the key by comparing the token and the key with pre-stored information of the user stored in a storage unit (206);
upon successful validation of the token and the key, extracting, by the one or more processors (202), from the storage unit (206), data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user based on the validated key;
checking, by the one or more processors (202), if the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user matches with the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy of the user extracted from the request; and
in response to matching, inferring, by the one or more processors (202), that the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user is valid.

5. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of, generating, a session between the UE (102) of the user and at least one available instance (104) based on successful validation of the one or more attributes, includes the steps of:
performing, by the one or more processors (202), an enrichment task on data related to the user by receiving one or more additional data points from external sources;
identifying, by the one or more processors (202), the at least one available instance from a plurality of instances (104) in a network (106); and
generating, by the one or more processors (202), the session represented by a session identifier between the UE (102) and the at least one available instance (104), wherein one or more future requests from the user is routed to the at least one available instance (104).

6. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of, assigning, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE (102) and the at least one instance (104), includes the step of:
selecting, by the one or more processors (202), via the at least one available instance, the VMN from a plurality of VMNs utilizing at least one of, a round robin order based on the generated session between the UE (102) and the at least one instance (104); and
assigning, by the one or more processors (202), the VMN to the user.

7. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the one or more attributes are not valid, the method (600) further includes the step of:
notifying, by the one or more processors (202), the user of invalidity of the one or more attributes.

8. A system (108) to manage a call between a user and a third party (110), the system (108) comprising:
a transceiver (208), configured to, receive, a request from the user via a User Equipment (UE) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN);
a validating unit (210), configured to, validate, one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, wherein the one or more attributes including at least one of, a token, a key, a subscription plan and an access control policy related to the user;
a generating unit (212), configured to, generate, a session between the UE (102) of the user and at least one available instance based on successful validation of the one or more attributes;
an assigning unit (214), configured to, assign, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE (102) and the at least one instance (104); and
a connection establishing unit (216), configured to, establish, the call between the UE (102) of the user and the third party (110) using the assigned VMN.

9. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the request received from the user is at least one of, an Application Programming Interface (API) call.

10. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one available instance is at least one of, a Business Telephony Application Server (BTAS) instance.

11. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the validating unit (210), validates, the one or more attributes based on the request received from the user, by:
extracting, information of the token and the key from the request;
validating, the token and the key by comparing the token and the key with pre-stored information of the user stored in a storage unit (206);
upon successful validation of the token and the key, extracting, from the storage unit (206), data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user based on the validated key;
checking, if the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user matches with the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy of the user extracted from the request; and
in response to matching, inferring, that the data related to the subscription plan and the access control policy related to the user is valid.

12. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the generating unit (212), generates, the session between the UE (102) of the user and the at least one available instance (104) based on successful validation of the one or more attributes, by:
performing, an enrichment task on data related to the user by receiving one or more additional data points from external sources;
identifying, the at least one available instance (104) from a plurality of instances in a network (106); and
generating, the session represented by a session identifier between the UE (102) and the at least one available instance (104), wherein one or more future requests from the user is routed to the at least one available instance (104).

13. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the assigning unit (214), assigns, the VMN to the user based on generating the session between the UE (104) and the at least one instance (104), by:
selecting, via the at least one available instance, the VMN from a plurality of VMNs utilizing at least one of, a round robin order based on the generated session between the UE (102) and the at least one instance (104); and
assigning, the VMN to the user.

14. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein if the one or more attributes are not valid, the system (108) further comprising, a notifying unit (218), configured to, notifying, the user of invalidity of the one or more attributes.

15. A User Equipment (UE) (102), comprising:
one or more primary processors (302) communicatively coupled to one or more processors (202), the one or more primary processors (302) coupled with a memory (304), wherein said memory (304) stores instructions which when executed by the one or more primary processors (302) causes the UE (102) to:
transmit, a request to the one or more processors (202) for assigning a Virtual Mobile Number (VMN);
wherein the one or more processors (202) is configured to perform the steps as claimed in claim 1.