Method and apparatus for cost-saving telephone service

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for a cost-saving telephone service, comprising: receiving a request for telephoning a third party client device from a communication resources using device, wherein the communication resources using device and the third party client device are connected to a first and a second telephone service networks respectively; selecting a communication resources providing device from a plurality of client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network; and having the communication resources providing device telephone the third party client device through the second telephone service network such that the communication resources using device communicates with the third party client device via the communication resources providing device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for a cost-saving telephone service, which is performed by a server comprising:
 receiving a request for calling a third party client device from a communication resource using device, wherein the communication resource using device is a first client device registered to the cost-saving telephone service of the server, and is connected to the server through a data network, the communication resource using device and the third party client device are respectively connected to a first telephone service network and a second telephone service network, and the first telephone service network and the second telephone service network are managed by different telephone service providers; 
 selecting a communication resource providing device from a plurality of second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network, wherein the communication resource providing device is connected to the server through the data network; and 
 controlling the communication resource providing device to call the third party client device through the second telephone service network such that the communication resource using device communicates with the third party client device via the communication resource providing device without being charged with an inter-network charge rate. 
 
     
     
       2. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cost-saving telephone service makes each of the client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service provide a connected telephone number thereof and a name of a corresponding telephone service network to the cost-saving telephone service. 
     
     
       3. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cost-saving telephone service makes each of the client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service provide at least one of bandwidth data thereof and continuous positioning data thereof to the cost-saving telephone service. 
     
     
       4. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the step of selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network comprising:
 selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network according to at least one of the bandwidth data and the continuous positioning data provided by the second client devices. 
 
     
     
       5. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a user of the communication resource providing device is granted a right to actively cancel a communication between the communication resource using device and the third party client device, and the cost-saving telephone service records a call cancelling operation on a call cancelling record, and records the client device selected as the communication resource providing device in the communication. 
     
     
       6. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the step of selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network comprising:
 selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network according to the call cancelling record. 
 
     
     
       7. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of the client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service is assigned with a corresponding communication service account, which is refillable to a user. 
     
     
       8. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 7 , further comprising charging a service fee from the communication service account corresponding to the communication resource using device according to a session and a duration that the communication resource using device communicates with the third party client device via the communication resource providing device. 
     
     
       9. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 7 , further comprising refilling a cost-saving communication service account corresponding to the communication resource providing device according to a session and a duration that the communication resource using device communicates with the third party client device via the communication resource providing device. 
     
     
       10. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein a charging rate being charged by the communication resource providing device is determined by a user of the client device selected as the communication resource providing device. 
     
     
       11. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the step of selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network comprising:
 selecting the communication resource providing device from the second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network according to charging rates for providing communication resources that are determined by users of the second client devices. 
 
     
     
       12. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the request for telephoning the third party client device by the communication resource using device comes from a peer-to-peer connection device, and the peer-to-peer connection device is connected to the communication resource using device in a peer-to-peer manner through a wireless transmission technique. 
     
     
       13. The method for the cost-saving telephone service as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the wireless transmission technique is one of Bluetooth, wireless fidelity, or a device-to-device communication. 
     
     
       14. A method for a cost-saving telephone service, which is performed by a user, comprising:
 proposing, by a communication resource using device, a request for calling a third party client device, wherein the communication resource using device is a first client device registered to the cost-saving telephone service of a server, and is connected to the server through a data network, the communication resource using device and the third party client device are respectively connected to a first telephone service network and a second telephone service network, and the first telephone service network and the second telephone service network are managed by different telephone service providers; and 
 communicating, by the communication resource using device, with the third party client device via a communication resource providing device without being charged with an inter-network charge rate, wherein the communication resource providing device is selected by the server from a plurality of second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network, and the communication resource providing device is connected to the server through the data network, and the communication resource providing device calls the third party client device through the second telephone service network. 
 
     
     
       15. An apparatus for a cost-saving telephone service, comprising a server, wherein the server:
 receives a request for calling a third party client device from a communication resource using device, wherein the communication resource using device is a first client device registered to the cost-saving telephone service of the server, and is connected to the server through a data network, the communication resource using device and the third party client device are respectively connected to a first telephone service network and a second telephone service network, and the first telephone service network and the second telephone service network are managed by different telephone service providers; 
 selects a communication resource providing device from a plurality of second client devices registered to the cost-saving telephone service and connected to the second telephone service network, wherein the communication resource providing device is connected to the server through the data network; and 
 controls the communication resource providing device to call the third party client device through the second telephone service network such that the communication resource using device communicates with the third party client device via the communication resource providing device without being charged with an inter-network charge rate.