Title: Auto sensing home base station for mobile telephone with remote answering capabilites
Abstract: The present invention discloses in one embodiment a mobile telephone capable of communicating with a home base station through radio signals. The mobile telephone registers with a home base station before beginning to communicate with the home base station. The home base station is capable of sensing the presence of the mobile telephone in its coverage area and subsequently establishing contact with the mobile telephone, if the mobile telephone is registered with the home base station. The home base station can support a plurality of telephone devices, including corded and cordless telephone devices, and provides call placement and answering services to these telephone devices if there is a registered mobile telephone within its coverage area.
Patent Number: 6,876,861 Issued on 04/05/2005 to Frank, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Frank; Scott M. (Dunwoody, GA);
Meadows; Vernon (Lilburn, GA)
|
| Assignee:
|
BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation (Wilmington, DE)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
036206 |
| Filed:
|
December 26, 2001 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
455/462; 455/435.1; 455/554.1 |
| Intern'l Class: |
H04Q 007//20; 435; 432 |
| Field of Search: |
455/465,462,433,567,411,410,517,561,454,41.2,435.1,554.1,554.2,525,426.1,426.2
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 3906166 | Sep., 1975 | Cooper et al.
| |
| 4268722 | May., 1981 | Little et al.
| |
| 5020094 | May., 1991 | Rash et al. | 455/411.
|
| 5426689 | Jun., 1995 | Griffith et al. | 379/58.
|
| 5430719 | Jul., 1995 | Weisser, Jr.
| |
| 5444765 | Aug., 1995 | Marui et al. | 379/59.
|
| 5528666 | Jun., 1996 | Weigand et al. | 455/412.
|
| 5574984 | Nov., 1996 | Reed et al. | 455/69.
|
| 5598412 | Jan., 1997 | Griffith et al. | 370/352.
|
| 5629976 | May., 1997 | Loke et al. | 379/61.
|
| 5689549 | Nov., 1997 | Bertocci et al. | 455/463.
|
| 5771453 | Jun., 1998 | Haartsen | 455/449.
|
| 5818824 | Oct., 1998 | Lu et al. | 370/328.
|
| 5875395 | Feb., 1999 | Holmes | 455/420.
|
| 6122515 | Sep., 2000 | Ito et al. | 455/450.
|
| 6314299 | Nov., 2001 | Schreib et al. | 455/465.
|
| 6396457 | May., 2002 | Gatherer et al. | 343/853.
|
| 6405027 | Jun., 2002 | Bell | 455/403.
|
| 6704580 | Mar., 2004 | Fintel | 455/550.
|
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 0 342 707 | Nov., 1989 | EP.
| |
| 2 283 881 | May., 1995 | GB.
| |
| 2 285 556 | Jul., 1995 | GB.
| |
| WO 98/28929 | Jul., 1998 | WO | .
|
| WO 01/58181 | Aug., 2001 | WO | .
|
Primary Examiner: Appiah; Charles N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merchant & Gould
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for providing communication services through a mobile
telecommunications network, the system comprising:
at least one mobile telephone in communication with the mobile
telecommunications network;
a home base station having a mobile telephone interface unit for
communication with mobile telephones and a mobile telephone registration
unit, the home base station being capable of detecting the presence of the
at least one mobile telephone in its coverage area and the mobile
telephone registration unit being capable of storing information
identifying the at least one mobile telephone; and
at least one telephone device in communication with the home base station,
wherein the telephone device comprises either a traditional telephone or a
device specially designed to operate with the home base station, and
wherein the home base station is operative to enable communication by the
telephone device on the mobile telecommunications network through the at
least one mobile telephone when the at least one mobile telephone is in
the home base station's coverage area.
2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between the
home base station and the at least one telephone device follows Bluetooth
protocols.
3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between the
home base station and the at least one mobile telephone follows Bluetooth
protocols.
4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the home base station
further comprises a corded telephone interface unit.
5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the home base station further
comprises a cordless telephone interface unit.
6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile telephone
further comprises a home base station interface unit.
7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one telephone
device is capable of receiving the information identifying the at least
one mobile telephone from the home base station and displaying the
information to a user.
8. A method for providing telephone services in a mobile telecommunications
network comprising a home base station, at least one mobile telephone, and
at least one telephone device, the method comprising:
registering the at least one mobile telephone with the home base station by
storing information identifying the at least one mobile telephone;
detecting by the home base station the presence of the at least one mobile
telephone;
establishing communication between the at least one telephone device and
the home base station;
establishing communication between the at least one mobile telephone and
the home base station;
transmitting the information identifying the at least one mobile telephone
to at least one telephone device;
detecting the at least one telephone device being off hook;
receiving a dialed telephone number; and
sending the dialed telephone number to the at least one mobile telephone.
9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising:
receiving identification information from the at least one mobile
telephone;
comparing the identification information received with the information
stored; and
if the identification information received matches the information stored,
sending a request to establish communication with the at least one mobile
telephone.
10. A method according to claim 8 further comprising displaying on the home
base station the identification information of the at least one mobile
telephone.
11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the communication between the at
least one mobile telephone and the home base station follows Bluetooth
protocols.
12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one telephone
device is a cordless telephone device.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the communication between the
home base station and the cordless telephone device follows Bluetooth
protocols.
14. A method according to claim 8 further comprising:
providing dial tones to the at least one telephone device.
15. A method according to claim 8 further comprising:
detecting by the home base station the strength of radio signals from the
at least one mobile telephone is fading; and
if a call is established, terminating the call.
16. A method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one telephone
device is a corded telephone device.
17. An apparatus for providing telephone services to a plurality of
telephone devices, the apparatus comprising:
a mobile telephone interface unit for interfacing with mobile telephones,
the mobile telephone interface unit interfacing with the mobile telephones
through radio signals;
a transceiver connected to the mobile telephone interface unit;
a local telephone interface unit for interfacing with corded and cordless
telephone devices; and
a controller for controlling interactions among the mobile telephone
interface unit, the local telephone interface unit, a mobile telephone
registration unit, and a privacy unit, wherein the controller enables
communications to be directed from the corded and cordless telephone
devices over a wireless telecommunications network via a mobile telephone.
18. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising a mobile
telephone registration unit for registering mobile telephones with the
apparatus.
19. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising:
a corded telephone interface unit; and
a cordless telephone interface unit.
20. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising a privacy unit
for providing privacy to a user in communication with a remote party.
21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the privacy unit is capable
of
interpreting a privacy request message,
determining an originating device for the privacy request message, and
disabling audio connections to other devices.
22. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising at least one
docking station.
23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the at least one docking
station being connected to the apparatus through a cable.
24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the at least one docking
station further comprises a battery charger.
25. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising a mobile
telephone selector, wherein the mobile telephone selector determines which
mobile telephone the mobile telephone interface unit interfaces with.
26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the mobile telephone
selector being a selection screen displayed on a user interface screen on
the apparatus.
27. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the mobile telephone
selector being a plurality of buttons on the apparatus, wherein each
button is associated with one mobile telephone in communication with the
apparatus.
28. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller being
capable of directing the mobile telephone interface unit to communicate
with a specific mobile telephone according to a selection logic.
29. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the selection logic is
based on radio signal strength.
30. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the selection logic is
based on history of connection quality.
31. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the selection logic is
based on mobility history.
32. An apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising a registration
button, wherein the registration button being functionally connected to
the controller.
33. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the registration button
being a display on a user interface screen on the apparatus.
34. A method for providing privacy to a user during a telephone call,
wherein the user uses a home base station to communicate with a third
party, the method comprising:
receiving a privacy request from an originating device;
if the originating device is a mobile telephone, disabling telephone
devices connected to the home base station; and
if the originating device is one of the telephone devices connected to the
home base station,
disabling other telephone devices, and
sending a privacy request to the mobile telephone.
35. A method according to claim 34 further comprising:
determining the originating device.
36. A method according to claim 34, wherein disabling telephone devices
further comprises:
disabling audio connections to the telephone devices.
37. A method according to claim 34 further comprising:
enabling telephone devices when the telephone call ends.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to telephonic communications and more
particularly relates to wireless communications via a home base station.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mobile and satellite telephones have gained popularity in recent years in
all walks of life. Mobile telephones are not only popular with executives
in busy metropolitan areas, but are also popular in sparsely populated
areas where the cost, per user, of laying down the infrastructure for
traditional wireline telephones is high. Also, people who move their
residence from one geographic location to another are beginning to use
their mobile telephone number as their residence telephone number to avoid
having to notify people of telephone number changes. Significantly lower
mobile telephone prices in recent years has also prompted many
telecommunication users to use a mobile telephone as their primary
residential telephone in lieu of the traditional wireline telephone.
Typical mobile telephone (MT) systems are characterized by dividing a radio
coverage area into several smaller coverage areas or "cells" using low
power transmitters and coverage-restricted receivers. As shown in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 3,906,166 and 4,268,722, which are incorporated by reference
herein, the limited coverage area enables the radio channels used in one
cell to be reused in another cell. As a mobile telephone in one cell moves
across the boundary of the cell and into an adjacent cell, control
circuitry associated with the cells detects that the signal strength of
the mobile telephone in the just-entered cell is stronger, and
communications with the mobile telephone are "handed off" to the
just-entered cell. Thus, a system can supply two-way communications for an
array of cells, thereby supplying communications for a much wider area
than conventional two-way radios.
The terms, mobile telephone, cellular telephone, and radiotelephone are
used interchangeably in this application, and they encompass communication
devices that use radio signals for communication. The radio signals may be
in the spectrum traditionally known as cellular band or PCS (personal
communication system) band. The radio signals also may be in any other
spectrum assigned for mobile communications. Besides land-based systems, a
satellite based communications system also has gained popularity. In the
satellite based system, satellite receives signal from satellite telephone
network and beams call to satellite telephone. Relatively new, but as
prices of these satellite telephones come down, many telecommunication
users will begin to use the satellite telephone as their primary
residential telephone.
Generally, mobile telephones provide an individual with flexibility, but
create an unforeseen problem when used as the primary residential
telephone. Traditionally in a residential setting, there are many
telephone extensions throughout a user's house. When an incoming call
arrives, it rings all the telephone devices connected to the line, and the
user can answer the call from any extension.
However, when the mobile telephone is the primary and only telephone in the
house, the user must carry the mobile telephone all the time to answer it
promptly or run to the mobile telephone every time it rings. Another
problem with using a mobile telephone as the primary telephone in any
location is that only one person can listen to the conversation. Normally,
if there is more than one telephone device connected to a telephone line,
there can be one person per telephone device listening and talking to a
caller on the other end of the telephone connection. A mobile telephone
provides only one device for listening and talking to the other caller.
Clearly, it is inconvenient not to allow more than one person to listen to
a telephone conversation, and it is even more undesirable to run through
the house searching for the mobile telephone every time an incoming call
arrives.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention allows individuals who do not have direct access to a
PSTN to communicate and receive communication at their homes, offices, or
other locations in a convenient manner through use of their mobile
telephones. More particularly, a preferred embodiment of the present
invention employs a home base station (HBS) that is capable of sensing the
presence of mobile telephones and communicating with mobile telephones.
The home base station is in communication with a plurality of telephone
devices, such as conventional corded telephone devices or cordless
telephone devices or devices specially designed for use with the home base
station. The methodology of the present invention defines communications
between a mobile telephone and a home base station. Additionally, the
present invention allows a telephone device to communicate through a
mobile telephone.
The HBS has a mobile telephone interface unit (MTIU) connected to a
transceiver, a controller, a mobile telephone registration unit (RRU), a
local telephone interface unit (LTIU), which is connected to a corded
telephone interface unit (CTIU) and a cordless telephone interface unit
(CLTIU). According to the present invention, a mobile telephone is
equipped with a HBS interface unit and capable of receiving and
transmitting radio signals to and from the HBS. The home base station uses
radio signals of a frequency different from the frequency used by the
systems. The communications between the HBS and the mobile telephone
utilize a communication protocol, and, in a preferred embodiment, the
communications between the HBS and a mobile telephone utilizes the
Bluetooth protocol.
A user first registers his mobile telephone with a HBS. Subsequently, the
HBS is capable of sensing the presence of the registered mobile telephone.
The RRU registers the mobile telephone by storing its information in a
memory. When the HBS detects the signals of a mobile telephone, it
compares the signals with the information stored by the RRU, and if they
match, the HBS starts to communicate with the mobile telephone.
After sensing that a registered mobile telephone is within its coverage
area, the HBS communicates with the mobile telephone and sends its
information to the mobile telephone. The HBS also enables dial tones to
the telephone devices, which are associated with it.
If the user picks up a telephone device located in his bedroom, he will get
a dial tone and can then dial a destination number. The HBS receives the
dialed telephone number and requests that the mobile telephone make a
connection to the dialed number. The mobile telephone makes a request for
a telephonic connection to the dialed number as if the dialed number was
entered from its own keypad. After the connection is made, the user can
talk on his telephone device as if the connection was made through the
telephone device.
When the mobile telephone receives an incoming call, the mobile telephone
will pass the information to the HBS, and the HBS will send the ringing
tone to all telephone devices connected to the HBS. The user can answer
the call from any telephone device connected to the HBS including the
mobile telephone.
If the user takes the mobile telephone and leaves the HBS' coverage area,
the HBS will sense that the radio signals from the mobile telephone are
fading, and subsequently the HBS will cease to provide dial tones to the
telephone devices connected to it.
The HBS is also capable of providing privacy to the user using the mobile
telephone or a telephone device to place or to receive a call. The user
may activate the privacy feature by sending a message from the mobile
telephone or the telephone device to the HBS, and the HBS will block other
telephone devices from listening into the call.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other aspects and advantages of the invention described
herein will be better understood from the following detailed description
of one or more preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to
the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 depicts the architecture of a telephone system where the present
invention is employed.
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary architecture of a home base station (HBS)
according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary architecture of a mobile telephone according to
the present invention.
FIG. 4 depicts a HBS process for registering a mobile telephone.
FIG. 5 depicts a mobile telephone process for registering with a HBS.
FIG. 6 depicts a HBS process for establishing a connection with a mobile
telephone.
FIG. 7 depicts a mobile telephone process for establishing a connection
with a HBS.
FIG. 8 depicts a HBS process for receiving an incoming call.
FIG. 9 depicts a mobile telephone process for receiving an incoming call.
FIG. 10 depicts a HBS process for making an outgoing call.
FIG. 11 depicts a mobile telephone process for making an outgoing call.
FIG. 12 depicts a HBS process for handling a privacy request.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed
herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are
merely exemplary of the invention(s) that may be embodied in various and
alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features
may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components;
some steps of a process may not need to be the exact sequence as shown.
Therefore, specific structural, functional details, and process steps
disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a
basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one
skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, in which like numerals
represent like components throughout several views, FIG. 1 illustrates
employment of a system according to the present invention in a
telecommunication environment 100. A home base station (HBS) 104 according
to the present invention is generally employed in a user's home or office
102. The HBS 104 may support one or multiple telephone devices, either
corded telephone devices 108 or cordless telephone devices 106 or a
combination of corded and cordless telephone devices. The HBS 104
communicates with a wireless telephone network through a mobile telephone
110.
In this application a telephone device may be a traditional telephone
device, either corded or cordless, used with a landline telephone network
or the PSTN or may be a device specially designed to operate with the HBS.
The telephone device may or may not have all the features commonly seen on
a traditional telephone device.
According to the present invention, the mobile telephone 110 is capable of
communicating with the HBS 104 through radio signals. In one preferred
embodiment, the communication between the HBS 104 and the mobile telephone
110 follows a standard wireless protocol such as the Bluetooth protocol.
Other communications protocols may also be employed.
In the diagram shown in FIG. 1, a user (not shown) can use a telephone
device 106 to place a call to a mobile telephone 110'. The call is routed
through the HBS 104, the mobile telephone 110, an antenna 112 of a
wireless network, and a base station 114 to reach a mobile switching
center (MSC) 116, where the call is processed. After analyzing the dialed
number, the MSC 116 routes the call through another base station 114' and
another antenna 112' to reach the called mobile telephone 110'.
The user can also receive a call initiated by a party using a wireline
telephone 108' connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
118. The call is switched through the PSTN 118 and the wireless network to
reach the mobile telephone 110 and finally answered by the user on the
telephone device 108 connected to the HBS 104.
FIG. 2 depicts the architecture of one embodiment of a home base station
104. Generally, a HBS 104 has the following functional components: a
controller 208, a mobile telephone registration unit (RRU) 214, a mobile
telephone interface unit (MTIU) 204, a transceiver 202, a local telephone
interface unit (LTIU) 206, a corded telephone interface unit (CTIU) 210, a
cordless telephone interface unit (CLTIU) 212, and a privacy unit 216.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that functional components other
than those listed above may provide similar or equivalent functions.
The HBS 104 communicates with both mobile telephones and telephone devices.
The HBS 104 communicates with one or more mobile telephones 110 through
the MTIU 204 and the transceiver 202. The transceiver 202 is capable of
modulating and demodulating radio signals, besides transmitting and
receiving the same radio signals. The MTIU 204 is responsible for
communicating with the mobile telephones 110, and the communication
between the HBS and the mobile telephones can follow the Bluetooth
standard or other radio communication standards.
The HBS 104 communicates with telephone devices, corded 108 or cordless
106, through the LTIU 206. The interface to a corded telephone device 108
is through the CTIU 210, and the interface to a cordless telephone device
106 is through the CLITU 212. The LTIU 206 is capable of detecting when a
telephone device is off hook and providing a dial tone to the telephone
device. If the telephone device is a cordless telephone device 106, the
actual tone is provided by the cordless handset under instruction from the
HBS 104.
The RRU 214 is responsible for registering mobile telephones. In a
preferred embodiment, the HBS 104 may register more than one mobile
telephone 110. The HBS may also include a registration button (not shown),
which allows a user to register the mobile telephone with the HBS upon
pressing the registration button. The registration button may also be
displayed on a user interface screen on the HBS. The RRU 214 stores the
telephone number and the corresponding electronic identification number
(EIN) of each mobile telephone 110. These numbers are received from the
mobile telephone 110 during the registration procedure and used during the
connection procedure. The RRU 214 also provides the telephone number to
the LTIU 206, so it can be displayed by a corded telephone device 108 or a
cordless telephone device 106, when a call is received. The telephone
number identifies which mobile telephone 110 received the incoming call
when the HBS 104 supports multiple mobile telephones 110.
The controller 208 oversees all the operations performed by the HBS 104.
The controller 208 works with the MTIU 204 to detect the presence of a
mobile telephone 110 and with the RRU 214 to register a mobile telephone
110. The controller 208 also controls the telephone devices through LTIU
206.
The privacy unit 216 enables the HBS 104 to provide privacy to a telephone
device or a mobile telephone that the user is using to communicate with a
remote party. If the user desires privacy while placing or responding to a
telephone call, the user can instruct the telephone device or the mobile
telephone to send a privacy request to the HBS 104. When a privacy request
is received, the privacy unit 216 determines its originating device, i.e.,
whether the request is from a mobile telephone or a telephone device. If
the privacy request is from the mobile telephone, the privacy unit 216
will disable the audio communication to the telephone devices, and a third
party, who picks up a telephone device, will not be able to listen to the
communication. If the privacy request is from a telephone device, the
privacy unit 216 will disable the audio communication to other telephone
devices and instruct the mobile telephone to disable its audio input and
output devices by sending a privacy request to the mobile telephone. The
mobile telephone in this situation acts only as a transmitting device to
the HBS.
The privacy request may be communicated from a telephone device or a mobile
telephone to the HBS by pressing a special privacy button, if one is
available, or a special sequence of existing buttons. The special sequence
of buttons is interpreted by the HBS as a special instruction to itself,
instead of a command to be transmitted to a remote party. Those skilled in
the art will appreciate other ways to communicate the privacy request.
In an alternative embodiment, the HBS 104 can provide the functionality of
an intercom system. The HBS 104 can support one telephone device connected
to the HBS calling another telephone device connected to the same HBS 104.
The LTIU 206 sequentially numbers the actual telephone connections
supported by the CTIU 210 and the CLTIU 212 besides assigning a number to
the mobile telephone. For example, if the HBS 104 has four connections for
a corded telephone device and one connection for a cordless telephone
device, the LTIU 206 could assign 0 to the mobile telephone, 1 to the
cordless telephone device, and 2-5 to the corded telephone devices. A user
on the corded telephone 4 may dial "*1" to ring the bell of the cordless
telephone, and, if a part answers at the cordless telephone, they will be
connected through the HBS 104.
In yet another embodiment, the HBS 104 may be equipped with a user
interface screen, when different messages can be displayed and inputs
taken from the user. The interface screen may be a touch screen, where the
user may input commands or settings to the HBS. The interface screen would
be connected to a user interface unit (not shown in FIG. 2), which is
connected to the controller 208.
FIG. 3 illustrates the architecture of a mobile telephone 110 according to
one embodiment of the present invention. In addition to all the normal
capabilities of a mobile telephone, the mobile telephone 110 according to
the present invention also has the capability to communicate through
different radio signals to the HBS 104. The communications with the HBS
104 is through frequencies different than those allocated for cellular
systems and personal communications systems (PCS). One example of such
frequencies is the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) spectrum,
which is in the range of 2.4 GHz. The communications protocol may be
proprietary or may follow an industry standard, such as the Bluetooth
protocol.
A mobile telephone 110 typically has a controller 314, a transceiver 302, a
display unit 304, an audio input unit 306, an audio output unit 308, a
keypad unit 310, a HBS interface unit 312, and a storage unit 316. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that functional components other than
those listed above may provide similar or equivalent functions.
The mobile telephone 110 performs its ordinary functions of communicating
with a wireless network through the controller 314, the transceiver 302,
the display unit 304, the audio input unit 306, the audio output unit 308,
the keypad unit 310, and the storage unit 316. The audio output unit 308
can support an earpiece speaker, which allows the user a hands free
conversation while driving an automobile, and a speaker. The transceiver
302 is responsible for communicating with the wireless network, while the
display unit 304 controls the display of an output screen, which typically
is a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The keypad unit 310 is
responsible for receiving inputs from the mobile telephone's keypad.
The mobile telephone 110 communicates with the HBS 104 through the HBS
interface unit 312. The HBS interface unit 312 employs other components in
its communications with the HBS 104 as necessary. The HBS interface unit
312 emits a radio signal indicating the presence of the mobile telephone
110 to the HBS 104 and receives a communication request from the HBS 104.
The HBS interface unit 312 also handles the registration procedure between
the mobile telephone 110 and the HBS 104 and stores the HBS 104
identification information in the storage unit 316. The mobile telephone
110 establishes communications with a HBS 104 only if the HBS' 104
identification matches the one stored in the storage unit 316.
In an alternative embodiment, a mobile telephone 110 can register with more
than one HBS 104 and a HBS 104 can also register more than one mobile
telephone 110.
Generally, the mobile telephone 110 operates in the registration mode and
the communication mode, and the mobile telephone 110 may switch between
these two modes. While operating in the registration mode, the mobile
telephone 110 can register itself with a HBS 104 and receive registration
information from the HBS 104. While in the communication mode, the mobile
telephone 110 can receive and place a call to and from a wireless
telephone network, and the call can be initiated by either the mobile
telephone 110 or a telephone device connected to the HBS 104.
Similarly, the HBS 104 also operates in the registration mode and the
communication mode. When in the registration mode, the HBS 104 can
register a mobile telephone 110 and send its information to the mobile
telephone 110. When in the communication mode, the HBS 104 can receive and
place a call to and from a wireless telephone network, and the call can be
initiated by either the mobile telephone 10 or a telephone device
connected to the HBS 104.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mobile telephone 10 and
the HBS 104 may operate in other modes, such as maintenance mode, set up
mode, etc.
FIGS. 4-5 describe the operation of the registration mode for the mobile
telephone 110 and the HBS 104.
FIGS. 6-12 describe different operations in the communication mode for the
mobile telephone 110 and the HBS 104.
FIG. 4 depicts a registration process 400 for the HBS 104. The HBS 104 can
enter the registration mode in different ways. For example, the HBS 104
may activate the registration process in response to the user pressing a
registration button or in response to other commands. Once the HBS 104
enters the registration mode, it checks whether a mobile telephone is
within its coverage area, block 402. The HBS 104 detects the presence of a
mobile telephone 110 by detecting radio signals emitted by the mobile
telephone 110. If a mobile telephone 110 is within its coverage area, the
HBS 104 receives the mobile telephone's registration information, block
404, which is embedded in the radio signals, and stores it, block 406. The
HBS 104 then sends its information, which may include its identification
information, to the mobile telephone, block 408.
FIG. 5 depicts a registration process 500 for a mobile telephone 110. The
mobile telephone 110 enters the registration mode when the registration
feature is activated by a user. After the user activates the registration
feature, for example, by pressing the feature activation button on the
mobile telephone 110, the mobile telephone 110 sends out a signal with its
registration information, block 502, which has the mobile telephone's
identification information. After sending out its registration
information, the mobile telephone 110 waits to receive the HBS
information. The HBS information may include the identification number for
the HBS 104 and/or other identification information. After the HBS
information is received, block 504, the mobile telephone 110 stores the
HBS information in its storage unit 316.
A mobile telephone 110 can be registered with a HBS 104 and subsequently
can move away from the HBS' coverage area. The removal will not erase the
registration information and the mobile telephone 110 can reestablish the
connection, without the need for registration, with the HBS 104 once it
returns to the HBS' coverage area. The mobile telephone can de-register
itself with a HBS by deleting the stored HBS information from the storage
unit 316. The HBS 104 can similarly de-register itself by removing the
mobile telephone identification information from its RRU 214. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate other ways to implement the
registration and de-registration procedures between a mobile telephone 110
and a HBS 104.
After the mobile telephone 110 is removed from the coverage area of the HBS
104, the mobile telephone 110 enters a search mode and transmits a radio
signal with its identification information, and the HBS 104 enters a
detect mode and analyzes radio signals for mobile telephone
identification. The HBS 104 exits the detect mode when it finds a mobile
telephone identification for a registered mobile telephone 110, and the
mobile telephone 110 exits from the search mode when it receives a request
to establish communications.
In an alternative embodiment, where the HBS supports more than one mobile
telephone, the HBS 104 continues in detect mode until all mobile
telephones have been registered.
After the mobile telephone 110 and the HBS 104 are identified with each
other, they exit from the registration mode and proceed to establish
communications in the communication mode.
In an alternative embodiment, a mobile telephone 110 can register with
multiple HBS' 104 and, conversely, a HBS 104 can also communicate with
multiple mobile telephones 110.
FIG. 6 depicts a detection process 600 for a HBS 104 to establish
connections with a mobile telephone 110. This process 600 starts when no
mobile telephone is in the HBS coverage area or the HBS is manually
activated. The HBS 104 checks whether a mobile telephone is within its
coverage area, block 602, by constantly receiving and analyzing radio
signals, and if there is no mobile telephone 110 in its coverage area, the
HBS 104 repeats the process of capturing and analyzing radio signals.
If a mobile telephone 110 is within the coverage area, the HBS 104 proceeds
to receive the mobile telephone's identification information, which is
preferably embedded in the radio signals emitted by the mobile telephone,
block 604. The mobile telephone 110 constantly emits radio signals either
indicating its presence or maintaining contact with the HBS 104. The
extracted mobile telephone identification information is compared with the
mobile telephone information stored by the RRU 214, block 606, and, if
they do not match, the mobile telephone 110 is not registered with the HBS
104 and the HBS 104 goes back to the step of capturing and analyzing radio
signals.
If the mobile telephone identification from the radio signals matches the
mobile telephone information from RRU 214, the mobile telephone 110 is
registered with the HBS 104, and the HBS 104 proceeds to establish
communications with the mobile telephone 110, block 608. After
establishing communications with the mobile telephone 110, the HBS 104
enables dial tones to the telephone devices, and the telephone devices are
ready to place or to receive a call like a traditional wireline or
landline telephone. HBS can also plug into a premises with existing
wireline connections for corded and cordless phones with dial tone.
FIG. 7 depicts a search mode process 700 for a mobile telephone 110. While
the mobile telephone 110 is sending out its identification information, it
is also checking for attempts to establish communications, block 702. If
the mobile telephone 110 detects a request to establish communications,
the mobile telephone 110 retrieves the identity of the HBS 104 making the
request, block 704 and checks whether the HBS 104 is a registered HBS,
block 706. If the HBS 104 is not a registered HBS, i.e., the
identification retrieved does not match the HBS identification information
stored in the storage unit 316, then the mobile telephone 110 drops the
request and returns to monitoring requests, block 702. If the HBS 104 is a
registered HBS, the mobile telephone 110 establishes communications with
the HBS 104.
FIG. 8 illustrates a HBS process 800 for receiving an incoming call. An
incoming call is first received by the mobile telephone 110, which sends a
message to the HBS 104 indicating there is an incoming call. The HBS 104
receives the incoming call indication, block 802, and checks if any
telephone device is available, block 803. A telephone device may not be
available for answering an incoming call for two reasons: it is already on
a call with a remote party, or it is on a call with another telephone
device in the intercom mode. A telephone device may be on a call with a
remote party, if the HBS supports more than one mobile telephone.
If there is no telephone device available for answering the incoming call,
the HBS starts to monitor whether the call has been answered, block 808.
If there is one or more telephone devices available for answering the
incoming call, the HBS rings the telephone devices, block 804. These
telephone devices will ring at the same time the mobile telephone 110 is
ringing.
The HBS 104 will also send the mobile telephone's identification to the
telephone devices, block 806. For an embodiment that supports multiple
mobile telephones, the mobile telephone's identification displayed on the
telephone devices tells a user from which mobile telephone the incoming
call is coming. The display of mobile telephone identification is in
addition to caller identification normally displayed by the telephone
devices if the user subscribes to a caller identification service.
In an alternative embodiment, the identification of the mobile telephone
carrying the incoming call may be through a distinctive ringing tone. In
this embodiment, each mobile telephone is associated with a distinctive
ringing tone.
The HBS 104 monitors whether the call has been answered, block 808. If the
call is answered, the HBS 104 checks whether the call is answered by the
mobile telephone, block 810. A call is answered by the mobile telephone
110, if the HBS 104 receives a message from the mobile telephone 110
indicating the call has been answered. If the call is not answered by the
mobile telephone but rather by a telephone device, the HBS 104 sends an
"answered" message to the mobile telephone 110, block 812, and stops the
telephone device bells from ringing, block 814. After the call is
answered, the HBS 104 establishes an audio connection between the HBS 104
and the mobile telephone 110 and monitors the communication, block 816.
While the user is communicating using the telephone device, the HBS
constantly determines whether the communication with the mobile telephone
is fading, i.e., whether the strength of the radio signal from the mobile
telephone is decreasing, block 818. If the signal fades beyond a threshold
level, the HBS terminates the call, block 820 because the mobile telephone
110 has moved out of the HBS 104 coverage area. When the HBS 104 can no
longer send and receive messages to and from the mobile telephone 110, it
means the HBS 104 can no longer receive audio messages from the mobile
telephone 110. Therefore, the HBS 104 terminates the call.
The HBS also monitors whether the call has ended, block 822. If the call
has not ended nor has the communications faded, the HBS continues to
monitor these two conditions. If the call has ended, the HBS 104 sends a
"hang-up" message to mobile telephone, block 824.
Back to block 810, if the call is answered by the mobile telephone 110
because an "answered" message is received from the mobile telephone 110,
the HBS 104 stops the telephone device bells from ringing, block 830.
After the call is answered, the HBS 104 establishes an audio connection
between the HBS 104 and the mobile telephone 110 and monitors the
communication, block 832.
In an alternative embodiment, if the call is answered by the mobile
telephone, the HBS can disable communication with the telephone devices to
provide privacy for the mobile telephone user. In yet another embodiment,
the telephone devices may be enabled to communicate with the mobile
telephone through the HBS.
The HBS constantly determines whether the communication with the mobile
telephone is fading, block 834. If the signal fades beyond a threshold
level, the HBS stops monitoring the communication, block 836. The signal
fading beyond a threshold level means that the mobile telephone 110 is
moving out of the HBS 104 coverage area. Since the call was answered by
the mobile telephone 110 and the mobile telephone is moving out of the HBS
110 coverage area, there is no need for the HBS to continue monitoring the
communication. The HBS 110 just returns to its search mode.
The HBS also monitors whether the call has ended, block 838. If the call
has not ended nor has the communications faded, the HBS continues to
monitor these two conditions. If the call has ended because a "hang-up"
message is received from the mobile telephone 110, the HBS 104 stops
monitoring the communication, block 836.
FIG. 9 depicts a mobile telephone process 900 for receiving an incoming
call. When the mobile telephone 110 receives a call, block 902, it sends
an "incoming call" message to the HBS 104, block 904. The mobile telephone
continuously checks whether the call has been answered, block 906. When
the call is answered, the mobile telephone 110 checks whether the call is
answered by the mobile telephone 110, block 908.
If the call is not answered by the mobile telephone 110, i.e., it is
answered by a telephone device connected to the HBS 104, the HBS 104 sends
an "answered" message to the mobile telephone 110. Upon receipt of the
"answered" message, the mobile telephone 110 answers the call, block 910,
establishes an audio connection to the HBS 104, and monitors the call,
block 912. The mobile telephone can also participate in the call. The call
monitoring essentially entails checking whether the radio signal from the
HBS is fading, block 914, and whether the call has ended, block 916. If
the radio signal from the HBS is fading because the mobile telephone is
physically moved away from the HBS, the mobile telephone terminates the
call, block 918. If the radio signal from the HBS is fading when the call
is answered by a telephone device connected to the HBS, it means that the
mobile telephone is being removed from the HBS coverage area. The mobile
telephone terminates the call in this situation to restore the mobile
telephone to its original state as an independent and detached
communication device.
If the call has ended, i.e., the mobile telephone receives a "hang-up"
message from the HBS, then the mobile telephone terminates the call, block
918.
Now back to block 908, if the call is answered by the mobile telephone 110,
the mobile telephone sends an "answered" message to the HBS 104 indicating
the call has been answered, block 920. The mobile telephone 110 also
establishes an audio connection with the HBS 104 and monitors the call,
block 921. The audio connection to the HBS is established so that another
user may pick up a telephone device connected to the HBS and participate
in the conversation.
If the mobile telephone 110 detects that communication with the HBS is
fading, i.e., the radio signal strength from the HBS is weakening, the
mobile telephone 110 continues to monitor whether the user at the mobile
telephone has ended the call, block 928. If the user hangs up, the mobile
telephone 110 terminates the call, block 918.
If the communications between the mobile telephone 110 and the HBS 104 is
not fading and the mobile telephone detects the call has ended, block 924,
the mobile telephone 110 sends a "hang-up" message to the HBS indicating
the call is terminated, block 926. The mobile telephone 110 also
terminates the call, block 918.
FIG. 10 illustrates a HBS process 1000 for placing an outgoing telephone
call. The process starts when the HBS detects a user picking up a
telephone device connected to the HBS, block 1002, and stops the dial tone
for a wired telephone after the first digit is entered, block 1004. The
HBS receives the telephone number (the dialed digits), block 1006, and
analyzes the telephone number, block 1008. The HBS analyzes the telephone
number entered by the user in order to determine whether the user has
finished entering the telephone number. The HBS is equipped with circuitry
that can determine whether a user has finished dialing a telephone number.
In an alternative embodiment, the HBS need not analyze the telephone number
entered, if the telephone devices connected to the HBS are equipped with a
"send" button. A user can press the "send" button after entering a
destination telephone number, and the "send" button indicates to the HBS
that the user has finished entering the telephone number.
After a user finishes entering the destination telephone number, the HBS
sends the destination telephone number to the mobile telephone, block
1010, which in turn sends the telephone number out to the wireless
telephone network, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The HBS
proceeds to establish an audio connection between the mobile telephone and
the HBS monitors the call, block 1012.
The HBS checks whether the communications with the mobile telephone is
fading, block 1014, and whether the call has ended, block 1016. If the
radio signal from the mobile telephone is fading, the HBS proceeds to
terminate the call, block 1020. If the communication is not fading, but
the call has ended, the HBS sends a "hang-up" message to the mobile
telephone, block 1018.
In another embodiment, the HBS can select between two or more available
mobile telephones to establish communication. Selection criteria may
include strongest radio signal strength, history for remaining within the
HBS coverage area (mobility history), history of the quality of
connections to the HBS, user preference, and the like. If a mobile
telephone has a history of leaving frequently the HBS coverage area, the
HBS may not want to select this mobile telephone when there is another
mobile telephone available. If a mobile telephone has a history of
providing lower quality of connection to the HBS, this mobile telephone
may not be a good candidate when the HBS is selecting a mobile telephone
for carrying out an outgoing communication. The HBS may select
automatically one mobile telephone for communication with the wireless
telecommunications network according to an internal logic according to a
predefined criteria. The HBS may also allow the user to determine which
mobile telephone to use by providing a mobile telephone selector, which
may be an interface screen displayed on the HBS's user interface screen.
The HBS may also provide the selection through a plurality of buttons on
the HBS, wherein each button is associated with one mobile telephone.
FIG. 11 illustrates a mobile telephone process 1100 for placing an outgoing
call. An outgoing call starts when a telephone number is entered on the
mobile telephone or received from the HBS. The mobile telephone 110 checks
whether the telephone number is received from the HBS, block 1102. If the
telephone number is received from the mobile telephone 110, the mobile
telephone 110 sends the telephone number to the wireless network and
requests a connection to the destination telephone, block 1114. The
connection is handled through a Mobile Switching Center (MSC).
The mobile telephone also establishes an audio connection to the HBS so
that the telephone devices can be enabled and monitors the call, block
1116. The mobile telephone 110 checks whether the radio signal from the
HBS 104 is fading, block 1118, and whether the call has ended, block 1120.
If the mobile telephone 110 detects the radio signal from the HBS is
fading, it then continues to check whether the call has ended, block 1122.
After the call has ended, i.e., the user hangs up the mobile telephone,
the mobile telephone terminates the call, block 1112. If the radio signal
is not fading but the user has ended the call, the mobile telephone
proceeds to terminate the call, block 1112.
Back to block 1102, if the telephone number is from the HBS 104, the mobile
telephone 110 sends the telephone number to the wireless network and
requests a connection to the destination telephone, block 1104. The mobile
telephone also establishes an audio connection to the HBS and monitors the
call, block 1106. The mobile telephone 110 checks whether the radio signal
from the HBS 104 is fading, block 1108, and whether the call has ended,
block 1110.
If the communication between the mobile telephone 110 and the HBS 104 is
fading, then the mobile telephone terminates the call, block 1112. If the
communications are not fading, but the call ends because a "hang-up" is
received from the HBS, then the mobile telephone 104 terminates the call,
block 1112.
FIG. 12 illustrates a HBS process 1200 for handling privacy requests. The
HBS can provide privacy to a user who is in communication with a remote
party, and the HBS can prevent a third party from listening to the
communication by picking up a telephone device connected to the HBS.
A user may request privacy while a communication is established with a
remote party. The user may make a privacy request by pressing a special
privacy request button on a mobile telephone or a telephone device. The
user may also request privacy by pressing a special sequence of buttons
currently available on the mobile telephone and the telephone devices. For
example, the user may press "**" to request for privacy. If the user is
using the mobile telephone, then the mobile telephone's controller 314
will understand that "**" is a privacy request to be sent to the HBS. If
the user is using a telephone device, "**" is received and interpreted by
the HBS.
The process 1200 starts after a privacy request message is received from
the mobile telephone or a special sequence of digits are received from a
telephone device, block 1202. The HBS checks whether the privacy request
is from the mobile telephone, block 1204, and if so, the HBS will block or
disable audio connections to all telephone devices connected to it, block
1206, for the duration of the call.
If the privacy request is from a telephone device, the HBS determines which
telephone device made the privacy request, block 1208. After determining
the telephone device that made the privacy request, the HBS blocks or
disables the audio connections to other telephone devices connected to the
HBS for the duration of the call, block 1210. The HBS also sends a privacy
request message to the mobile telephone, block 1212, and the mobile
telephone will disable its audio input and output units for the duration
of the call. The mobile telephone continues to act as a communication
medium for the HBS while its speaker and microphone are disabled.
In operation, the HBS 104 provides expanded services to a user of a mobile
telephone 110. The following is a description of one use scenarios for the
HBS used in a home environment and connected to corded as well as cordless
telephone devices. While the user is away from home with his mobile
telephone, the HBS 104 does not provide dial tones to the telephone
devices at home, if the user's
