Switching telephone calls between wireline and cellular telephones

• US 20020068575A1
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Prathima, Ramanathan, Parameswaran
• Granted Patent: US 7,103,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A telephone subscriber having both a wireline and a cellular telephone can switch calls between these phones. A routing table identifies that a subscriber is entitled to this service, and a look up table maintains the telephone numbers of the two different telephones. Upon detection of a unique signal indicating a request for switching a call connected to one of the telephones to the other telephone, a connection is made to the other telephone, the two connections are bridged, and then the first connection is dropped. The routing table may be maintained in a central office and the look up table may be maintained in a mobile switching center or a fixed cellular mobility agent.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network, said system comprising:

a routing table for identifying specific telephone subscribers entitled to switch on-going telephone calls between wireline and wireless services,

a look-up table identifying the correspondence of said one specific telephone subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones;

a monitor circuit responsive to a unique signal from said one specific telephone subscriber indicating a desired transfer between said one specific telephone subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones; and

switch means for effecting said transfer.

2. The system for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network in accordance with claim 1 wherein said look up table is in said mobile switching center.

3. The system for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched network and cellular service provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising:

a fixed cellular mobility agent associated with said mobile switching center, said fixed mobility agent having switching and signaling capabilities, and

wherein said routing table is in said central office, an incoming call to one of said specific telephone subscribers being routed to said fixed cellular mobility agent in response to an output of said routing table, and

said look up table, said monitor circuit, and said switch means are in said fixed cellular mobility agent.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said central office and said mobile switching center are provided by the same telephone service provider.

5. A method for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network, said method comprising the step of:

identifying in a routing table in the central office specific telephone subscribers entitled to switch telephone calls between wireline and cellular services;

providing a correspondence of said specific subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones;

monitoring a signal from one of said specific telephone subscribers to initiate a call transfer between said subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones; and

enabling a switch to effect the transfer in response to said monitor circuit.

6. The method for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network in accordance with claim 5 wherein said correspondence of said specific subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones is contained in a look-up table in the mobile switching center.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said enabling step is performed by said mobile switching center.

8. The method for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched network and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network in accordance with claim 5 wherein said correspondence between said specific subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones is contained in a look-up table in a fixed cellular mobility agent associated with said mobile switching center, said monitoring step and said switch enabling step being performed by said fixed cellular mobility center.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said central office and said mobile switching center are provided by the same telephone service provider.

10. A method for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network to a wireline telephone and cellular services provided by a mobile switching center in a cellular network to a cellular telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a call connection to a subscriber entitled to switch calls between that subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones to detect a request signal for such a transfer;

obtaining the telephone number of that one of said subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones not presently engaged in the telephone call;

establishing a connection to said one of said subscriber telephones; and

switching the telephone call to said one of said subscriber'"'"'s wireline or cellular telephones and terminating the connection to the other of said subscriber'"'"'s wireline or cellular telephones.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said call connection to said subscriber is through a mobile switching center.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said connection to said subscriber is through a fixed cellular mobility agent and said monitoring step alerts said fixed cellular mobility agent to said request.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12 wherein said establishing, switching, and terminating steps are performed by said fixed cellular mobility agent.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said central office and said mobile switching center are provided by the same telephone service provider.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16 further comprising

alerting a mobile switching center in a cellular network of the detection of said request by said monitoring step and wherein

said initiating step is effected by said mobile switching center.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said connection to said one telephone of said subscriber is through said mobile switching center.

19. The method in accordance with claim 16 further comprising alerting a fixed cellular mobility agent of the detection of said request by said monitoring step and wherein

said initiating step is effected by said fixed cellular mobility agent.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19 wherein said connection to said one telephone of said subscriber is through said fixed cellular mobility agent.

14. A system for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between wireline services provided through a central office in the public switched telephone network and cellular services provided by mobile switching system center in a cellular network, said system comprising:

a fixed cellular mobility agent having the functionality of a central office and coupled to said mobile switching center, said fixed cellular mobility agent including

means for establishing a connection to one of a subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones;

means for monitoring and detecting a request from said one subscriber to transfer the call connection to the other of said subscriber'"'"'s wireline or cellular telephones, and

means for switching the connection in response to said detected request.

16. A method for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call to one of the subscriber'"'"'s wireline and cellular telephones to the other of the subscriber'"'"'s telephones, said method comprising the steps of

monitoring the call connection to said one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones to detect a request by said subscriber to switch between said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

obtaining the telephone number of said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

initiating an outgoing call from said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

establishing a connection to said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones, and

bridging the connections to said one and said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones and terminating the connection to said one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones.

21. A system for enabling a telephone subscriber to switch an ongoing telephone call between a wireline telephone of said subscriber and a cellular telephone of said subscriber, said system comprising

a monitor coupled to a connection to one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones for detecting a request to switch the on-going telephone call to the other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

a call initiator, responsive to said monitor, for initiating a call to said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

a switch, responsive to said call initiator, for establishing a call connection to said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones,

a call bridge for bridging the connections to said one and said other of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones, and

a call terminator for terminating the connection to said one of said subscriber'"'"'s telephones.