Hybrid telephone network utilizing wireless link and landline services
First Claim
1. A hybrid telephone network comprising:
- a wired telephone network having a plurality of nodes;
a landline phone coupled to the wired telephone network at one of the nodes;
a cell phone coupled to the wired telephone network at another of the nodes, the cell phone adapted for communicating with a remote cell phone over a wireless link, the landline phone and the cell phone communicating with each other by transmitting information therebetween, the cell phone enabling communication between the landline phone and a remote cell phone over the wireless link.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Described are a method and system that combine the features of wireless telephone service and landline telephones through a wired telephone network. The system includes a landline phone and a cell phone coupled to the wired telephone network through a landline interface module and a cell interface module, respectively. The landline interface module generates data for transmission over the wired telephone network to the cell interface module and generates a phone signal at the landline phone in response to data received over the wired telephone network from the cell interface module. The cell interface module generates data for transmission to the landline interface module and generates a phone signal at the cell phone in response to data received from the landline interface module. The cell phone enables communication between the landline phone and a remote cell phone over a wireless link.
48 Citations
60 Claims
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1. A hybrid telephone network comprising:
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a wired telephone network having a plurality of nodes;
a landline phone coupled to the wired telephone network at one of the nodes;
a cell phone coupled to the wired telephone network at another of the nodes, the cell phone adapted for communicating with a remote cell phone over a wireless link, the landline phone and the cell phone communicating with each other by transmitting information therebetween, the cell phone enabling communication between the landline phone and a remote cell phone over the wireless link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A hybrid telephone network comprising:
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a wired telephone network having a plurality of nodes;
at least one landline phone coupled to the wired telephone network at a respective node;
at least one cell phone coupled to the wired telephone network at a respective node, each of the at least one cell phones adapted for communicating with a remote cell phone over a respective wireless link, the at least one landline phone and the at least one cell phone communicating with each other by transmitting information therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A landline interface module for coupling a landline phone to a wired telephone network, comprising:
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a landline port to receive a phone signal generated at the landline phone;
a network port to receive network data generated by a communications device coupled to the wired telephone network; and
a processor circuit in communication with the landline port and the network port, the processor circuit generating network data at the network port responsive to the phone signal received at the landline port, the processor circuit generating a phone signal at the landline port responsive to the network data received at the network port. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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38. A cell interface module for coupling a cell phone to a wired telephone network, comprising:
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a docking port to receive a phone signal generated at the cell phone;
a network port to receive network data generated by a communications device coupled to the wired telephone network; and
a processor circuit in communication with the docking port and the network port, the processor circuit generating network data at the network port responsive to the phone signal received at the docking port, the processor circuit generating a phone signal at the docking port responsive to the network data received at the network port. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of communicating between a landline phone and a cell phone, the landline phone and the cell phone each being coupled to a wired telephone network, the method comprising:
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generating data in response to a phone signal provided by one of the landline phone and the cell phone;
transmitting the data over the wired telephone network to the other of the landline phone and the cell phone; and
generating a phone signal at the other of the landline phone and the cell phone in response to the transmitted data. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A method of communicating between a landline phone and a cell phone, the landline phone and the cell phone each being coupled to a wired telephone network, the method comprising:
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detecting the presence of an incoming call on the cell phone;
providing a ring signal to the landline phone if the landline phone is not in use; and
establishing a communication path between the landline phone and the cell phone over the wired telephone network in response to an answering of the landline phone. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method of communicating with a remote phone using a cell phone and a landline phone, the method comprising:
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establishing a communication between the cell phone and a remote phone over a wireless link;
sending an indication to a wireless provider to transfer the communication to a predetermined landline associated with a landline phone; and
routing the communication with the remote phone to the landline phone. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54)
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55. A method of communicating with a remote phone using a cell phone and a landline phone, the method comprising:
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establishing a communication between the landline phone and a remote phone over a landline;
sending an indication to a landline provider to transfer the communication to a predetermined cell phone; and
routing the communication with the remote phone to the predetermined cell phone. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58)
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59. A method of communicating with a remote phone using a cell phone and a landline phone comprising:
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providing a communication between the landline phone and a remote phone over a landline;
detecting an incoming call from another remote phone on the landline associated with the landline phone; and
transferring the communication between the landline phone and the remote phone to a communication between the cell phone and the remote phone over a wireless link in response to the detection of the incoming call. - View Dependent Claims (60)
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Specification