Wireless wide area network charger and cradle

• US 20040266425A1
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC, Inc. (Illinois) (Wintrust Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Jones, Kenneth Roger, Gonsalves, Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/602,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20040266425A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line

Abstract

An apparatus and method for utilizing a telephone docking apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a wireless wide area network telephone, e.g., PCS telephone, and a wireless local area telephone interface. In addition, the disclosed PCS telephone docking apparatus includes battery chargers, a speakerphone, a visual display, a USB interface, and a media reader/writer interface. To receive or make a PCS telephone call from the cordless telephone, a user places their PCS telephone in the PCS telephone docking apparatus, and uses the wireless local area telephone to receive or make calls. Text messages and images may also be transferred to/from the PCS telephone and external devices when using the PCS telephone docking apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless wide area network telephone interface;

a transceiver to communicate with a wireless local area telephone; and

a first control module to transfer a call received at the wireless wide area network telephone interface to the transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first control module transfers the call when a wireless wide area network telephone is coupled to the wireless wide area network telephone interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area telephone comprises a wireless local area handset.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wireless local area telephone having a visual display window.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wireless local area telephone comprises a desktop telephone.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes an antenna assembly responsive to a driver.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driver is to communicate with the wireless local area telephone at approximately 2.4 GHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driver is to communicate with the wireless local area telephone at approximately 5.8 GHz.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wireless wide area network telephone is a PCS telephone.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker;

a second control module to communicate an incoming voice portion of the call received at the wireless wide area network telephone interface to the speaker.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone; and

the second control module to provide an outgoing voice portion received at the microphone to the wireless wide area network interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an alphanumeric keypad.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a visual display.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the visual display is responsive to the alphanumeric keypad.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the visual display is responsive to text messages from the wireless wide area network telephone.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the visual display is responsive to the wireless local area telephone.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the visual display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable of displaying video images from an image-capable wireless wide area network telephone and of displaying alphanumeric text messages from the wireless wide area telephone.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a battery charger for charging a battery in the wireless wide area network telephone.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery charger for charging a battery in the wireless wide area telephone; and

a battery charger for charging a battery in the wireless local area telephone.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first data interface of a first type to communicate with a first type of external device; and

a second data interface of a second type to communicate with a second type of external device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first type of external device is a personal computer (PC).

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first type of external device is a camera.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first type of external device is a personal data assistant (PDA).

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first type of external device is a digital storage card.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first data interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the second data interface is a portable media reader and/or writer interface.

27. A method comprising:

receiving an incoming call signal from a wireless wide area network telephone at a base station; and

initiating communication from the base station to a wireless local area telephone in response to receiving the incoming call signal.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising charging the wireless wide area network telephone from the base station.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising charging the wireless local area telephone from the base station.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising communicating with an external device through a first standardized interface.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first standardized interface is a universal serial bus (USB) standardized interface.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the external device is a personal computer (PC).

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the external device is a camera.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising communicating with an external device through a second standardized interface.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the second standardized interface is a portable media reader/writer standardized interface.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the external device is a digital storage card.

37. A method comprising:

receiving an outgoing call request signal at a base station from a wireless local area telephone; and

initiating from the base station a call to be made from a wireless wide area network telephone in response to receiving the outgoing call request signal.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising charging the wireless wide area network telephone from the base station.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising charging the wireless local area telephone from the base station.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising communicating with an external device through a first standardized interface.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first standardized interface is a universal serial bus (USB) standardized interface.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the external device is a personal computer (PC).

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the external device is a camera.

44. The method of claim 37, further comprising communicating with an external device through a second standardized interface.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the second standardized interface is a portable media reader/writer standardized interface.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the external device is a digital storage card.

47. An apparatus comprising:

a first location to interface with a wireless wide area network telephone;

a first charging portion to provide a charging signal to the first location to charge the wireless wide area network telephone;

a second location to interface with a wireless local area telephone; and

a second charging portion to provide a charging signal to the wireless local area telephone.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the wireless wide area network telephone is a PCS telephone.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the wireless local area telephone is one of a wireless local area handset and a desktop telephone.