Method, apparatus and arrangement in a telecommunications network for providing control over and enabling advanced services and user interfaces in a mobile telephone

• US 20050048967A1
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Roxnas, Kjell, Isaksson, Leif, Hoglander, Mats
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.100
• 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 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A PBX (10) is connected to a mobile telephony network (40) via a PSTN (20) and via a LAN (90) and data network (30). A mobile telephone (50) served by the mobile network, has a separate data channel (100). The invention describes a way to integrate mobile telephones as extensions of the PBX and to provide them with functionality similar to that of a wired digital PBX system telephone (70). The data channel of the mobile telephone is used to give the PBX access to the user interface devices of the telephone. The speech path between the PBX and the mobile telephone may be set up in the direction from the PBX to the mobile telephone, even when the call was initiated at the telephone. The invention relies only on the basic voice and data communications services of the mobile telephony network, and therefore provides independence from the network operator.

Claims

1. A telecommunications network including a telephone exchange, the telephone exchange comprising:

means for communicating with at least one mobile telephone over a mobile telephony network, wherein the mobile telephone comprises ordinary channels for speech and for call-related signaling, and a separate data channel for communication with a data network,

means for setting up a speech path to the mobile telephone via a public network trunk access interface; and

means for communicating with the mobile telephone over the data channel, said communication relating to the handling by the telephone exchange of telephone calls on the mobile telephone.

2. The telephone exchange according to claim 1, further comprising means for providing PBX services to the mobile telephone.

3. The telephone exchange according to claim 2, wherein said means for providing PBX services further comprises providing the services without requiring an agreement with an operator of the mobile telephony network for that purpose.

4. The telephone exchange according to claim 1, wherein the telephone exchange stores information about the rights of users to use resources in the telephone exchange and information about user settings and preferences, said information being selectable independent from the operator of the mobile telephony network.

5. The telephone exchange according to claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone has an extension identity in the telephone exchange, said extension identity being different from the telephone number of said mobile telephone in the mobile telephony network.

6. The telephone exchange according to claim 1, wherein the telephone exchange further comprises means to present service alternatives on the display of the mobile telephone, said service alternatives being relevant to the current state of the extension representing the mobile telephone, or relevant to the current state of a call on the extension.

7. The telephone exchange according to claim 1, the telephone exchange further comprises means for allowing the user of the mobile telephone to select services of the telephone exchange through in-band DTMF signaling when the data channel is unavailable.

8. The telephone exchange according to claim 7 wherein the telephone exchange further comprises means for setting up an ordinary outgoing call from the telephone exchange to the mobile telephone in response to the user of the mobile telephone indicating the desire to call another destination.

9. The telephone exchange according to claim 8, wherein the communication with the mobile telephone passes over the data channel via a server that changes the format of the communication to suit a browser in the mobile telephone.

10. The telephone exchange according to claim 9, wherein the server is a WAP server.

11. A method in a telecommunications network for setting up a call from a mobile telephone, comprising the steps of

initiating the call at the mobile telephone;

transferring information that the call has been initiated from the mobile telephone to a telephone exchange over a separate data channel of the mobile telephone; and

setting up a first speech path between the telephone exchange and the mobile telephone.

12. A method in a telecommunications network for setting up a call from a mobile telephone comprising the steps of:

finding the number to be called in a directory lookup service;

the mobile telephone user selecting to call the found number;

transferring information that the user has selected to call the found number over a separate data channel of the mobile telephone; and

setting up a first speech path between a telephone exchange and the mobile telephone.

13. A method in a telecommunications network for retrieving a voice message to a mobile telephone having a separate data channel, comprising the steps of:

sending to the mobile telephone over the separate data channel information that a voice message is available;

sending from the mobile telephone over the separate data channel information that a user of the mobile telephone wants to listen to the voice message; and

setting up a first speech path between a telephone exchange and the mobile telephone in response to the sending of said information from the mobile telephone.

14. A method in a telecommunications network for setting up a call from a mobile telephone to a number in a call log, the call log being stored in a telephone exchange, comprising the steps of:

sending to the mobile telephone, over a separate data channel of the mobile telephone, information about a number in the log;

sending from the mobile telephone, over the separate data channel, information that the user of the mobile telephone has selected to call the number; and

setting up a first speech path between the telephone exchange and the mobile telephone.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first speech path between the telephone exchange and the mobile telephone is set up by means of an ordinary outgoing call from the telephone exchange to the mobile telephone.

16. A method in a telecommunications network for displaying service alternatives on a mobile telephone, the mobile telephone having a separate data channel for communication via a data network, the method comprising the steps of

detecting a change of state of an ongoing call on an extension representing the mobile telephone;

and

communicating with the mobile telephone over the separate data channel to cause information about service alternatives that are relevant to the new state to be displayed on the mobile telephone.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the communication over the separate data channel of the mobile telephone passes via a server that changes the format of the communication to suit a browser in the mobile telephone.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the server is a WAP server.

19. An arrangement in a telephony network comprising:

a telephone exchange;

a mobile telephony network;

a mobile telephone, having ordinary communication channels for speech and for call-related signaling, and having a separate channel for data communication via a data network;

a telephone network that connects said telephone exchange to the telephony service of the mobile telephony network; and

a data network that connects said telephone exchange to the data communication service of the mobile network, wherein the mobile telephone and the telephone exchange communicate over the separate data channel, said communication relating to the handling by the telephone exchange of telephone calls on the mobile telephone.

20. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the connection between the telephone exchange and the telephony service of the mobile network passes via a public network trunk access interface.