Methods and systems for providing wireless local area network (WLAN) - base transceiver station (BTS) gateway
First Claim
1. A method for transparently initiating and terminating voice calls with a mobile handset using a wireless local area network (WLAN)—
- base transceiver station (BTS) gateway, the method comprising;
(a) Initiating a call from a mobile handset using layer 3 air interface signaling carried over a WLAN interface;
(b) at a WLAN-BTS gateway, learning an air interface control channel and an air interface traffic channel allocated to the call;
(c) at the gateway, intercepting an incoming voice or media stream associated with the call, converting the incoming voice stream from an air interface protocol to a WLAN protocol, and forwarding the incoming voice stream to the mobile handset via the WLAN protocol; and
(d) at the gateway, receiving an outgoing voice stream associated with the call, converting the outgoing voice stream from the WLAN protocol to the air interface protocol and forwarding the outgoing voice stream to the base transceiver station.
3 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for providing a WLAN-BTS gateway are disclosed. A handset registers with a WLAN-BTS gateway. The handset then initiates a call by initiating layer 3 air interface signaling with a BTS. The gateway forwards the layer 3 air interface signaling between the gateway and the handset. The gateway learns the control channel and traffic channel allocated to the call, either directly from the layer 3 signaling or from a separate message received from the handset. Once the call is connected, the gateway listens on the traffic channel and forwards voice packets between the handset and the BTS. Communications with the BTS occur over the allocated traffic channel. Communications with the handset occur over a WLAN.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for transparently initiating and terminating voice calls with a mobile handset using a wireless local area network (WLAN)—
- base transceiver station (BTS) gateway, the method comprising;
(a) Initiating a call from a mobile handset using layer 3 air interface signaling carried over a WLAN interface;
(b) at a WLAN-BTS gateway, learning an air interface control channel and an air interface traffic channel allocated to the call;
(c) at the gateway, intercepting an incoming voice or media stream associated with the call, converting the incoming voice stream from an air interface protocol to a WLAN protocol, and forwarding the incoming voice stream to the mobile handset via the WLAN protocol; and
(d) at the gateway, receiving an outgoing voice stream associated with the call, converting the outgoing voice stream from the WLAN protocol to the air interface protocol and forwarding the outgoing voice stream to the base transceiver station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- base transceiver station (BTS) gateway, the method comprising;
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15. A method for transparently initiating and terminating voice calls with a mobile handset using a wireless local area network (WLAN)—
- base transceiver station (BTS) gateway, the method comprising;
(a) registering a mobile handset with a WLAN-BTS gateway;
(b) sending a call initiation request from a mobile handset to the WLAN-BTS gateway using a WLAN interface;
(c) at a WLAN-BTS gateway, invoking a proxy call agent on behalf of the mobile handset that is adapted to establish a call via a BTS air interface control channel and a BTS air interface traffic channel;
(d) at the gateway, intercepting an incoming voice or media stream associated with the call, converting the incoming voice or media stream from an air interface protocol to a WLAN protocol, and forwarding the incoming voice or media stream to the mobile handset via the WLAN protocol; and
(e) at the gateway, receiving an outgoing voice or media stream associated with the call, converting the outgoing voice or media stream from the WLAN protocol to the air interface protocol and forwarding the outgoing voice or media stream to the base transceiver station. - View Dependent Claims (18)
- base transceiver station (BTS) gateway, the method comprising;
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16. A wireless local area network (WLAN)—
- base transceiver station (BTS) air interface gateway comprising;
(a) a WLAN interface for sending and receiving voice streams associated with voice calls to and from mobile handsets using a WLAN protocol;
(b) a BTS air interface for sending and receiving voice streams associated with voice calls to and from a base station subsystem using an air interface protocol; and
(c) a gateway application for learning air interface control and traffic channels associated with a call, for forwarding layer 3 air interface signaling associated with a call between a handset and a BTS, and for converting voice streams associated with the call between WLAN and air interface protocols. - View Dependent Claims (17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- base transceiver station (BTS) air interface gateway comprising;
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24. A system for transparently providing voice communications to a mobile subscriber using a wireless local area network (WLAN) in combination with a base transceiver station (BTS) air interface, the system comprising:
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(a) a mobile handset for signaling with a BTS using layer 3 air interface protocol messages to establish a control channel and a traffic channel with the BTS and for sending and receiving the layer 3 air interface protocol messages and voice packets using a WLAN protocol; and
(b) a WLAN-BTS gateway for learning the control channel and the traffic channel and for transparently communicating the layer 3 air interface protocol messages and the voice packets between the BTS and the handset using the WLAN protocol and layer 1 and 2 air interface protocols. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification