Routing calls to facilitate call handover

• US 20050282575A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dorenbosch, Jheroen P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,395,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0064 of control information between different access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface

Abstract

A wireless communication unit (CU) (FIG. 4), corresponding network controller (FIG. 5), and methods (FIG. 8, etc) operate to route calls and facilitate a call handover from one wireless network to another. The CU comprises a transceiver 403 suitable to support an air interface with a first and second wireless communication network 304, 305; a memory 415 operable to store information 431 suitable for identifying an enterprise controller; and a controller 405 configured to facilitate setting up a call. The controller thereafter if the call needs to be handed over from one to another of the first and second communication network, uses the information to facilitate identification of a unique one of a plurality of enterprise controllers for effecting a hand over of the call.

Claims

1. A wireless communication unit comprising:

a transceiver suitable to support an air interface with a first wireless communication network and an air interface with a second wireless communication network;

a memory operable to store information suitable for identifying an enterprise controller; and

a controller configured and cooperatively operable with the transceiver to facilitate setting up a call and, when the call has been setup and then needs to be handed over from one to another of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network, to use the information to facilitate identification of a unique enterprise controller of a plurality of enterprise controllers for effecting a hand over of the call.

2. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is further operable to process the information to provide an address suitable for contacting the enterprise controller.

3. The wireless communication unit of claim 2 wherein the information processed by the controller corresponds to one of:

an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

a Uniform Resource Indicator (URI);

an alphanumeric string;

a phone number; and

an index to a table of addresses stored in the memory.

4. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the controller cooperatively with the transceiver;

receives a message corresponding to a call setup for the call, determines whether the information is included with the message, and when the information is included in the message, stores the information in the memory.

5. The wireless communication unit of claim 4 wherein the message further comprises a setup message including one of a calling party number and a called party number wherein the information is inserted in the message with the one of the calling party number and the called party number.

6. The wireless communication unit of claim 4 wherein the transceiver receives the message while operating in the second wireless communication network and wherein the information has been inserted in the message by one of the enterprise controller and another enterprise controller.

7. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the controller cooperatively with the transceiver is further operable associate with the first wireless communication network and to contact the enterprise controller corresponding to the information to initiate the hand over of the call.

8. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the information is provided to the controller and stored in the memory during one of:

a provisioning process for the wireless communication unit, a registration exchange with one of the plurality of enterprise controllers, and an overhead message while operating on the first wireless communication network.

9. The wireless communication unit of claim 8 wherein the controller cooperatively with the transceiver is operable to use the information to contact the enterprise controller and initiate a call setup using the unique enterprise controller.

10. The wireless communication unit of claim 9 wherein the controller cooperatively with the transceiver is operable to use the information to contact the unique enterprise controller where the contact uses a local area network address when the wireless communication unit is operating in a wireless local area network and a public switched telephone number when the wireless communication unit is operating in a wireless wide area network.

11. The wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is further operable to contact the enterprise controller corresponding to the information to initiate the hand over of the call from one of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network;

detect that the hand over failed; and

when the handover failed;

put the call on hold in the one of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network;

establish an other call to itself from the one of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network to the other of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network; and

continue the call on the other of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network by transferring the call to the other call.

12. The wireless communication unit of claim 11 wherein the controller is further operable to transfer the call to the other call by requesting the one of the first wireless communication network and second wireless communication network to transfer the call to the other call.

13. A network controller for controlling an enterprise network and operable to route calls for wireless communication units to facilitate hand over of the calls, the enterprise controller comprising:

a switching function coupled to a local area network and a wide area network; and

a controller coupled to the switching function and the local area network, the controller operable to facilitate identification of a unique network controller of a plurality of network controllers to effect a handover of a call between the enterprise network and a wide area network.

14. The network controller of claim 13 wherein the controller;

receives a call setup request for the call from a wireless communication unit, determines the unique network controller, and forwards the call setup request to the unique network controller, whereby the unique network controller will setup the call.

15. The network controller of claim 13 wherein the controller determines the unique network controller by one of accessing a database to identify the unique network controller associated with the wireless communication unit and analyzing calling party identification of the wireless communication unit.

16. The network controller of claim 13 wherein the controller determines the unique network controller by one of accessing a database to identify the unique network controller associated with a target wireless communication unit and analyzing called party identification of the target wireless communication unit.

17. The network controller of claim 13 wherein the controller;

receives a call setup request for the call from a wireless communication unit, determines the unique network controller, and notifies the unique network controller when the call is being setup and when the call ends.

18. The network controller of claim 17 wherein the controller after notifying the unique network controller when the call is being setup, receives a request for the handover of the call from the unique network controller.

19. A method of managing and routing calls in an enterprise network to facilitate hand over of the calls, the method comprising:

receiving at a network controller a call setup request from a call originating unit for a call to a call target unit;

determining a unique network controller of a plurality of controllers to effect a handover of the call between the enterprise network and a wide area network; and

setting up the call so the unique network controller is aware of the call.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising forwarding the call setup request to the unique network controller and wherein the setting up the call is handled by the unique network controller.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the determining the unique network controller further comprises one of accessing a database to identify the unique network controller associated with a wireless communication unit and analyzing a phone number of the wireless communication unit, the wireless communication unit being one of the originating unit and the call target unit and the identifier being one of a phone number, an IP address and a URI.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising, after determining the unique network controller, notifying the unique network controller when the call is being setup by the network controller and when the call ends.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising, after notifying the unique network controller when the call is being setup, receiving a request for the handover of the call from the unique network controller.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the receiving at a network controller further comprises receiving at a first visited network controller the call setup request from a wireless communication unit that is visiting an enterprise site managed by the first visited network controller; and

the determining the unique network controller further comprises one of;

determining a first home network controller associated with the wireless communication unit and forwarding the call setup request to the first home network controller associated with the wireless communication unit for setting up the call,

determining a second home network controller associated with a target wireless communication unit and forwarding the call setup request to the second home network controller for setting up the call; and

determining a second visited network controller for another enterprise site managed by the second visited network controller where the target wireless communication unit is operating and forwarding the call setup request to the second visited network controller for setting up the call.