Selective redirection of cellular calls to a local wireless endpoint

• US 20060135166A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Sylvain, Dany
• Application Number:
  US11/014,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135166A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

The present invention allows incoming calls intended for a mobile terminal, which is capable of supporting both local wireless and cellular communications, to be selectively routed to the mobile terminal via local wireless access in a controlled and efficient manner. In particular, the incoming call to the mobile terminal may be intended to be routed to the mobile terminal via cellular access. Upon receipt of the incoming call, a wireless office may operate to forward the call toward a service node along with redirection information. The service node will use the redirection information to determine how to process the incoming call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an incoming call originally intended to be routed to a mobile terminal via cellular access and redirected by a wireless office facilitating the cellular access, the incoming call including information associated with the mobile terminal; and

determining how to further process the incoming call based on the information associated with the mobile terminal

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising routing the incoming call to the mobile terminal via local wireless access using a local wireless address, and wherein determining how to further process the incoming call comprises identifying the local wireless address for the mobile terminal based on the information associated with the cellular access for the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising facilitating establishment of the incoming call with the mobile terminal using the local wireless address.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the incoming call is established through a local wireless access point, a packet network, a gateway interconnecting the packet network and a public switched telephone network, and the public switched telephone network.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to support both local wireless communications via the local wireless access and cellular communication via the cellular access.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless office sends a query to a location register to determine where to route the incoming call and the location register responds to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards a service node, which performs the detecting and determining steps.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the location register responds to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node when forwarding incoming calls originally intended for the mobile terminal via the cellular access as applicable.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the location register is provisioned to respond to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving registration information from the mobile terminal via the cellular access; and

instructing the location register to respond to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the location register responds to the query by providing a directory number associated with the service node.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the directory number corresponds to a gateway interfacing a packet network through which the local wireless access is available, the gateway adapted to forward the incoming call from the wireless office to the service node.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is further associated with obtaining the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is called party identification corresponding with the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is a directory number associated with the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a plurality of incoming calls originally intended to be routed to any one of a plurality of mobile terminals via the cellular access and redirected by any one of a plurality of wireless offices facilitating the cellular access, the incoming calls including information associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of mobile terminals to which the incoming calls are intended; and

determining how to further process the incoming calls based on the information associated with the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile terminals.

16. A system method comprising:

at least one communication interface; and

a control system associated with the at least one communication interface and adapted to;

detect an incoming call originally intended to be routed to a mobile terminal via cellular access and redirected by a wireless office facilitating the cellular access, the incoming call including information associated with the mobile terminal; and

determine how to further process the incoming call based on the information associated with the mobile terminal.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the control system is further adapted to route the incoming call to the mobile terminal via local wireless access using a local wireless address, and wherein to determine how to further process the incoming call, the control system is further adapted to identify the local wireless address for the mobile terminal based on the information associated with the cellular access for the mobile terminal.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the control system is further adapted to facilitate establishment of the incoming call with the mobile terminal using the local wireless address.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the incoming call is established through a local wireless access point, a packet network, a gateway interconnecting the packet network and a public switched telephone network, and the public switched telephone network.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the mobile terminal is adapted to support both local wireless communications via the local wireless access and cellular communication via the cellular access.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the wireless office sends a query to a location register to determine where to route the incoming call and the location register responds to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards a service node, which performs the detecting and determining steps.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the location register responds to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node when forwarding incoming calls originally intended for the mobile terminal via cellular access as applicable.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the location register is provisioned to respond to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

receive registration information from the mobile terminal via the cellular access; and

instruct the location register to location register to respond to the query by directing the wireless office to redirect the incoming call towards the service node.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the location register responds to the query by providing a directory number associated with the service node.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the directory number corresponds to a gateway interfacing a packet network through which the local wireless access is available, the gateway adapted to forward the incoming call from the wireless office to the service node.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is further associated with obtaining the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is called party identification corresponding with the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the information associated with the mobile terminal is a directory number associated with the cellular access to the mobile terminal.

30. The system of claim 16 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

detect a plurality of incoming calls originally intended to be routed to any one of a plurality of mobile terminals via cellular access and redirected by any one of a plurality of wireless offices facilitating the cellular access, the incoming calls including information associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of mobile terminals to which the incoming calls are intended; and

determine how to further process the incoming calls based on the information associated with the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile terminals.