Cell phone extension using wireless piconet

• US 20090156167A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mooney, Philip D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

In accordance with the principles of the present invention utilizing the BLUETOOTH specification Cordless Telephony profile, incoming calls to a cell phone including a Gateway role can be routed to another piconet device (e.g., another cell phone including a Terminal role. Two cell phones with BLUETOOTH capability each include the Cordless Telephony Profile. The cell phone receiving the call acts as a PSTN cordless telephone Gateway cell phone via the cellular network, while the other cell phone acts as a cordless telephone Terminal cell phone. The cordless telephone Terminal cell phone then acts as an extension to the Gateway cell phone allowing both calls to the Gateway cell phone to be answered at the Terminal cell phone, and even allowing calls by the Gateway cell phone to be originated by the Terminal cell phone. Moreover, the present invention includes the ability for any one of a number of authorized Terminal devices (e.g., Terminal cell phone) to answer an incoming call to a Gateway cell phone ‘on the fly’ after hearing the ringing at the Gateway cell phone. Telephone calls may be remotely initiated from the Terminal cell phone via the Gateway cell phone. Inexpensive or featureless Terminal devices can tap into advanced features of more expensive Gateway cell phones, without the need to implement the hardware and/or software for the features themselves in the Terminal device. An authorized terminal list identifies Terminal devices authorized to answer an incoming call to a Gateway cell phone, and may be expanded to include other feature enable/disable configuration. The present invention also provides an interface between devices having differing telephony standards, e.g., between an IS-41 cell phone acting as a Terminal and a GSM cell phone acting as a Gateway cell phone.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone, comprising:

a cellular telephone module;

a piconet front end; and

a cordless telephone PSTN gateway role, in communication with said cellular telephone module and with said piconet front end;

wherein said cordless telephone PSTN gateway role allows an incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by a remote piconet device instead of by said cellular telephone.

2. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cordless telephone terminal role.

3. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said piconet front end is a BLUETOOTH device.

4. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said cordless telephone PSTN gateway role conforms with BLUETOOTH device standards.

5. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said remote telephone piconet device is another cellular telephone.

6. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authorized terminal list including unique identification of at least one remote telephone piconet device permitted to answer incoming calls to said cellular telephone.

7. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said piconet network includes a scatternet connection.

8. A method of remotely answering an incoming call to a cellular telephone over a wireless piconet network, comprising:

establishing a piconet network including said cellular telephone and a remote piconet device in direct communication, said cellular telephone being adaptable to operate as a PSTN gateway comprising a piconet front end; and

allowing said incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of by said cellular telephone.

13. Apparatus for remotely answering an incoming call to a cellular telephone over a wireless piconet network, according to claim 8, further comprising:

establishing in said cellular telephone a list of authorized remote telephone piconet device permitted to remotely answer incoming calls to said cellular telephone.

9-12. -12. (canceled)

14-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method of allowing a remote telephone piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device, comprising:

passing incoming call related information from said cellular telephone receiving an incoming call, directly to said remote telephone piconet device over a wireless piconet;

said cellular telephone being adaptable to operate as a PSTN gateway and comprising a piconet front end;

selectively audibly ringing said remote telephone piconet device based on said incoming call information received by said cellular telephone; and

allowing said incoming call to said wireless telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of by said cellular telephone.

19. The method of allowing a remote piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device according to claim 18, further comprising:

audibly ringing said cellular telephone together with said remote telephone piconet device in response to said receipt of said incoming call related information by said wireless cellular telephone.

20. The method of allowing a remote piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device according to claim 18, further comprising:

audibly ringing at least two remote piconet devices in response to receipt of said incoming call information by said cellular telephone.

21. The method of allowing a remote piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device according to claim 18, wherein:

said wireless piconet is a BLUETOOTH piconet network.

22. The method of allowing a remote piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device according to claim 18, wherein:

said incoming call related information comprises caller ID information.

23. Apparatus for allowing a remote telephone piconet device answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device, comprising:

means for passing incoming call information from said cellular telephone receiving an incoming call, directly to said remote telephone piconet device over a wireless piconet;

said cellular telephone being adaptable to operate as a PSTN gateway and comprises a piconet front end;

means for selectively audibly ringing said remote telephone piconet device based on said incoming call related information received by said cellular telephone; and

means for allowing said incoming call to said wireless telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of by said cellular telephone.