CONVERGED CORDLESS AND CELLULAR PHONE SYSTEM

• US 20090156188A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Modu Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ron, Uri, Bychkov, Eyal, Klimovsky, Sigalit, Engelstein, Tal, Brison, Uriel R., Leshem, Yair
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An integrated cordless and cellular phone system, including a base station for one or more cordless phones, the base station being served by a fixed line telephone network operator, including one or more slots for attaching one or more cellular phone modules therein, the cellular phone modules being served by corresponding cellular network operators, wherein each of the one or more slots is associated with a corresponding cordless phone, and call routing circuitry (i) for identifying an incoming call to the base station as being intended for a specific one of the cellular phone modules, and (ii) for routing the incoming call to the cordless phone that is associated with the slot to which the specific cellular phone module is attached. A method is also described and claimed.

Claims

1. An integrated cordless and cellular phone system, comprising:

a base station for one or more cordless phones, the base station being served by a fixed line telephone network operator, comprising;

one or more slots for attaching one or more cellular phone modules therein, the cellular phone modules being served by corresponding cellular network operators, wherein each of the one or more slots is associated with a corresponding cordless phone; and

call routing circuitry (i) for identifying an incoming call to the base station as being intended for a specific one of the cellular phone modules, and (ii) for routing the incoming call to the cordless phone that is associated with the slot to which the specific cellular phone module is attached.

2. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the cellular phone modules is operative as a standalone cell phone when it is detached from the base station.

3. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the cellular phone modules is not operative as a standalone cell phone when detached from the base station.

4. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 1, further comprising call forwarding circuitry (i) for instructing the corresponding cellular network operator to activate call forwarding, thereby forwarding incoming phone calls intended for any given one of the cellular phone modules, to the base station, when the given cellular phone module is attached to the base station, and (ii) for instructing the cellular network operator to deactivate the call forwarding, when the given cellular phone module is detached from the base station.

5. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 1, wherein said call routing circuitry routes an outgoing call made by a caller from one of the cordless phones to the cellular network, if instructed by the caller to do so, and routes the outgoing call to the fixed line telephone network otherwise.

6. An integrated cordless and cellular phone system, comprising:

one or more cordless phones coupled with a base station, each cordless phone comprising a slot for attaching a cellular phone module therein, the cellular phone modules being served by corresponding cellular network operators; and

a base station for said one or more cordless phones, the base station being served by a fixed line telephone network operator, comprising call routing circuitry (i) for identifying an incoming call to the base station as being intended for a specific one of the cellular phone modules, and (ii) for routing the incoming call to the cordless phone to which the specific cellular phone module is attached.

7. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the cellular phone modules is operative as a standalone cell phone when it is detached from the base station.

8. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the cellular phone modules is not operative as a standalone cell phone when detached from the base station.

9. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 6 further comprising call forwarding circuitry (i) for instructing the corresponding cellular network operator to activate call forwarding, thereby forwarding incoming phone calls intended for any given one of the cellular phone modules, to the base station, when the given cellular phone module is attached to the base station, and (ii) for instructing the cellular network operator to deactivate the call forwarding, when the given cellular phone module is detached from the base station.

10. The integrated cordless and cellular phone system of claim 6, wherein said call routing circuitry routes an outgoing call made by a caller from one of the cordless phones to the cellular network, if instructed by the caller to do so, and routes the outgoing call to the fixed line telephone network otherwise.

11. A method for integrating cordless and cellular phones, comprising:

associating one or more cell phone modules with corresponding one or more cordless phones, each of the one or more cell phone modules including a contact list stored within its memory;

receiving an incoming phone call, the incoming call being provided with a calling line identification (CLI);

searching the one or more contact lists of the one or more cell phone modules, for the presence of the CLI; and

routing the incoming call to the cordless phones associated with those cell phone modules that have the CLI in their contact lists.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising routing the incoming call to the one or more cordless phones, if said searching fails to find a contact list that includes the CLI.

13. A method for integrating cordless and cellular phones, comprising:

associating each of a plurality of cell phone modules with a corresponding one of a plurality of cordless phones, each of the plurality of cell phone modules having an identifier;

receiving a forwarded incoming phone call from a caller;

automatically prompting the caller to enter an identifier; and

routing the forwarded incoming call to the cordless phone associated with the cell phone module that is identified by the identifier entered by the caller.

14. A method for integrating cordless and cellular phones, comprising:

associating each of a plurality of cell phone modules with a corresponding one of a plurality of cordless phones, each of the plurality of cell phone modules having an identification;

receiving a forwarded incoming phone call, the incoming call being provided with a forwarding party'"'"'s identification; and

routing the forwarded incoming call to the cordless phone associated with the cell phone module that is identified by the forwarding party'"'"'s identification.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the forwarding party'"'"'s identification is provided as part of a Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the forwarding party'"'"'s identification is included in a Multiple Data Message Format (MDMF).

17. A cell phone module, comprising:

a modem for transmitting and receiving voice and data communications that are served by a cellular network operator;

a connector for making electrical connection with a jacket having cordless phone functionality, when the cell phone module is attached to the jacket; and

a controller (i) for executing programmed instructions for operating said modem, (ii) for transmitting data to and receiving data from said connector, (iii) for automatically sending a notification to the cellular operator to activate call forwarding, thereby forwarding incoming phone calls intended for the cell phone module, to the jacket, when the cell phone module is attached to the jacket, and (iv) for automatically sending a notification to the cellular operator to cancel the call forwarding, when the cell phone module is subsequently detached from the jacket.

18. The modular wireless communicator of claim 17, wherein the jacket has a fixed line phone number, and wherein said cell phone module determines the fixed line phone number of the jacket when the cell phone module is first attached to the jacket.

19. The modular wireless communicator of claim 18 wherein said communication controller determines the fixed line phone number of the jacket by obtaining a calling line identification (CLI) when said modem receives an incoming call from the jacket.

20. A method for automated call forwarding, comprising:

connecting a cell phone module with a phone system;

automatically identifying a fixed line telephone number of the phone system; and

automatically initiating call forwarding via a cellular network operator that serves the cell phone module, for calls to the cell phone module to be forwarded to the phone system, based on the identified fixed line telephone number.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said automatically initiating comprises automatically sending a call forwarding instruction to the cellular network operator.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the call forwarding instruction includes the identified fixed line telephone number.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the phone system is a DECT system.