WIRELESS CALL HANDOFF

• US 20100291928A1
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Valdez, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72505 Radio link set-up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A device is configured to detect a wireless device and determine if the wireless device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party. The device is further configured to establish a first voice communication link with the remote party, and establish a second voice communication link with the wireless device. In addition, the device is configured to bridge the first and second voice communication links together, thereby establishing voice communications between the wireless device and the remote party.

Claims

1. A device configured to:

detect a wireless device;

determine if the wireless device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party;

establish a first voice communication link with the remote party;

establish a second voice communication link with the wireless device; and

bridge the first and second voice communication links together, thereby establishing voice communications between the wireless device and the remote party.

2. The device of claim 1, further configured to pair with the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is one of a cordless headset, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, and a hand held computer.

3. The device of claim 1, further configured to:

send a transfer prompt to the wireless device;

receive a response to the transfer prompt; and

establish the first and second voice communication links only after receiving the response.

4. The device of claim 1, further configured to determine if the wireless device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party by detecting an open voice channel between a cordless headset and a mobile device.

5. The device of claim 1, further configured to determine if the wireless device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party by querying at least one of a mobile device and a telecommunications server.

6. The device of claim 2, further configured to:

ring at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device after establishing the first voice communication link with the remote party;

receive a response from at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device; and

establish the second voice communication link with at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device after receiving the response.

7. The device of claim 1, further configured to:

query the wireless device for a phone number of the remote party; and

establish the first voice communication link with the remote party using the phone number of the remote party.

8. The device of claim 1, further configured to:

query the wireless device for a device identification; and

send the device identification to a telecommunications server, wherein the telecommunications server utilizes the device identification to establish the first voice communication link with the remote party.

9. The device of claim 8, further configured to determine which provider network the wireless device is currently utilizing.

10. The device of claim 1, further configured to:

switch to a parent mode;

pair with a cordless headset;

switch to a child mode; and

pair with a mobile device.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the mobile device for a device identification if the mobile device and the base unit operate on a common provider network; and

including the device identification in the request sent to the telecommunications server, wherein the telecommunications server utilizes the device identification to establish the first voice communication link with the remote party.

11. A device, comprising:

a wireless communication system capable of communicating with a wireless device, wherein the wireless device is at least one of a mobile device and a cordless headset;

a broadband communication system capable of providing voice communication services over a packet switched network; and

instructions stored on a computer-readable medium and executable on a processor, the instructions including instructions for

detecting at least one of the mobile device and the cordless headset via the wireless communication system,

determining if the mobile device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party,

establishing a first voice communication link with the remote party via the broadband communication system,

establishing a second voice communication link with at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device via the wireless communication system, and

bridging the first and second voice communication links together.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication system utilizes at least of the following:

Bluetooth, WiFi, IEEE 802.11, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and OpenWave.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for

sending a transfer prompt to at least one of the mobile device and the cordless headset via the wireless communication system,

receiving a response to the transfer prompt, and

establishing the first and second voice communication links only after receiving the response.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for determining if the mobile device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party by detecting an open voice channel between the cordless headset and the mobile device.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for ringing at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device after establishing the first voice communication link with the remote party,

receiving a response from at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device, and

establishing the second voice communication link with at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device after receiving the response.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for querying the mobile device for a phone number of the remote party;

and

establishing the first voice communication link with the remote party using the phone number of the remote party.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for querying the mobile device for a device identification, and

sending the device identification to a telecommunications server, wherein the telecommunications server utilizes the device identification to establish the first voice communication link with the remote party.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for determining which provider network the mobile device is currently utilizing.

19. A method, comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link with at least one of a mobile device and a cordless headset;

determining if the mobile device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party;

determining whether the mobile device and a base unit operate on a common provider network;

establishing a first voice communication link with the remote party by sending a request to a telecommunications server if the mobile device and the base unit operate on a common provider network;

establishing a first voice communication link with the remote party by calling the remote party if the mobile device and the base unit do not operate on a common provider network;

establishing a second voice communication link with at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device; and

bridging the first and second voice communication links together.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising pairing with at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending a transfer prompt to at least one of the cordless headset and the mobile device;

receiving a response to the transfer prompt; and

establishing the first and second voice communication links only after receiving the response.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

pairing with the cordless headset;

pairing with the mobile device; and

determining if the mobile device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party by detecting an open voice channel between the cordless headset and the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining if the mobile device is participating in a telephone call with a remote party by querying at least one of the mobile device and the telecommunications server.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

querying the mobile device for a phone number of the remote party if the mobile device and the base unit do not operate on a common provider network; and

establishing the first voice communication link with the remote party using the phone number of the remote party.