DISTRIBUTED LOCATER, ALERT, REPEATER, AND/OR CALL TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• US 20110117899A1
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Faulkner, Max, Haughn, Erick, Lewis, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/06 using multi-step notification by changing the notification area
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus that utilize distributed locater, alert, repeater, and/or call technologies for communication devices are presented herein. A base component can be configured to receive a message at a base unit, the message corresponding to at least one of a call directed to a wireless communication device or another message directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired communication device. The base component can distribute an alert to at least one remote unit based on the message. A remote component can be configured to receive the alert at the at least one remote unit, and broadcast the alert or another alert from the at least one remote unit. An interface component can be configured to receive an input at the at least one remote unit based on the alert. Further, the remote component can be configured to transmit a response based on the input.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a base unit configured to;

receive a message corresponding to at least one of a call directed to a wireless communication device or an other message directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired communication device; and

distribute an alert to at least one remote unit based on the message for broadcast of the alert by the at least one remote unit or for broadcast of an other alert by the at least one remote unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to receive the message via a wired interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to receive the message via a wireless interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the wireless interface comprises at least one of:

an infrared interface;

a microcell;

a microcell access point;

a picocell;

a picocell access point;

a femtocell;

a femtocell access point;

a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi™

) access point;

a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX™

) access point;

a Bluetooth™

access point;

an Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS) access point;

a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access point;

a Long Term Evolution (LTE™

) access point;

a Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) access point;

an Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) access point;

a 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) access point;

a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) access point;

a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) access point;

a High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) access point;

an LTE™

Advanced (LTE-A) access point;

or a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) access point.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to distribute the alert to the at least one remote unit via a wired interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base unit is configured to distribute the alert to the at least one remote unit via a wireless interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the wireless interface comprises at least one of:

an infrared interface, a microcell;

a microcell access point;

a picocell;

a picocell access point;

a femtocell;

a femtocell access point;

a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi™

) access point;

a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX™

) access point;

a Bluetooth™

access point;

an Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS) access point;

a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access point;

a Long Term Evolution (LTE™

) access point;

a Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) access point;

an Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) access point;

a 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) access point;

a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) access point;

a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) access point;

a High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) access point;

an LTE™

Advanced (LTE-A) access point;

or a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) access point.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base unit comprises:

a configuration component configured to receive input from at least one subscriber associated with the at least one of the wireless communication device or the wired communication device;

wherein the base unit is configured to distribute a customized alert to the at least one remote unit based on the input for broadcast of the customized alert by the at least one remote unit or for broadcast of an other customized alert by the at least one remote unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the customized alert or the other customized alert comprises at least one of a ring tone emitted via the at least one remote unit or a color of light emitted via the at least one remote unit, the ring tone and the color of light associated with the at least one subscriber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the configuration component comprises:

an interface configured to receive the input from the at least one subscriber via the Internet.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a remote component configured to;

receive an alert at a remote unit, the alert distributed by a base unit based on at least one of a call directed to a wireless communication device or an other message directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired communication device; and

broadcast the alert or an other alert from the remote unit in response to receiving the alert.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the remote component comprises an interface component configured to:

receive an input at the remote unit based on the alert;

wherein the remote component is further configured to transmit, based on the input, a response to the at least one of the call directed to the wireless communication device or the other message directed to the at least one of the wireless communication device or the wired communication device from the remote unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the remote component is configured to:

transmit the response via at least one of a short message service (SMS) protocol, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) protocol, or an internet messaging (IM) protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the remote component comprises an interface component configured to:

receive an input at the remote unit based on the alert;

wherein the remote component is configured to at least one of;

receive, based on the input, the at least one of the call directed to the wireless communication device or the other message directed to the at least one of the wireless communication device or the wired communication device at the remote unit;

or

accept, based on the input, the at least one of the call directed to the wireless communication device or the other message directed to the at least one of the wireless communication device or the wired communication device at the remote unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the remote component is configured to:

display a caller identification (ID) at the remote unit, the caller ID associated with the at least one of the call directed to the wireless communication device or the other message directed to the at least one of the wireless communication device or the wired communication device.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the remote component is configured to broadcast the alert from the remote unit via at least one of an audible or a visual means or broadcast the other alert from the remote unit via the at least one of the audible or the visual means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the at least one of the audible or the visual means comprises at least one of a sound device or a light emitting diode (LED).

18. A method comprising:

receiving a first message by a base unit indicating a phone call is directed to a wireless communication device or a second message is directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired device; and

transmitting a third message from the base unit to at least one remote unit based on the first message, the third message indicating at least one of an audio alert for broadcast by the at least one remote unit or a visual alert for broadcast by the at least one remote unit.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input at the at least one remote unit; and

at least one of accepting or responding to the phone call or the second message via the at least one remote unit based on the input.

20. A system comprising:

means for receiving an alert by one or more remote units, the alert distributed from a base unit based on a message indicating a call is directed to a wireless communication device or another message is directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired communication device; and

means for emitting at least one of sound or light from the one or more remote units based on the alert.