Enterprise network and femtocell thereof

• US 20120052840A1
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ablaze Wireless Corporation
• Original Assignee: Jung-Tao Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Jung-Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

An enterprise network is disclosed. The enterprise network includes at least one site. The site includes an authorizing unit, an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX), and a plurality of femtocells. After a first femtocell of the plurality of femtocells receives a voice/data signal from an enterprise-authenticated handset and the authorizing unit authorizes the voice/data signal, the first femtocell distinguishes a destination of the voice/data signal and routes the voice/data signal to the destination.

Claims

1. An enterprise network, comprising:

a first site, comprising;

an authorizing unit;

an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX); and

a plurality of femtocells, coupled to the authorizing unit and the enterprise PBX;

wherein after a first femtocell of the plurality of femtocells receives a voice/data signal from a first enterprise-authenticated handset and the authorizing unit authorizes the voice/data signal, the first femtocell distinguishes a destination of the voice/data signal and routes the voice/data signal to the destination.

2. The enterprise network of claim 1, wherein the first site further comprises a femtocell gateway for allowing and controlling a handover between two of the plurality of femtocells.

3. The enterprise network of claim 1, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal is an enterprise internal extension station of the first site, the first femtocell routes the voice/data signal to the enterprise internal extension station through the enterprise PBX.

4. The enterprise network of claim 1, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal is a second enterprise-authenticated handset of the first site, the first femtocell routes the voice/data signal to the second enterprise-authenticated handset through the enterprise PBX and a second femtocell corresponding to the second enterprise-authenticated handset.

5. The enterprise network of claim 1, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal is out of the first site, the first femtocell routes the voice/data signal to an operator network.

6. The enterprise network of claim 1, further comprising a second site, wherein the first site communicates with the second site through an internet/a public data network (PDN), the first site further comprises an enterprise data gateway coupled to the enterprise PBX, if the destination of the voice/data signal is the second site, the first femtocell will route the voice/data signal to the second site through the enterprise PBX, the enterprise data gateway, and the internet/PDN.

7. The enterprise network of claim 6, wherein the second site comprises:

an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX); and

an enterprise data gateway, coupled between the internet/PDN and the enterprise PBX of the second site, when the enterprise data gateway of the second site receives the voice/data signal from the internet/PDN, the enterprise data gateway of the second site routes the voice/data signal to the enterprise PBX of the second site.

8. The enterprise network of claim 7, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal is an enterprise internal extension station of the second site, the enterprise PBX of the second site will route the voice/data signal to the enterprise internal extension station of the second site.

9. The enterprise network of claim 7, wherein the second site further comprises a plurality of femtocells, if the destination of the voice/data signal is an enterprise-authenticated handset of the second site, the enterprise PBX of the second site will route the voice/data signal to the enterprise-authenticated handset of the second site through one of the plurality of femtocells of the second site corresponding to the enterprise-authenticated handset of the second site.

10. The enterprise network of claim 1, wherein the first site further comprises an equipment authenticating unit coupled to the first femtocell, the first enterprise-authenticated handset is authenticated by the equipment authenticating unit according to an ID of the first enterprise-authenticated handset, the ID of the first enterprise-authenticated handset is an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) or an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).

11. A femtocell applied in a site of an enterprise network, the site comprising an authorizing unit and an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX), the femtocell comprising:

a communicating unit, coupled to the authorizing unit, the communicating unit receiving a voice/data signal from a first enterprise-authenticated handset and transmitting the voice/data signal to the authorizing unit for authorization; and

a distinguishing unit, coupled to the communicating unit, after the voice/data signal is authorized by the authorizing unit, the distinguishing unit distinguishing a destination of the voice/data signal and the communicating unit routing the voice/data signal to the destination.

12. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal distinguished by the distinguishing unit is an enterprise internal extension station of the site, the communicating unit of the femtocell will route the voice/data signal to the enterprise internal extension station through the enterprise PBX.

13. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal distinguished by the distinguishing unit is a second enterprise-authenticated handset of the site, the communicating unit of the femtocell will route the voice/data signal to the second enterprise-authenticated handset through the enterprise PBX and another femtocell corresponding to the second enterprise-authenticated handset.

14. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein if the destination of the voice/data signal distinguished by the distinguishing unit is out of the enterprise network, the communicating unit of the femtocell will route the voice/data signal to an operator network.

15. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the enterprise network further comprises a second site, and the first site communicates with the second site through an internet/PDN, the first site further comprises an enterprise data gateway coupled to the enterprise PBX, if the destination of the voice/data signal distinguished by the distinguishing unit is the second site, the communicating unit of the femtocell will route the voice/data signal to the second site through the enterprise PBX, the enterprise data gateway, and the internet/PDN.

16. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the communicating unit of the femtocell uses the UMTS standard, the GSM standard, or the LTE standard to communicate with the first enterprise-authenticated handset, and the communicating unit supports the layer 2 protocol stack and above, the PHY layer support, the 2G network monitor to listen to surrounding basestations, and 3G network monitor to listen to surrounding basestations.

17. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the communicating unit of the femtocell uses the SIP protocol or H.232 protocol to communicate with the enterprise data gateway.

18. The femtocell of claim 11, further comprising:

a mapping unit, for using a mapping method to map between the first enterprise-authenticated handset and an enterprise communication ID, wherein the enterprise communication ID is an enterprise internal extension station or a LAN/WAN IP address.

19. The femtocell of claim 18, wherein the mapping method is to use a hash function or a look-up table.

20. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the site further comprises an equipment authenticating unit coupled to the communicating unit of the femtocell, the first enterprise-authenticated handset is authenticated by the equipment authenticating unit according to an ID of the first enterprise-authenticated handset, the ID of the first enterprise-authenticated handset is an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) or an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).