SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING OPERATIONS OF A COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20140199973A1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robbins, William Stanley, Pearson, Larry B., Ryan, Mark, Wallis, R. Tyler
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, at a base station, communicating with a mobile phone where the base station comprises a premises wireless access point, at the base station, communicating with a mobile communication system by way of a broadband connection, and instructing a landline phone communicatively coupled to the base station to communicate with a remote end user device via the mobile communication system utilizing identification information of the mobile phone and responsive to communications between the base station and the mobile phone. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an access point device from a cellular device, an authorization to utilize communication services associated with the cellular device;

providing, by the access point device to a server, a request to establish communications; and

enabling, by the access point device, a landline phone to communicate with a remote end user device utilizing identification information of the cellular device, wherein communication between the landline phone and the remote end user device comprises a voice call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point device is incorporated in a set top box, and wherein the request to establish communications is provided over a broadband connection.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting that the cellular device is within a communication range threshold of the access point device; and

transmitting a query to the cellular device responsive to the detecting within the communication range,

wherein the receiving of the authorization is responsive to the query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization to utilize the communication services associated with the cellular device is generated at the cellular device based on user input at the cellular device.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising disabling the communication with the landline phone responsive to detecting that the cellular device is outside of a communication range threshold of the access point device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information of the cellular device comprises an electronic serial number, and wherein the communication services associated with the cellular device comprise voice, video and data services.

7. The method if claim 1, wherein the identification information of the cellular device comprises an international mobile equipment identity, and wherein the communication services associated with the cellular device comprise voice, video and data services.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising disabling the communication with the landline phone responsive to receiving a termination request from the cellular device.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting an in-coming call directed to the cellular device; and

causing the landline phone to present an incoming call alert responsive to the detecting of the incoming call without the incoming call alert being presented at the cellular device.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, a request to establish communications, the request being received over a broadband connection from an access point device;

enabling, by the system, a second communication device communicatively coupled to the access point device to communicate over a first communication system with a remote end user device utilizing first identification information of a first communication device, wherein the communication between the second communication device and the remote end user device comprises a voice call; and

enabling the second communication device to communicate with the remote end user device via a second communication system utilizing second identification information of the second communication device responsive to the first communication device being outside of a communication range threshold of the access point device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the system provides communication services based on circuit-switching and packet switching, wherein the first communication device comprises a cellular device, wherein the second communication device comprises a landline phone, and wherein the request to establish communications is generated by the access point device responsive to the access point device receiving an authorization to utilize communication services of the first communication device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first communication system comprises an IP multimedia subsystem, and wherein the second communication system comprises a cellular communication system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification information of the second communication device comprises an electronic serial number, and wherein communication services enabled by the second communication device comprise voice, video and data services.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification information of the second communication device comprises an international mobile equipment identity, and wherein communication services enabled by the second communication device comprise voice, video and data services.

15. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a cellular device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a query from an access point device, the query requesting use of communication services associated with the cellular device; and

providing an authorization to the access point device to utilize the communication services associated with the cellular device,

wherein the providing of the authorization causes the access point device to provide a request to establish communications to a server and causes the access point device to enable a landline phone communicatively coupled with the access point device to communicate with a remote end user device utilizing identification information of the cellular device, and

wherein communication between the landline phone and the remote end user device comprises a voice call.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the query from the access point device is responsive to a detection that the cellular device is within a communication range threshold of the access point device.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting, at a user interface of the cellular device, the query requesting use of the communication services associated with the cellular device;

receiving, at the user interface, user input responsive to the presenting of the query; and

generating the authorization to utilize the communication services associated with the cellular device based on the user input.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein in-coming call alerts are presented at the landline phone and are suppressed at the cellular device during use by the landline phone of the communication services associated with the cellular device.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the identification information of the cellular device comprises an electronic serial number, and wherein the communication services associated with the cellular device comprise voice, video and data services.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the identification information of the cellular device comprises an international mobile equipment identity, and wherein the communication services associated with the cellular device comprise voice, video and data services.