Cordless telephone network

• US 5,020,094 A
• Filed: 08/01/1989
• Issued: 05/28/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Butler F. Prince, Mark S. Rash, Nicholas D. Harrison
• Original Assignee: Butler F. Prince, Mark S. Rash, Nicholas D. Harrison
• Inventors: Harrison, Nicholas D., Butler, F. Prince, Rash, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negash, Kinfe-Michael
• Application Number:
  US07/387,976
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 379/63, 379/62, 379/59, 379/58, 379/61, 455/32, 455/34
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72511 Searching for available channels

Abstract

A cordless telephone network comprises a base unit (12) that is interconnected into a normal telephone network (19) and a plurality of hand-held cordless telephones (20). Each of the hand-held cordless telephones has a distinctive identification code and the base unit temporarily stores the identification code of the hand-held unit with which it is communicating during a call and will not communicate with other hand-held units having different identification codes during that call. Each of the hand-held units has the ability to scan a plurality of cordless telephone channels for either receiving a call on a channel on which its identification code is transmitted or placing a call on a channel on which a base unit transmits a "free-channel" signal. The hand-held units each have a voice activation/deactivation circuit which allows the hand-held unit to send and receive audio signals only when it has been given permission to do so by a base unit.

Claims

1. A cordless telephone network including a hand-held unit having a memorized distinctive ID code and including a cordless telephone transmitter/receiver means for cordlessly communicating 2-way calls between said hand-held unit and any one of a plurality of base units, said any one of said base units and said hand-held unit including a means for scanning a plurality of cordless telephone channels when said hand-held unit is making a call and when it is receiving a call, said hand-held unit further including a means for monitoring said plurality of channels during said scanning to determine if its hand-held unit ID code is transmitted on any one of said channels when said hand-held unit is receiving a call, and for determining if a base unit is transmitting a channel clear signal when said hand-held unit is making a call;

said network further comprising a plurality of base units each including a means for transmitting a channel clear signal.

2. A cordless telephone network as in claim 1 including additional hand-held units wherein each of said hand-held units transmits a different distinctive ID code to said base unit along with a command transmitted to said base unit.

3. A cordless telephone network as in claim 2, wherein each of said hand-held units includes a voice activation circuit means for allowing a microphone and speaker thereof to be activated only after the hand-held unit receives its ID code transmitted to it from a base unit.

4. A cordless telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said hand-held unit includes a voice activation circuit means for allowing a microphone and speaker thereof to be activated only after the hand-held unit receives its ID code transmitted to it from the base unit.

5. A cordless telephone network as in claim 1 wherein said hand-held unit includes a ringer means for being activated to produce a ring only after the hand-held unit receives its ID code.

6. A cordless telephone network as in claim 1 wherein said hand-held unit includes means for transmitting its ID code prior to each dialing access to a base unit.

7. A cordless telephone network as in claim 1 wherein said hand-held unit includes an activation means for allowing said hand-held unit to transmit only after the hand-held unit receives a channel clear signal or its hand-held ID Number.

8. A cordless telephone network including a hand-held unit having a memorized distinctive ID code and including a cordless telephone transmitter/receiver means for cordlessly communicating two-way calls between said hand-held unit and a base unit, said base unit and said hand-held unit communicating with one another using cordless waves having a power range of only around 1000 feet or less on only cordless telephone channels, said hand-held unit inducing a means for scanning a plurality of cordless telephone channels when said hand-held unit is receiving a call and when it is making a call, said hand-held unit further including a means for monitoring said plurality of channels during said scanning to determine if a base unit is transmitting a channel clear signal when said hand-held unit is making a call and to determine if tis hand-held unit ID code is transmitted on any one of said channels when said hand-held unit is receiving a call;

said network further comprising a base unit including a means for transmitting a channel clear signal.

9. A cordless telephone network including a hand-held unit having a memorized distinctive ID code and including a cordless telephone transmitter/receiver means for cordlessly communicating two-way calls between said hand-held unit and a base unit, said base unit and said hand-held unit communicating with one another using cordless waves having a power range of only around 1000 feet or less on only cordless telephone channels, said hand-held unit including a means for scanning a plurality of cordless telephone channels for monitoring said plurality of channels during said scanning to determine if said base unit is transmitting a channel clear signal;

said network further comprising a base unit including a means for transmitting a channel clear signal;

said hand-held unit including a means for capturing said base unit upon receiving said channel clear signal so that thereafter said base unit only communicates with said hand-held unit by transmitting said hand-held unit'"'"'s distinctive ID code along with commands transmitted between said hand-held unit and said base unit.

10. A cordless telephone network as in claim 9 wherein said hand-held unit includes an activation means for allowing said hand-held unit to transmit only after the hand-held unit receives a channel clear signal or its hand-held ID code.

11. A cordless telephone network as in claim 9 wherein said hand-held unit includes a ringer means for being activated to produce a ring only after the hand-held unit receives its ID code.

12. A cordless telephone network as in claim 9 wherein said hand-held unit includes means for transmitting its ID code prior to each dialing access to a base unit.