Beacon enhanced telecommunications system and method
First Claim
1. In a telecommunications system including a switched telecommunications network having switching means interconnected by trunk means and station means linked to at least certain of said switching means, the improvement comprising;
- means for transmitting a radiated beacon signal associated with at least one of said station means from substantially the same site to radiate therefrom a periodic relatively short duration signal;
said beacon signal including coded information regarding the geographic location of said means for transmitting said beacon signal and said one station means;
portable receiving means for receiving said signal when within the range thereof;
means associated with said receiving means and responsive to receipt of said signal for providing information regarding the location of said transmitting means; and
means at said one station means for providing a connection to said switched telecommunications network.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A public switched telecommunications network including a beacon transmitter associated with a station in such network and transmitting periodic beacon signals containing information regarding the location of said beacon and station. A portable receiver is provided for receiving such information and reproducing such location information to permit the carrier of said receiver to locate said station. The location information may be visually or audibly reproduced. The station may be a public pay station and/or a cellular station. The receiver may be associated with a portable cellular transceiver for establishing communications with a cellular transceiver disposed adjacent the beacon.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a telecommunications system including a switched telecommunications network having switching means interconnected by trunk means and station means linked to at least certain of said switching means, the improvement comprising;
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means for transmitting a radiated beacon signal associated with at least one of said station means from substantially the same site to radiate therefrom a periodic relatively short duration signal; said beacon signal including coded information regarding the geographic location of said means for transmitting said beacon signal and said one station means; portable receiving means for receiving said signal when within the range thereof; means associated with said receiving means and responsive to receipt of said signal for providing information regarding the location of said transmitting means; and means at said one station means for providing a connection to said switched telecommunications network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for establishing communications via a telecommunications system including a switched telecommunications network having switching means interconnected by trunk means and station means linked to at least certain of said switching means, the steps comprising:
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transmitting a periodic radiated beacon signal from the site of at least one of said station means; including in said beacon signal coded information regarding the geographic location of said site of said one station means; receiving said beacon signal with a portable receiving means; providing at said receiving means in response to receipt of said beacon signal information regarding the location of said site of said one station means; and effecting connection to said switched telecommunications network at said one station means. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. In a cellular telecommunications network including multiple contiguous sets of cells connected to a switched telecommunications network having switching means interconnected by trunk means and station means linked to at least certain of said switching means, the improvement comprising;
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cell transceiver means serving a cell spaced from and non-contiguous to said sets of cells; beacon transmitter means located at said cell for transmitting periodic short duration beacon signals over a range extending substantially beyond the bounds of said cell served by said cell transceiver; portable receiving means for receiving said beacon signal beyond said bounds of said cell; means associated with said receiving means and responsive to receipt of said beacon signal for providing information regarding the location of said beacon transmitter means; and portable cellular transceiver means associated with said portable receiving means for providing a connection to said switched telecommunications network through said cell transceiver means. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification