Reestablishment

• US 5,544,224 A
• Filed: 03/10/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ghisler, Walter, Jonsson, Bjorn E. R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chernoff, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US08/402,391
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/63, 379/209, 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/54.1, 455/54.2, 455/56.1, 455/34.1, 455/34.2
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reestablishing a call after a call has been disconnected or after the quality of the call has become bad is disclosed. A disconnected mobile station scans the signal strength of surrounding base stations and accesses the base station with the highest signal strength. The mobile station then initiates a new call back to a service node. The base station then assigns the mobile station a traffic channel and the service node reconnects the call. In addition, a method for reestablishing a call in any communication network after the call has been terminated in a normal fashion is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected involving a terminal in a communication system, wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call, and wherein a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of such communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of the call are connected together, said method comprising the steps of:

initiating a new call back across said second radio communication path to said meeting point, wherein said terminal initiates said call back to said service node using an interaction number which is different from a called party'"'"'s number and is entered and stored prior to call disconnection in said terminal or in equipment permanently connected to said terminal; and

said meeting point, when receiving said interaction number, reconnecting the terminal to the opposite party.

2. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said interaction number is sent to said terminal during call setup.

3. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said interaction number is inserted via a key set on said terminal.

4. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said new call is initiated automatically after the call has been disconnected.

5. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said new call is initiated after the call has been disconnected and a subscriber depresses at least one key on a keyset on said terminal.

6. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

7. A method for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 1, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.

8. An apparatus for reestablishing a call from a terminal after the call has been disconnected in a communication system,wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call and wherein a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of such communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of a call are connected together, comprising:

means for initiating a new call back across said second radio communication path to said meeting point, wherein the terminal initiates the call back to said service node using an interaction number which is different from a called party'"'"'s number and is entered and stored prior to call disconnection in said terminal or in equipment permanently connected to said terminal; and

means for reconnecting the terminal to the opposite party.

9. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said interaction number is sent to said terminal during call setup.

10. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said interaction number is inserted via a key set on said terminal.

11. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said new call is initiated automatically after the call has been disconnected.

12. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said new call is initiated manually after the call has been disconnected and a subscriber depresses at least one key on the keyset on the terminal.

13. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

14. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after the call has been disconnected according to claim 8, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.

15. A method for reestablishing a call which has a quality level considered below an acceptable level by a subscriber participating in the call, said call involving a terminal in a communication system, wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call and wherein a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of such communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of the call are connected together, said method comprising the steps of:

initiating a new call back across said second radio communication path to said meeting point, wherein said terminal initiates said call back to said service node using an interaction number which is different from a called party'"'"'s number and is entered and stored prior to call disconnection in said terminal or in equipment permanently connected to said terminal; and

said meeting point, when receiving said interaction number, reconnecting the terminal to the opposite party.

16. A method for reestablishing a call according to claim 15, wherein said interaction number is sent to said terminal during call setup.

17. A method for reestablishing a call according to claim 15, wherein said interaction number is inserted via a key set on said terminal.

18. A method for reestablishing a call according to claim 15, wherein said new call is initiated after the quality of the call has fallen below a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time and a subscriber depresses at least one key on a keyset on said terminal.

19. A method for reestablishing a call according to claim 15, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

20. A method for reestablishing a call according to claim 15, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.

21. An apparatus for reestablishing a call which has a quality level considered below an acceptable level by a subscriber participating in the call, said call involving a terminal in a communication system, wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call and wherein a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of such communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of a call are connected together, comprising:

means for initiating a new call back across said second radio communication path to said meeting point, wherein the terminal initiates the call back to said service node using an interaction number which is different from a called party'"'"'s number and is entered and stored prior to call disconnection in said terminal or in equipment permanently connected to said terminal; and

means for reconnecting the terminal to the opposite party.

22. An apparatus for reestablishing a call according to claim 21, wherein said interaction number is sent to said terminal during call setup.

23. An apparatus for reestablishing a call according to claim 21, wherein said interaction number is inserted via a key set on said terminal.

24. An apparatus for reestablishing a call according to claim 21, wherein said new call is initiated manually after the quality of the call has fallen below a predetermined level for the predetermined period of time and a subscriber depresses at least one key on the keyboard on the terminal.

25. An apparatus for reestablishing a call according to claim 21, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

26. An apparatus for reestablishing a call according to claim 21, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.

27. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination involving a terminal in a communication system wherein, wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call and a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of such communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of the call are connected together, said method comprising the steps of:

depressing a predetermined key or sequence of keys on a keyset on said terminal after the call has been terminated;

determining whether the terminal has an active call record with an interaction number, said interaction number being different from a called party'"'"'s number; and

said meeting point, when receiving said interaction number reconnecting said terminal to the opposite party.

28. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 27, wherein said call record remains active after the termination for a predetermined period of time.

29. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 27, wherein either party can initiate the reestablishment method.

30. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 27, wherein said terminal generates an acoustic signal when the call can not be reestablished.

31. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 27, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

32. A method for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 27, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.

33. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination involving a terminal in a communication system, wherein a first radio communication path has been established between the terminal and a first radio station before the disconnection of the call and a second radio communication path is established between the terminal and the second radio station after the disconnection of the call and wherein a wired communication path is established from the second radio station to a meeting point selected by a service node common to a plurality of communication paths, at which meeting point the parties of the call are connected together, comprising:

means on said terminal for initiating the reestablishment procedure after the call has been terminated;

means for determining whether the terminal has an active call record with an interaction number, said interaction number being different from a called party'"'"'s number; and

means for reconnecting paid terminal to the opposite party.

34. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein said call record remains active after the termination for a predetermined period of time.

35. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein either party can initiate the reestablishment procedure.

36. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein said terminal generates an acoustical signal when said call can not be reconnected.

37. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein the reestablishment procedure is initiated by depressing at least one predetermined key on a keyset on said terminal.

38. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein said terminal is a mobile radio terminal.

39. An apparatus for reestablishing a call after a normal termination according to claim 33, wherein said terminal is a wirebound terminal.