Method and apparatus for supporting at least two communication services in a communication system

• US 5,548,631 A
• Filed: 10/01/1993
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krebs, Jay, Erickson, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/131,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/34.2, 455/56.1, 455/15, 455/53.1, 455/34.1
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

Apparatus and method for enabling a single communication system (100) to support at least two communication services. For example, one can support both cellular telephone services and trunked dispatch services by sharing some, but not all, of the system infrastructure. Access control gateways (201) and base stations (203) comprise common infrastructure elements, while two separate processors provide control for each service, these being a communication agent processor (104) to support telephone services, and a dispatch call processor (106) to support dispatch call services. These two independent processors each include a data base (303 and 307) that includes information concerning communication units (204-206) operating within the system. During a call set-up sequence, the access control gateway (201) receives a call request from a communication unit via a base station, and passes the request to the appropriate processor, which uses its corresponding database to support the requested service.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

A) a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels that are used to support at least two communication services;

B) a communication agent processor operably coupled to a landline telephone network;

C) a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor;

D) an access control gateway that is disposed between at least some of the base stations and the communication agent processor, and between the at least some of the base stations and the dispatch call processor, such that the communication agent processor and the dispatch call processor each operably couple to the at least some of the base stations through the access control gateway and wherein the access control gateway allocates the radio frequency communication channels.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, and the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

7. A communication system, comprising:

A) a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels, wherein the base stations used the radio frequency communication channels to support both telephone and dispatch communication services;

B) a communication agent processor operably coupled to a landline telephone network;

C) a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor;

D) an access control gateway that is disposed between at least some of the base stations and the communication agent processor, and between the at least some of the base stations and the dispatch call processor, such that the communication agent processor and the dispatch call processor each operably couple to the at least some of the base stations through the access control gateway and wherein the access control gateway allocates the radio frequency communication channels.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

9. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

10. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

11. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

12. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, and the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system.

13. A communication system, comprising:

A) a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels;

B) a communication agent processor operably coupled to a landline telephone network, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system;

C) a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system;

D) an access control gateway that is disposed between at least some of the base stations and the communication agent processor, and between the at least some of the base stations and the dispatch call processor, such that the communication agent processor and the dispatch call processor each operably couple to the at least some of the base stations through the access control gateway and wherein the access control gateway allocates the radio frequency communication channels.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the base stations use the radio frequency communication channels to support both telephone and dispatch communication services.

15. A communication system, comprising:

A) a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels to support both telephone interconnect service and dispatch communications service;

B) a communication agent processor operably coupled to a landline telephone network, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system;

C) a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor, wherein the dispatch call processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system;

D) an access control gateway that is disposed between at least some of the base stations and the communication agent processor, and between the at least some of the base stations and the dispatch call processor, such that the communication agent processor and the dispatch call processor each operably couple to the at least some of the base stations through the access control gateway and wherein the access control gateway allocates the radio frequency communication channels.

16. A method to source a telephone call from a communication unit, comprising the steps of:

A) transmitting to an access control gateway, which access control gateway is operably coupled between a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels and a communication agent processor that is itself coupled to a landline telephone network, and between the plurality of base stations and a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor, via a first base station, a first channel request;

B) receiving from the access control gateway via the first base station a first channel assignment;

C) transmitting to the access control gateway via the first channel a telephone service request;

D) receiving via the first channel a temporary channel assignment, which assignment is provided by the communication agent processor;

E) signaling on the temporary channel to confirm acceptability of the temporary channel;

F) using the temporary channel toe support the telephone call.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, and wherein, in step D, the at least one database is utilized when making the assignment of the temporary channel.

18. A method comprising the steps of:

to source a telephone call from a communication unit;

A) transmitting to an access control gateway, which access control gateway is operably coupled between a plurality of base stations that support radio frequency communication channels and a communication agent processor that is itself coupled to a landline telephone network, and between the plurality of base stations and a dispatch call processor that is independent of the communication agent processor, via a first base station, a first channel request;

B) receiving from the access control gateway via the first base station a first channel assignment;

C) transmitting to the access control gateway via the first channel a telephone service request;

D) receiving via the first channel a temporary channel assignment, which assignment is provided by the communication agent processor;

E) signaling on the temporary channel to confirm acceptability of the temporary channel;

F) using the temporary channel to support the telephone call;

to source a dispatch call from the communication unit;

G) transmitting to the access control gateway via the base station a dispatch call request;

H) receiving a channel assignment sourced by the dispatch call processor that specifies an identified channel;

I) using the identified channel to support the dispatch call.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the communication agent processor includes at least one database that contains at least some information regarding current telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, and the dispatch processor includes at least a second database that contains at least some information regarding current dispatch operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, but no information regarding telephone operability states regarding subscribers serviced by the system, and wherein:

in step D, the one database is utilized when making the assignment of the temporary channel; and

in step H, the second database is utilized when making the assignment of the identified channel.