Apparatus and method for providing a microzone mobile communication system within a cellular telephone system

• US 5,625,672 A
• Filed: 03/10/1994
• Issued: 04/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/209,594
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 379/56, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/57, 455/13.1, 455/19, 455/33.1, 455/34.1, 455/73, 455/33.4
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile communication system permits a mobile terminal to operate in a microzone system which services a local area and to also operate in a cellular telephone system which is available in the local area. The microzone telephone system uses the same frequency band and channels of the cellular telephone system and includes a monitoring receiver which monitors the channels within that frequency band and makes those channels which are less likely to interfere with the cellular telephone system available to the microzone system. The microzone system includes a portable terminal which is capable of accessing the cellular system and, when in range of the microzone system, capable of accessing the microzone system on idle ones of the cellular channels which have been made available to the microzone system.

Claims

1. A microzone mobile communication system which operates in local areas on cellular channels in the same frequency band as a cellular telephone system which is available in said local areas, said microzone mobile communication system comprising:

a plurality of fixed stations for providing communications links for said microzone system;

a cellular monitoring receiver located within one of said local areas for scanning channels of said cellular telephone system, and for monitoring the interference potential of each of said scanned channels;

a control unit for coupling at least one of said fixed stations to a public service telephone network, said control unit being responsive to said monitoring for allocating cellular channels prior to a communication request to said microzone mobile communication system based on said monitoring of said interference potential; and

a portable terminal which accesses said microzone mobile communication system on one of said allocated cellular channels in response to a communication request when said portable terminal is within said local area.

2. The microzone mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein said allocated cellular channels are cellular channels which are less apt to interfere in said local area with said cellular telephone system.

3. The microzone mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein said allocated cellular channels are idle channels.

4. The microzone mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein said control unit further selects an idle channel of said allocated cellular channels for use by said microzone communication system in response to a communication request.

5. The microzone mobile communication system of claim 4, wherein said fixed station verifies that said selected cellular channel is idle.

6. The microzone mobile communication system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cellular monitoring receiver monitors signal strength of said cellular channels and wherein said control unit allocates those cellular channels having a low signal strength in said local area to said microzone mobile communication system.

7. A method for communicating in a microzone mobile communication system which operates in a local area and utilizes channels within the same frequency band as those of a cellular telephone system which is available in said local area, comprising the steps of:

scanning the channels of said cellular telephone system with a cellular monitoring receiver located within said local area and included in said microzone mobile communication system;

monitoring each of said scanned channels for potential interference;

identifying channels whose use in said local area is less apt to interfere with channels used by said cellular telephone system based on said monitoring of potential interference;

allocating, prior to a communication request, said identified channels to said microzone mobile communication system;

selecting one or more idle channels from said allocated channels in response to a communication request; and

communicating on said microzone mobile communication system using said one or more selected channels.