Wireless telecommunication system using protocol conversion for signaling between base stations and land based switches

• US 5,655,001 A
• Filed: 10/03/1994
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cline, William Keith, Fuentes, James Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/317,304
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 370/60, 370/94.1, 370/95.3, 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/67, 379/89, 379/201, 379/269, 455/33.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13173 Busy signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13205 Primary rate access, PRI
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13298 Local loop systems, access network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for offering wireless telecommunication service. A switch such as an automatic Private Branch Exchange (PBX), equipped to communicate with Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) stations sends ISDN signaling messages to and receives ISDN signaling messages from a protocol converter. The protocol converter, which also communicates with a wireless cell site, converts messages between the ISDN protocol and a protocol for communicating with the wireless cell site. The cell site sets up wireless connections to a mobile station, essentially in its prior art mode, and the PBX sets up connections to the cell site essentially in its prior art ISDN station control mode. The PBX is connected to a class 5 (central office) telecommunications switching system for establishing connections between the public switched telephone network and the PBX, or between outlets of the PBX for a call between wireless stations.

Claims

1. A wireless telecommunication system, comprising:

a central office for connection to a public switched telephone network, said central office for communicating with land based stations and land based switching systems;

a telecommunication switch, said switch for communicating with land based stations and land based switching systems;

a wireless cell site; and

protocol conversion means for converting between a cell site control protocol, said cell site control protocol for signaling to and receiving signals from a wireless cell site, and an out-of-band telephone station control (OTSC) protocol;

said telecommunication switch connected to said cell site by a plurality of unswitched first communication links;

said telecommunication switch and said cell site being connected by data link means to said protocol conversion means;

said central office connected to said telecommunication switch by a plurality of second communication links;

said central office for establishing connections among ones of said second communication links and for establishing connections between ones of said second communication links and said public switched telephone network;

wherein said telecommunication switch sends OTSC protocol signaling messages, said OTSC signaling protocol messages used for communicating between land based telephone stations and land based switching systems, to said protocol conversion means as if it were communicating directly with a land based telephone station, and said protocol conversion means converts said OTSC protocol signaling messages to cell site control protocol signaling messages for transmission to said cell site, for controlling said cell site;

wherein said cell site sends cell site control protocol signaling messages, said cell site control protocol signaling messages used for communicating with a mobile switching center, to said protocol conversion means as if it were communicating directly with a mobile telephone switching center for communicating with cell sites, and said protocol conversion means converts said cell site control protocol signaling messages to OTSC protocol signaling messages for transmission to said telecommunication switch.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein ones of said plurality of second links are terminated on ones of a plurality of line interfaces at said central office.

3. The method of the system of claim 1 wherein said telecommunication switch is a private branch exchange (PBX).

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said plurality of second communication links comprises a plurality of PBX trunks.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said OTSC protocol is an integrated services digital network (ISDN) protocol.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said central office is a program controlled switching system.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said central office is a digital switching system.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said central office is a step-by-step switching system.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said central office is further connected to a plurality of/and-based telephone lines.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said central office performs billing recording.