System and method for implementing a combined mobile phone and pager in a telecommunications network

• US 5,701,337 A
• Filed: 12/27/1995
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Silver, Andrew, Stamos, Stamos
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/579,005
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 379/57, 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/38.3, 455/127, 455/343
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A combined mobile phone and pager, and a corresponding method and network for implementing the mobile phone/pager is disclosed. The mobile phone/pager includes a mobile phone portion, which has an on/off switch. The mobile phone/pager also has a pager portion, and a relay. The relay is operationally connected to the pager portion and the on/off switch of the mobile phone portion for turning on the on/off switch upon receipt of a paging signal by the pager. A paging signal transmitted from a paging station is received through the pager portion. The pager portion then activates the relay, thereby turning on the on/off switch, and activating the mobile phone. The mobile phone portion may be turned off between calls to conserve battery power.

Claims

1. A method of activating a mobile phone having an on/off switch operationally associated with a pager through a relay, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting at a paging station a paging signal;

receiving through the pager the paging signal;

determining whether a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC) is present in said paging signal;

displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal; and

activating the relay in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is present in said paging signal, thereby turning on the on/off switch, and activating the mobile phone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of performing, by the mobile phone, a registration procedure after the mobile phone is activated.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting from a mobile telecommunications system a mobile paging signal which is delayed a predetermined time period from the transmitting of the paging signal at the paging station.

4. A method of activating a mobile phone having an on/off switch operationally associated with a pager upon receipt of an incoming call for the mobile phone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a cellular network the incoming call;

sending a page request from said cellular network to a paging network;

generating and transmitting from said paging network a pager signal directed to the pager associated with the mobile phone;

receiving at the pager the pager signal;

determining whether a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC) is present in said pager signal;

displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving said pager signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal; and

turning on the mobile phone in response to receiving the pager signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is present in said paging signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising after the step of receiving at the cellular network the incoming call, the steps of:

transmitting a mobile paging signal from said cellular network to the mobile phone to determine whether the mobile phone is on; and

completing the call upon determining that the mobile phone is on.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the turning on step includes starting a registration procedure.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein after the turning on step, the method further comprises a step of performing by the mobile phone a registration procedure.

8. A mobile phone/pager comprising:

a mobile phone portion having an on/off switch;

a pager portion further comprising;

means for receiving a paging signal from a paging network; and

means for determining whether said paging signal includes a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC);

means for displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal; and

a relay operationally connected to the pager portion and the on/off switch for turning on the on/off switch of the mobile phone portion upon receipt by the pager portion of a paging signal that includes a MPSIC.

9. A mobile phone comprising:

a pager for receiving paging signals from a paging network, said pager further comprising;

means for receiving a paging signal from said paging network;

means for determining whether said paging signal includes a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC); and

means for displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal;

a transmitter/receiver for transmitting and receiving mobile phone calls;

a keypad for inputting digits of a phone number;

processing means connected to the keypad and the transmitter/receiver for establishing a call through the transmitter/receiver;

a power supply for providing energy to the pager, transmitter/receiver, keypad, and processing means;

an activating switch operationally connected to the power supply and the pager for activating the transmitter/receiver, keypad, and processing means; and

a discriminator operationally connected to the pager and the activating switch for allowing the activating switch to activate the transmitter/receiver, keypad, and processing means only when the pager signal includes the MPSIC.

10. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the activating switch is a relay connected between the power supply and the transmitter/receiver, keypad and processing means, and the relay is activated by the pager upon receipt of a paging signal that includes a MPSIC.

11. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the pager includes a second independent power supply.

12. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein upon activating the transmitter/receiver, keypad and processing means, the processing means and transmitter/receiver perform a registration procedure.

13. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the activating switch is a relay connected between the power supply and the transmitter/receiver, keypad and processing means, and the relay is activated by the pager upon receipt of a paging signal having the mobile paging indication component.

14. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein upon activating the transmitter/receiver, keypad and processing means, the processing means and transmitter/receiver perform a registration procedure.

15. A mobile phone/pager network comprising:

a pager network including;

a plurality of pagers;

means for broadcasting to said pagers a standard paging signal; and

means for broadcasting to said pagers a paging signal that includes a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC); and

a mobile phone network connected to said pager network, said mobile phone network including;

a plurality of mobile phones, at least one of the mobile phones having;

an associated pager from said plurality of pagers;

an on/off switch responsive to said associated pager for turning on the mobile phone upon receipt by said associated pager of a paging signal that includes said MPSIC; and

a display for displaying a paging message through said associated pager in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal; and

means for registering with said mobile phone network;

discriminating means for differentiating the mobile phones responsive to one of the pagers and mobile phones not responsive to one of the pagers; and

paging means for paging the mobile phone within the mobile phone network when the mobile phone is not responsive to one of the pagers; and

bypassing means for activating the paging network to broadcast a paging signal that includes said MPSIC to the associated pager when the incoming call is directed to one of the mobile phones responsive to one of the pagers, thereby turning on the mobile phone and activating the registering means.

16. The mobile phone/pager network of claim 15, wherein each of said plurality of pagers includes means for determining whether the MPSIC is present in the paging signal before activating the relay.

17. The mobile phone/pager network of claim 15, wherein the discriminating means also includes an associated phone number of the pager to which each responsive mobile phone is responding, said associated phone number being utilized by the bypassing means for paging the pager.