Method and apparatus for providing an improved caller interface in a fixed cellular communications system

• US 5,724,656 A
• Filed: 10/02/1995
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Dufour, Daniel, Vo, Kim Phuong, Olsson, H.ang.kan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US08/538,157
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/60, 379/57, 379/61, 379/201, 379/94, 455/33.1, 455/74.1, 455/403, 455/422, 455/426, 455/554, 455/557, 455/404, 455/556
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

In a fixed cellular telephone system, an improved caller interface is provided wherein the taking of a standard wireline telephone set off-hook triggers the establishment of a voice path between the telephone set and the cellular system switch. A dial tone is then applied by the cellular system to the voice path and a caller enters the digits of the telephone number of the party to which the call is directed. The caller dialed digits are transmitted over the voice path to the cellular system switch where they are processed to complete the call connection to the called party. The dialed digits are further analyzed on a one-by-one basis to determine whether improper or unauthorized digits or combinations of digits have been entered by the caller. The caller interface provided by the fixed cellular system of the present invention accordingly operates in a substantially identical manner to that experienced with a conventional wire-based telephone system and in an improved manner over that provided in a conventional cellular system.

Claims

1. In a fixed cellular system, a method for call set-up comprising the steps of:

detecting an off-hook event for a standard telephone set;

transmitting a signal indicative of the detected off-hook event over a control channel of a cellular air interface;

applying a first dial tone to the standard telephone set;

receiving from the standard telephone set digit signals indicative of a telephone number of a called party in response to the first dial tone;

storing the telephone number;

responsive to cellular telephone system receipt of the off-hook event signal, selecting a voice channel of the cellular air interface to carry the call;

establishing a voice path connection between the cellular telephone system and the telephone set, the voice path comprising in part the selected voice channel;

applying a second dial tone to the voice path connection;

transmitting over the established voice path digit signals indicative of the stored telephone number in response to the second dial tone; and

processing of the voice path transmitted digit signals by the cellular telephone system to complete the call to the called party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the off-hook event signal comprises a cellular telephone service feature code requesting selection of a voice channel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the digit signals comprise DTMF tones.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing comprises the step of processing the transmitted digit signals to 1 identify improper or unauthorized digits or combinations of digits in the telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of processing comprises the step of processing the transmitted digit signals to decode the telephone number of the called party and complete the call.

6. A fixed cellular telephone system, comprising:

a standard telephone set;

a fixed cellular terminal electrically connected to the telephone set and including;

means for detecting an off-hook event for the telephone set at the initiation of a call;

means responsive to the detected off-hook event for transmitting an event signal over a control channel of a cellular radio frequency air interface;

means for generating a first dial tone for transmission to the standard telephone set;

means for receiving and storing telephone number digits entered into the standard telephone set;

means for retrieving the stored telephone number digits in response to receipt of a second dial tone and for transmitting the retrieved telephone number digits over a traffic channel of the cellular radio frequency air interface; and

a cellular telephone system including means responsive to receipt of the transmitted event signal for selecting the voice channel of the cellular radio frequency air interface to carry the call, the selected voice channel comprising a part of a voice path connection for the call made between the cellular telephone system and the off-hook telephone set via the fixed cellular terminal, the cellular telephone system further including means for applying the second dial tone to the voice path connection and receiving the retrieved telephone number digits transmitted by the fixed cellular terminal over the voice channel of the air interface.

7. The fixed cellular system of claim 6 wherein the cellular telephone system further includes means responsive to receipt of the transmitted telephone number digits for completing the call to a called party.

8. The fixed cellular system of claim 7 wherein the cellular telephone system further includes means for analyzing the transmitted telephone number digits to identify instances of improper or unauthorized digits or combinations of digits.

9. The fixed cellular system of claim 6 wherein the event signal comprises a cellular telephone service feature code requesting selection of a voice channel.

10. A fixed cellular terminal for use in a fixed cellular communications system and for electrical connection to a standard telephone set, comprising:

means for detecting an off-hook event concerning the telephone set at the initiation of a call;

means responsive to the detected off-hook event for transmitting an event signal over a control channel of a cellular radio frequency air interface to a cellular telephone system;

means for applying a first dial tone to the standard telephone set;

means for receiving telephone number digits entered through the standard telephone set in response to the first dial tone;

means for storing the received telephone number digits; and

means responsive to both the establishment of a call voice path connection through the fixed cellular terminal between the off-hook analog telephone set and the cellular telephone system, the voice path connection comprising in part a voice channel of the cellular radio frequency air interface, and the application of a second dial tone to the voice path connection by the cellular telephone system, for retrieving the stored telephone number digits for transmission over the voice path connection to the cellular telephone system.

11. A method for setting-up a call in a fixed cellular telephone system, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a signal over a control channel of a cellular telephone system radio frequency air interface indicative of a standard telephone set off-hook event;

offering a first dial tone to the standard telephone set;

receiving telephone number digits entered into the standard telephone set;

storing the received telephone number digits;

selecting a voice channel of the cellular telephone system radio frequency air interface to carry the call;

establishing a voice path connection for the call, the voice path connection extending between the off-hook telephone set and the cellular system and including as a part thereof the selected voice channel of the cellular telephone system radio frequency air interface;

applying a second dial tone to the voice path connection; and

retrieving the stored telephone number digits for transmission over the voice path connection to the cellular system in response to the second dial tone.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the step of processing the transmitted telephone number digits to complete connection of the call to the telephone number.

13. The method of claim 11 further including the step of processing the transmitted telephone number digits to identify instances of improper or unauthorized digits or combinations of digits in the telephone number.