Multiple wireless switching units embedded in a switching system

• US 5,781,854 A
• Filed: 12/13/1995
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bales, Bruce Merrill
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/571,570
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/422, 455/426, 455/436, 455/445, 455/560, 455/414, 455/461, 455/435, 379/207, 379/211, 379/67
• US Class Current: 455/403
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

Embedding one or a plurality of wireless switches into a switching system. The wireless switches are both physically and logically integrated into the switching system. The switching system performs the complex switching operations. Physically, each wireless switch emulates link interfaces in its connections to the switching system'"'"'s communications control and data media. Logically, each of the wireless switch units communicates with a control processor controlling the operations of the switching system as if each of the wireless switches was a set of individual station sets. Each wireless switch is assigned a set of wireless sets. Each of the wireless sets has a unique telephone number which the control processor of the switching system identifies with a physical position on the communication media. Upon receipt of an incoming call for a particular wireless set, the control processor directs the voice and control information of the call to the wireless switch that is emulating what the control processor believes is a station set attached to the switching system. If the wireless set is registered on a base station attached to the assigned wireless switch, then the call is completed via the assigned wireless switch and the base station with the wireless switch directly handling the communication between the wireless set and the control processor. If the wireless set is registered on a base station connected to another wireless switch other than the assigned wireless switch, the assigned wireless switch receives the call control information from the control processor communicates this information to the other wireless switch. The assigned wireless switch then continues to relay all control information being exchanged between the control processor and the other wireless switch.

Claims

1. A first wireless switch for use as an integral part of a telecommunication switching system for providing service to assigned wireless telephones via a first set of base stations and the telecommunication switching system having a control processor for controlling operation of the telecommunication switching system and a communication medium connected to the control processor over which the control processor communicates control information with telephone interfaces circuits to which telephone sets are connected via telephone links, comprising:

interface links connected to the first set of the plurality of base stations;

an interface circuit connected directly to the communication medium;

a controller for providing telecommunication service to the assigned wireless telephones by communicating with the control processor exclusively via the medium and interface circuit, the controller emulating an interface circuit in its connection to the medium and emulating a telephone set in its communications with the control processor;

the controller responsive to a first control message for an incoming call received from the control processor for one of the assigned wireless telephones with the one of the assigned wireless telephones registered on one of a second set of base stations connected to a second wireless switch for communicating the first control message to the second wireless switch via the communication medium and the interface circuit; and

the controller further responsive to a second control message for the incoming call received from the second wireless switch via communication medium and the interface circuit for communicating the second control message to the control processor.

2. The first wireless switch of claim 1 wherein the controller further responsive to a third message received via the communication medium from a third wireless switch indicating that the one of the assigned wireless telephones is now communicating on the incoming call via the third wireless switch for communicating all control message relating to the incoming call received from the control processor to the third wireless switch.

3. The first wireless switch of claim 2 wherein the controller further responsive to the third message for transmitting a fourth control message to the second wireless switch.

4. The first wireless switch of claim 3 wherein the second wireless switch responsive to the fourth control message for abandoning the call.

5. A telecommunication switching system for providing service to a plurality of wireless telephones and telephone sets and the telecommunication switching system having a control processor for controlling operation of the telecommunication switching system and a communication medium connected to the control processor over which the control processor communicates control information with telephone interfaces circuits to which the telephone sets are connected via telephone links, comprising:

a plurality of wireless switches that are an integral part of the telecommunication switching system;

a set of the plurality of wireless telephones assigned to each of the plurality of wireless switches by the telecommunication switching system;

an individual interface circuit for directly connecting each of the plurality of wireless switches to the communication medium;

a controller in each of the plurality of wireless switches for providing telecommunication service to the plurality of wireless telephones by communicating with the control processor exclusively via the communication medium, each of the plurality of wireless switches emulating a telephone interface circuit in its connection to the communication medium and emulating a telephone set in its communications with the control processor;

the controller in a first one of the plurality of wireless switches responsive to a first control message for an incoming call received from the control processor, for a first one of a first set of the plurality of wireless telephones assigned to the first one of the plurality of wireless switches with the first one of the first set of the plurality of wireless telephones registered on a first one of a first set of base stations connected to a second one of the plurality of wireless switches, for communicating the first control message to the second one of the plurality of wireless switches via the communication medium and interface circuit; and

the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches further responsive to a second control message for the incoming call received from the second one of the plurality of wireless switches via communication medium and interface circuit for communicating the second control message to the control processor.

6. The telecommunication switching system of claim 5 wherein the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches further responsive to a third control message received via the communication medium and the interface circuit from a third one of the plurality of wireless switches for communicating all control message relating to the call received from the control processor to the third one of the plurality of wireless switches whereby the third control message indicating that the first one of the first set of the plurality of wireless telephones is now communicating on the incoming call via the third one of the plurality of wireless switches.

7. The telecommunication switching system of claim 6 wherein the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches further responsive to the third control message for transmitting a fourth control message to the second one of plurality of wireless switches.

8. The telecommunication switching system of claim 7 wherein the second one of plurality of wireless switches responsive to the fourth control message for abandoning the call.

9. A method for controlling a first wireless switch used as an integral part of a telecommunication switching system to provide service to assigned wireless telephones via a first set of base stations and the telecommunication switching system having a control processor for controlling operation of the telecommunication switching system and a communication medium connected to the control processor over which the control processor communicates control information with telephone interfaces circuits to which telephone sets are connected via telephone links, the first wireless switch having interface links connected to a first set of the plurality of base stations, a controller, and an interface circuit connected directly to the communication medium, the method comprising the steps:

providing telecommunication service by the controller to the assigned wireless telephones by communicating with the control processor exclusively via the medium and interface circuit, emulating by the controller an interface circuit in its connection to the medium and emulating by the controller a telephone set in its communications with the control processor;

communicating a first control message to the second wireless switch via the communication medium and the interface circuit by the controller in response to the first control message for an incoming call received from the control processor for one of the assigned wireless telephones with the one of the assigned wireless telephones registered on one of a second set of base stations connected to a second wireless switch; and

communicating a second control message to the control processor by the controller in response to the second control message for the incoming call received from the second wireless switch via communication medium and the interface circuit.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprises the step of communicating all control message relating to the incoming call received from the control processor to a third wireless switch by the controller in response to a third message received via the communication medium from the third wireless switch indicating that the one of the assigned wireless telephones is now communicating on the incoming call via the third wireless switch.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprises the step of transmitting a fourth control message to the second wireless switch by the controller in response to the third message.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprises the step of abandoning the call by the second wireless switch response to the fourth control message.

13. A method of controlling a telecommunication switching system to provide service to a plurality of wireless telephones and telephone sets and the telecommunication switching system having a control processor for controlling operation of the telecommunication switching system, a communication medium connected to the control processor over which the control processor communicates control information with telephone interfaces circuits to which the telephone sets are connected via telephone links, a plurality of wireless switches that are an integral part of the telecommunication switching system, and a set of the plurality of wireless telephones assigned to each of the plurality of wireless switches by the telecommunication switching system, and each of the plurality of wireless switches having an individual interface circuit for directly connecting each of the plurality of wireless switches to the communication medium, the method comprising the steps of:

emulating a telephone interface circuit in its connection to the communication medium and emulating a telephone set in its communications with the control processor by a controller in each of the plurality of wireless switches to provided telecommunication service to the plurality of wireless telephones by communicating with the control processor exclusively via the communication medium;

communicating a first control message to a second one of the plurality of wireless switches via the communication medium and interface circuit by the controller in a first one of the plurality of wireless switches in response to the first control message for an incoming call received from the control processor for a first one of a first set of the plurality of wireless telephones assigned to the first one of the plurality of wireless switches with the first one of the first set of the plurality of wireless telephones registered on a first one of a first set of base stations connected to the second one of the plurality of wireless switches; and

communicating a second control message to the control processor by the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches in response to the second control message for the incoming call received from the second one of the plurality of wireless switches via communication medium and interface circuit.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprises the step of communicating all control message relating to the call received from the control processor to a third one of the plurality of wireless switches by the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches in response to a third control message received via the communication medium and the interface circuit from the third one of the plurality of wireless switches whereby the third control message indicating that the first one of the first set of the plurality of wireless telephones is now communicating on the incoming call via the third one of the plurality of wireless switches.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprises the step of transmitting a fourth control message to the second one of plurality of wireless switches by the controller of the first one of the plurality of wireless switches in response to the third control message.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprises the step of abandoning the call by the second one of plurality of wireless switches in response to the fourth control message.