Radio telecommunications network and method of supporting operation of a combined mobile telephone and pager

• US 5,828,949 A
• Filed: 07/10/1996
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Silver, Andrew, Joong, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US08/677,876
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/426, 455/38.3, 379/89, 379/170
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• 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

The present invention is a method within a radio telecommunications network for delivering a telephone call to a mobile station having a telephone portion, a pager portion, and a relay switch between the telephone portion and the pager portion. Data indicating that the mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages from a paging network is recorded in a home location register (HLR) associated with the mobile station. The method enables a subscriber to turn off the telephone portion to conserve battery power. When a call is received in a cellular network for the mobile station, and the mobile station cannot be contacted, the cellular network requests an associated paging network to send a page to the pager portion. The paging network is requested to page the pager portion of the mobile station via a datalink from the cellular network. The pager portion then activates the telephone portion through the relay switch, and the cellular network completes the call.

Claims

1. In a radio telecommunications network having a cellular network and a paging network, a method of delivering a telephone call to a mobile station having a telephone portion, a pager portion, and a relay switch between said telephone portion and said pager portion, said method comprising the steps of:

recording in a home location register (HLR) associated with said mobile station, data indicating that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages from said paging network;

receiving said telephone call in said cellular network;

determining whether said mobile station is inactive;

determining from said data in said HLR whether said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages, upon determining that said mobile station is inactive;

requesting said paging network to page said pager portion of said mobile station by sending a page request on a datalink from said cellular network to said paging network, upon determining that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages;

receiving, in said pager portion, said page from said paging network;

activating said telephone portion through said relay switch in response to receiving said page in said pager portion; and

routing said call to said mobile station.

2. In a radio telecommunications network having a cellular network and a paging network, a method of delivering a telephone call to a mobile station having a telephone portion, a pager portion, and a relay switch between said telephone portion and said pager portion, said method comprising the steps of:

recording in a home location register (HLR) associated with said mobile station, data indicating that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages from said paging network, said recording step including creating a class of subscribers in said HLR indentifying subscriber'"'"'s with a dual mobile telephone/pager capability;

receiving said telephone call in said cellular network;

determining whether said mobile station is inactive;

determining from said data in said HLR whether said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages, upon determining that said mobile station is inactive;

requesting said paging network to page said pager portion of said mobile station, upon determining that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages;

receiving in said pager portion, said page from said paging network;

activating said telephone portion through said relay switch in response to receiving said page in said pager portion; and

routing said call to said mobile station.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, after the step of determining whether said mobile station is inactive, the step of routing said call to said mobile station upon determining that said mobile station is active.

4. In a radio telecommunications network having a cellular network and a paging network, a method of delivering a telephone call to a mobile station having a telephone portion, a pager portion, and a relay switch between said telephone portion and said pager portion, said method comprising the steps of:

recording in a home location register (HLR) associated with said mobile station, data indicating that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages from said paging network;

receiving said telephone call in said cellular network;

determining whether said mobile station is inactive;

determining from said data in said HLR whether said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages, upon determining that said mobile station is inactive;

requesting said paging network to page said pager portion of said mobile station, upon determining that said mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages;

recording said call in a page-in-progress list;

receiving, in said pager portion, said page from said paging network;

activating said telephone portion through said relay switch in response to receiving said page in said pager portion; and

routing said call to said mobile station.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, after the step of activating said telephone portion, the steps of:

sending a registration message from said mobile station to said cellular network;

determining whether said registering mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages; and

checking said page-in-progress list to determine whether there is a pending call for said mobile station, upon determining that said registering mobile station is capable of receiving standard paging messages.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

removing said call from said page-in-progress list; and

routing said call to said mobile station upon determining that there is a pending call for said mobile station in said page-in-progress list.

7. A method of delivering a telephone call to an inactive mobile telephone located in a cellular network, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting said mobile telephone to a pager;

connecting said cellular network to a paging network;

receiving said call for said mobile telephone in said cellular network;

attempting to contact said mobile telephone in said cellular network;

sending a page request from said cellular network to said paging network, requesting said paging network to page said pager, upon failing to contact said mobile telephone in said cellular network;

sending a paging signal to said pager in said paging network;

activating said mobile telephone from said pager upon receipt of said paging signal;

sending a registration message from said mobile telephone to said cellular network upon activation of said mobile telephone; and

routing said call to said mobile station, upon receiving the registration message in the cellular network.

8. The method of delivering a telephone call to an inactive mobile telephone of claim 7 wherein said step of connecting said mobile telephone to a pager includes connecting said mobile telephone to said pager with a relay switch that activates said mobile telephone upon receipt of a paging signal in said pager.