Portable radio telephone equipment used for CMTS/MCS in common

• US 5,842,129 A
• Filed: 02/16/1995
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Jun, Terashima, Masaki, Ooyama, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US08/389,687
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/440, 455/444, 455/450, 455/515, 455/443
• US Class Current: 455/444
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A portable radio telephone equipment in which both the frequency and equipment can be used in common to CMTS and MCS so that the efficiency for use both for the frequency and equipment can be improved. This equipment monitors the control channel number of CMTS through a radio transmission section and a control section for common use to CMTS and MCS and answers a call from a base station or performs transmission. On the other hand, this equipment selectively receives the control channel number of MCS and answers a call from a base station or performs transmission. Either one of these actions is automatically selected on the basis of the reception level and system ID of the control channel number. At this time, standby-state reception is performed on the judgment as to which one of CMTS and MCS is to be accessed, by automatically detecting the positional condition of the equipment in use. When the equipment is moved to a different area in CMTS or MCS, either one of CMTS and MCS is automatically accessed after position registration.

Claims

1. A method for automatically selecting the operating mode of a radio telephone capable of operating on a cellular mobile telephone system (CMTS) and on a microcellular system (MCS) which utilizes the same channels as said CMTS, comprising the steps of:

said radio telephone retrieving information stored in a memory is said radio telephone identifying at least one CMTS or MCS control channel previously accessed by said radio telephone;

said radio telephone assessing the received power to determine availability of said at least one CMTS or MCS control channel; and

said radio telephone setting itself to operate on either the CMTS or MCS in accordance with said availability,

wherein, if the received power of said at least one CMTS or MCS control channel is not adequate, said radio telephone automatically selects either a CMTS operating mode or MCS operating mode in accordance with the steps of;

scanning the CMTS channels to determine the availability of at least one CMTS or MCS control channel at the location of said radio telephone;

storing information obtained as a result of said scanning in said memory; and

selecting either a CMTS operating mode or a MCS operating mode in accordance with said information stored in said memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information stored as a result of said scanning includes the channel number and received power of said at least one CMTS or MCS control channel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information stored as a result of said scanning includes the system identification associated with said at least one CMTS or MCS control channel.

5. The portable radio telephone of claim 1 wherein said control means registers positional information for said portable radio telephone with said accessed CMTS or MCS during said standby operation.

4. A portable radio telephone for use either in a cellular mobile telephone system (CMTS) to which access is gained by using one of a plurality of CMTS control channels allotted thereto or in a microcellular system (MCS) which operates in the same frequency band and within an operating area of said CMTS to which access is gained by using CMTS channels, comprising:

(a) reception means for locating during standby operation available channels for accessing either said CMTS or said MCS;

(b) memory means for storing information identifying a last accessed channel;

(c) control means for accessing during said standby operation a last accessed CMTS or MCS on said last-accessed channel, if available, and for accessing said last-accessed CMTS or MCS on another available channel allotted thereto that is located by said reception means if said last-accessed channel is not available, said control means accessing the other of said CMTS or MCS on an available channel allotted thereto that is located by said reception means if no available channels are located to access said last-accessed CMTS or MCS.

6. A method by which a portable radio telephone, during standby operation, either accesses a cellular mobile telephone system (CMTS) to which access is gained by using one of a plurality of CMTS control channels allotted thereto or accesses a microcellular system (MCS) which operates in the same frequency band and within an operating area of said CMTS to which access is gained by using CMTS channels, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing at said portable radio telephone information related to a last-accessed channel;

(b) locating available channels for accessing said CMTS or MCS by scanning said CMTS frequency band;

(c) accessing either said CMTS or MCS that was last accessed on said last-accessed channel, if available;

(d) accessing said last-accessed CMTS or MCS on another available channel allotted thereto if said last-accessed channel is not available; and

(e) accessing the other of said CMTS or MCS on an available channel allotted thereto if no channels are available to access said last-accessed CMTS or MCS.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising the further step of registering positional information for said portable radio telephone with said accessed CMTS or MCS during said standby operation.