Hybrid cellular communication apparatus and method

• US 5,887,256 A
• Filed: 10/11/1996
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LGC Wireless Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Interwave Communications International SA (Alvarion Limited)
• Inventors: Lu, Priscilla Marilyn, White, Timothy Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US08/729,546
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/414, 455/422, 455/426, 455/428, 455/435, 455/445, 370/328, 370/337, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A method for facilitating cellular communication for and among a plurality of native cellular handsets in a hybrid cellular communication network that has a cellular exchange subsystem and a private mobile-services switching center. In this embodiment, the cellular exchange subsystem is coupled to a public cellular , and the native cellular handsets represent handsets that subscribe to the hybrid cellular communication network. The hybrid cellular communication network further facilitates cellular communication between a nonnative cellular handset and the public cellular network, with the nonnative cellular handset being a cellular handset that does not subscribe to the hybrid cellular communication network. In this embodiment, the method includes the steps of receiving access request data, using a cellular exchange subsystem, and ascertaining whether the access request data originates from one of the plurality of native cellular handsets or from the nonnative cellular handset. If the access request data originates from the one of the plurality of native cellular handsets, the method then passes data relating to the access request to the private mobile-services switching center for completing a first call path from the one of the plurality of native cellular handsets. On the other hand, if the access request data originates from the nonnative cellular handset, the method passes data relating to the access request data to the public cellular network for completing a second call path between the nonnative cellular handset and the public cellular network.

Claims

1. A hybrid cellular communication apparatus in a hybrid cellular communication network, which has a base station subsystem and a switch circuit, for facilitating cellular communication for and among a plurality of native cellular handsets, said hybrid cellular communication network further facilitates cellular communication between a nonnative cellular handset and a public cellular network having a public mobile-services switching center, said nonnative cellular handset being a cellular handset that does not subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, comprising:

a cellular exchange subsystem coupled to said base station subsystem and said public cellular network, including;

a private mobile-services switching center coupled to said switch circuit for providing mobility management for said plurality of native cellular handsets, said switch circuit representing a node wherein a bearer data channel from any of said plurality of native cellular handsets may be cross-connected to complete a call path within said hybrid communication network;

a registry coupled to said private mobile-services switching center, said registry containing data identifying each of said plurality of native cellular handsets as handsets that subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, wherein said nonnative handset is not identified in said registry as a handset that subscribes to said hybrid cellular communication network;

a hybrid base station controller circuit coupled to said public cellular network; and

a circuit coupled to said registry for determining, responsive to data in said registry, whether communication data pertaining to a call received by said cellular exchange subsystem originates from one of said plurality of native cellular handsets or from said nonnative cellular handset, said circuit passing said communication data to said private mobile-services switching center to facilitate completion of a call path within said hybrid cellular communication network if said circuit determines that said communication data originates from one of said native cellular handsets, said circuit passing said communication data to said hybrid base station controller to facilitate communication with said public cellular network, irrespective whether said communication data pertains to a call to one of said native cellular handsets, to facilitate completion of a call path to said nonnative cellular handset using mobile-services switching center resources of said mobile-services switching center in said public cellular network if said circuit determines that said communication data originates from said nonnative cellular handset, wherein said hybrid base station controller functions to forward and translate communication data between said public cellular network and said base station subsystem within said hybrid cellular communication network.

2. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 1 wherein said nonnative cellular handset is a cellular handset implementing the GSM protocol.

3. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of native cellular handsets implements said GSM protocol.

4. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 1 wherein calls between any two of said plurality of native cellular handsets are TRAUed only if they communicate at different rates.

5. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 1 further comprising a base station controller coupled to said mobile switching center, said base station controller representing a node for cross-connecting calls between any two of said plurality of native cellular handsets that are both currently within a domain of said base station controller.

6. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 5 further comprising a base transmitter station coupled to said base station controller, said base transmitter station representing a node for cross-connecting calls between any two of said plurality of native cellular handsets that are both currently within a domain of said base transmitter station.

7. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 2 wherein said circuit passes said communication data from said nonnative cellular handset to said public cellular network for completing said call path only if a completion of said call path does not result in exceeding resources of said hybrid cellular communication network allocated to nonnative cellular handset usage.

8. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 1 wherein a call path between said one of said native cellular handsets and a telephone controlled by a wired private branch exchange, which is coupled to said hybrid cellular communication network, may be completed through said private switch without using resources of said public cellular network if said circuit determines that said communication data originates from one of said native cellular handsets and destined for said telephone controlled by said wired private branch exchange.

9. The hybrid cellular communication apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cellular exchange subsystem is further coupled to another substantially similar cellular exchange subsystem, thereby forming an overlay network within said hybrid cellular communication network, call paths between a first native cellular handset and a second native cellular handset that both subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network may be completed without using resources of said public cellular network irrespective of which cellular communication subsystem said first native cellular handset and said second native cellular handset are in communication with.

10. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 1 wherein a call path between said one of said native cellular handsets and a telephone controlled by a public network, which is coupled to said hybrid cellular communication network, may be completed through said switch circuit without using resources of said public cellular network if said circuit determines that said communication data originates from one of said native cellular handsets and destined for said telephone controlled by said public network.

11. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 8 wherein a call path between said one of said native cellular handsets and a telephone controlled by a public network, which is coupled to said hybrid cellular communication network, may be completed through said switch circuit without using resources of said public cellular network if said circuit determines that said communication data originates from one of said native cellular handsets and destined for said telephone controlled by said public network.

12. The hybrid cellular communication apparatus of claim 11 wherein said cellular exchange subsystem is further coupled to another substantially similar cellular exchange subsystem, thereby forming an overlay network within said hybrid cellular communication network, call paths between a first native cellular handset and a second native cellular handset that both subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network may be completed without using resources of said public cellular network irrespective of which cellular communication subsystem said first native cellular handset and said second native cellular handset are in communication with.

13. The hybrid cellular communication network of claim 2 wherein said communication data is an access request.

14. In a hybrid cellular communication network having a cellular exchange subsystem and a private mobile-services switching center, said cellular exchange subsystem being coupled to a public cellular network, a method for facilitating cellular communication for and among a plurality of native cellular handsets, said native cellular handsets being handsets that subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, said hybrid cellular communication network further facilitates cellular communication between a nonnative cellular handset and said public cellular network, said nonnative cellular handset being a cellular handset that does not subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, when said nonnative cellular handset is within a domain of said hybrid cellular communication network, comprising:

receiving access request data, using a cellular exchange subsystem;

ascertaining whether said access request data originates from one of said plurality of native cellular handsets or from said nonnative cellular handset;

if said access request data originates from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets, passing data relating to said access request to said private mobile-services switching center for completing a first call path from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets; and

if said access request data originates from said nonnative cellular handset, passing data relating to said access request data to said public cellular network for completing a second call path between said nonnative cellular handset and said public cellular network.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

if said access request data originates from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets, receiving a destination phone number from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets;

if said destination phone number is associated with another one of said plurality of native cellular handsets, completing said first call path between said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets and said another one of said plurality of native cellular handsets without using resources of said public cellular network; and

if said destination phone number is not associated with a cellular handset that subscribes to said hybrid cellular communication network, completing said first call path between said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets and a public network.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said ascertaining step further comprises:

extracting a handset identifier from said access request data; and

comparing said handset identifier against records in a registry associated with said cellular exchange subsystem.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said data related to said access request data originating from said nonnative cellular handset is passed to said public cellular network for completing said second call path between said nonnative cellular handset and said public cellular network only if completing said second call path does not result in exceeding resources of said hybrid cellular communication network allocated to nonnative cellular handset usage.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said data related to said access request data is translated to conform to GSM standard access request data prior to being passed to said public network.

19. A hybrid cellular communication apparatus in a hybrid cellular communication network having a cellular exchange subsystem and a private mobile-services switching center, said cellular exchange subsystem being coupled to a public cellular network, said apparatus facilitates cellular communication for and among a plurality of native cellular handsets, said native cellular handsets being handsets that subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, said hybrid cellular communication apparatus further facilitates cellular communication between a normative cellular handset and said public cellular network, said nonnative cellular handset being a cellular handset that does not subscribe to said hybrid cellular communication network, when said nonnative cellular handset is within a domain of said hybrid cellular communication network, comprising:

means for receiving access request data, using a cellular exchange subsystem;

means, coupled to said receiving means, for ascertaining whether said access request data originates from one of said plurality of native cellular handsets or from said normative cellular handset;

means, responsive to said ascertaining means, for passing data relating to said access request to said private mobile-services switching center for completing a first call path from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets if said access request data originates from said one of said plurality of native cellular handset; and

means, responsive to said ascertaining means, for passing data relating to said access request data to said public cellular network for completing a second call path between said normative cellular handset and said public cellular network if said access request data originates from said normative cellular handset.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

means for receiving a destination phone number from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets if said access request data originates from said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets;

means for completing said first call path between said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets and said another one of said plurality of native cellular handsets without using resources of said public cellular network if said destination phone number is associated with another one of said plurality of native cellular handsets; and

means for completing said first call path between said one of said plurality of native cellular handsets and a public network if said destination phone number is not associated with a cellular handset that subscribes to said hybrid cellular communication network.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said ascertaining means further comprises:

means for extracting a handset identifier from said access request data; and

means for comparing said handset identifier against records in a registry associated with said cellular exchange subsystem.