Wireless telephone system having a free period allocated to switching between two frequencies

• US 6,115,612 A
• Filed: 06/20/1997
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US08/879,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/38.3, 455/422, 455/462, 455/465, 455/403, 370/347, 370/348
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72511 Searching for available channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless-phone system makes it possible to simplify a radio section of the base station for relaying the predetermined data sent from a mobile wireless terminal by means of a first frequency, and for transmitting/receiving the control data to mobile wireless terminals which are in a reception waiting state by means of a second frequency. A first data sent from a first mobile wireless terminal, out of the bi-directional communications between the first and second mobile wireless terminals, is relayed at a base station to transmit it to the second mobile wireless terminal, and a second data sent from the second mobile wireless terminal is directly transmitted to the first mobile wireless terminal. Thereby, the base station is able to ensure a free period which is allocated to switching of the oscillation frequency of the frequency-selecting oscillators, and to transmission and reception of the control data by the use of the second frequency.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless telephone system of the time division multiple access scheme having base stations connected to a public telephone network and plural mobile wireless terminals for communicating with the base stations, comprising the steps of:

communicating a state data among said mobile wireless terminals,

performing a bi-directional communication between a first mobile wireless terminal and a second mobile wireless terminal out of said plural mobile wireless terminals,

causing said first mobile wireless terminal to transmit first data to said base station using a first frequency;

causing said base station to relay said first data transmitted from said first mobile wireless terminal and to transmit said first data to said second mobile wireless terminal using said first frequency; and

causing said second mobile wireless terminal to transmit second data directly to said first mobile wireless terminal,

wherein the base station transmits and receives control data to other mobile wireless terminals which are in a reception waiting state using a second frequency, even during the bi-directional communication between said first and second mobile wireless terminals,

and wherein a free period is allocated to switching between the first and second frequencies.

2. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first mobile wireless terminal transmits said first data at a first period;

said base station receives said first data transmitted from said first mobile wireless terminal at said first period, and transmits the first data at a second period not adjacent to said first period; and

said second mobile wireless terminal transmits said second data at a third period not adjacent to said first and second periods.

3. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 2, wherein said base station transmits and receives control data at a fourth period not adjacent to said first, second, and third periods, and also at said third period.

4. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 3, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth periods correspond to one of a transmission time slot and a reception time slot of the time division multiple access scheme, and each successive frame of the time division multiple access scheme is composed of at least four pairs of the transmission time slot and the reception time slot.

5. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second mobile wireless terminals synchronize with said base station in accordance with said first data relayed by said base station.

6. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 5, wherein said first and second mobile wireless terminals receive said relayed first data at a same time to synchronize with said base station.

7. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 5, wherein said second mobile wireless terminal receives said relayed first data to synchronize with said base station;

and

said first mobile wireless terminal receives said second data transmitted from said synchronized second mobile wireless terminal to synchronize with said base station in accordance with the second data.

8. The method of operating a wireless telephone system according to claim 5, wherein said first mobile wireless terminal receives said relayed first data to synchronize with said base station;

and

said second mobile wireless terminal receives said first data transmitted from said synchronized first mobile wireless terminal to synchronize with said base station in accordance with the first data.