Subscriber unit for a subscriber radio communication system

• US 6,131,036 A
• Filed: 04/20/1998
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kuboniwa, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/062,166
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/445, 455/446, 455/560, 455/562, 455/466, 455/414
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

To provide a subscriber unit applied to a subscriber radio communication system wherein internal parameters of the subscriber unit can be easily and correctly set optionally without providing any manipulation switch or connecting any manipulation console to the subscriber unit, the subscriber unit comprises: a communication module for transferring data to be exchanged between a base unit and a subscriber terminal; a parameter setting unit for setting internal parameters of the subscriber unit according to contents of parameter setting data; and a data switching unit for discriminating a special calling signal to require setting of the internal parameters, and transferring data following the special calling signal to the parameter setting unit as the parameter setting data until a setting end code is found in the data.

Claims

1. A subscriber unit of a subscriber radio communication system;

said subscriber unit comprising;

a communication module for transferring data to be exchanged between a base unit of the subscriber radio communication system and a subscriber terminal connected to the subscriber unit;

a parameter setting means for setting internal parameters of the subscriber unit according to contents of parameter setting data; and

a data switching means for discriminating whether a calling signal input from the subscriber terminal is an ordinary calling signal to establish a call in the subscriber radio communication system or a special calling signal to require setting of the internal parameters, and transferring data following the special calling signal to the parameter setting means as the parameter setting data without transferring any data to the communication module until a code defined as a setting end code is found in the data when the calling signal input from the subscriber terminal is discriminated to be the special calling signal.

2. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 1;

wherein;

the parameter setting data is one of coded signals each defined for each setting of the internal parameters; and

the parameter setting means sets the internal parameters according to a retrieval result obtained by referring to a setting table wherein each setting of the internal parameters is listed to be retrieved with each of the coded signals.

3. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 2;

wherein a coded signal corresponding to setting the internal parameters for designating a kind of the subscriber terminal is included in the coded signals.

4. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 2;

wherein a coded signal corresponding to setting the internal parameters for selecting an option of a required service of the subscriber radio communication system is included in the coded signals.

5. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 1;

wherein the ordinary calling signal and the special calling signal sent from the subscriber terminal to the subscriber unit are sent over a same communications path.

6. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 1, wherein only one subscriber terminal is connected to the subscriber unit at any given instant in time.

7. A subscriber unit of a subscriber radio communication system;

said subscriber unit comprising;

a communication module that transfers data to be exchanged between a base unit of the subscriber radio communication system and a subscriber terminal connected to the subscriber unit;

a parameter setting unit that sets internal parameters of the subscriber unit according to contents of parameter setting data, the internal parameters being sent to the communication module for transferring the data to be exchanged in a particular format; and

a data switching unit that receives a calling signal sent from the subscriber terminal, and for discriminating whether the calling signal is an ordinary calling signal to establish a call in the subscriber radio communication system or a special calling signal to require setting of the internal parameters, the data switching unit transferring data following the special calling signal to the parameter setting unit as the parameter setting data without transferring any data to the communication module until a code defined as a setting end code is found in the data when the calling signal input from the subscriber terminal is discriminated to be the special calling signal.

8. A subscriber unit as recited in claim 7, wherein the ordinary calling signal and the special calling signal are sent from the subscriber terminal to the data switching unit over a same communications path that couples the subscriber terminal with the subscriber unit.

9. A method of reconfiguring a subscriber unit based on a change from a first subscriber terminal previously coupled to the subscriber unit to a second subscriber unit currently coupled to the subscriber unit, the subscriber unit providing an interface between the second subscriber terminal and a base unit of a subscriber radio communications system, the method comprising:

a) after the first subscriber unit has been decoupled from the subscriber unit and the second subscriber unit has been coupled to the subscriber unit, outputting a calling signal to the subscriber unit;

b) determining, by the subscriber unit, whether the calling signal is either a first calling signal or a second calling signal;

c) when the calling signal is determined to be the first calling signal, outputting data following the first calling signal to the base unit in a normal data communications mode;

d) when the calling signal is determined to be the second calling signal, storing data following the second calling signal in a memory of the subscriber unit, as subscriber unit setup data, and not outputting the data to the base unit;

e) when the calling signal is determined to be the second calling signal and after the step d), waiting for an end-of-data code, and when the end-of data code is received, stopping the storing of data in the memory; and

f) after the step e), transferring any data received by the subscriber unit sent from the subscriber terminal, to the base unit, in the normal data communication mode utilizing parameters stored in the memory,

wherein the parameter used in the step f) correspond to characteristics of the second subscriber terminal.