Integrated cellular telephone basestation with Internet gateway

• US 6,295,457 B1
• Filed: 06/27/1997
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Narayanaswamy, Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US08/884,436
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/424, 455/425, 455/445, 455/449, 455/466, 455/500, 455/524, 455/550, 455/552, 455/556, 455/561, 455/435, 455/432, 455/428, 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/401, 370/338, 370/346, 370/347, 370/350, 370/442, 370/332, 370/349, 370/521
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

A system for directly connecting a mobile communication system to a data network is provided. A user initiates data communication with the data network from a mobile communication system equipped with a computer, a modem and a mobile communication device. Data communication signals, which may be designated for routing to the data network, are transmitted from the mobile communication device to a hybrid base station having a standard base station, a control unit and a data network gateway, via a wireless telecommunication network. The signals are received by the hybrid base station and routed to the control unit which determines whether the received data communication signals are of the type designated for routing to the data network. If the data communication signals are of the type so designated, the control unit routes the signals to the data network gateway, which then connects the mobile communication system to the data network, enabling a direct data communication connection therebetween via the wireless data communication network. Otherwise, the data communication signals are routed to another destination, such as to another base station or to the PSTN.

Claims

1. A wireless data communication system for bidirectionally communicating with a data network and a voice network via a wireless telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication systems operable for transmitting data communication signals at least a portion of which are designated for direct transmission to the data network, and for receiving data communication signals from the data network;

a plurality of base stations each operable for transmitting and receiving the data communication signals to and from at least one of the mobile communication systems via the wireless telecommunication network; and

a data network gateway connected to said plurality of base stations and to the data network, and operable for connecting at least one of the plurality of mobile communication systems with the data network for data communication therebetween, via at least one of the plurality of base stations and the wireless telecommunication network, when the designated data communication signals are received;

wherein;

each of the plurality of mobile communication systems comprises a mobile communication device operable for communicating with the wireless telecommunication network, a computer for initiating the communication with the wireless telecommunication network through the mobile communication device, a modem for routing data communication signals between the computer and mobile communication device,

and associated with each base station is a control unit for automatically selecting data communication signals that are of a type designated for the data network that are received by the base station and automatically routing the selected data communication signals to the data network gateway and for automatically routing other signals to the voice network.

2. The wireless data communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the data network is the Internet.

3. The wireless data communication system according to claim 1, wherein;

the voice network is the public switched telephone network (PSTN).