Handset and method of operation thereof

• US 6,314,287 B1
• Filed: 02/02/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kraft, Christian, Leickel, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US09/017,642
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 455/553, 455/552, 455/551, 455/526, 455/564, 455/461, 455/462, 455/555, 455/465, 379/210, 379/211, 379/355, 379/356
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/08 home cordless telephone systems using the DECT standard
• 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 radiophone which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, and which comprises a controller unit which controls the communication with said cellular network and said at least one cordless network, and which registers which networks are connected. When a call is to be established, a storage receives a phone number, and the controller unit checks whether the phone number in the storage contains a main number corresponding to the main number of said at least one cordless network. If so, the controller unit determines the extension number of the cordless network for use in the call on the basis of the stored phone number.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a call to a phone using a radiophone which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, said radiophone including a controller and a memory, said method comprising steps of:

registering in said memory the networks to which the phone is connected, said networks including a cellular network and a cordless network;

storing telephone numbers in said memory;

by means of said controller, automatically checking with numbers stored in said memory prior to the establishment of a call whether a phone number with which the call is to be established contains a main number corresponding to the main number of said at least one cordless network;

determining whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the radio telephone;

extracting a sequence of digits from the stored numbers of said memory for initiating communication via one of said cellular and said cordless networks; and

in the case of communication via the cordless network, said extracting step comprises

determining the extension number of the cordless network if a main number is identified; and

using the extension number of the cordless network when establishing the call via the associated cordless network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the phone number is divided into segments in the analysis, such as national code, regional code and short phone number format.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the main numbers of the cordless network are searched at the beginning at the short phone number format segment in the analysis.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a storage is provided for the storage of phone numbers and associated name identification, and wherein the phone number storage contains phone numbers stored in international plus-format.

5. A method of storing the number of a phone in a memory of a telephone handset which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, said handset including a controller, said method comprising steps of:

registering in said memory the networks to which the phone is connected as well as their base numbers and national and regional codes;

by means of said controller, checking prior to the saving of the phone number whether it is a valid extension number to said at least one cordless network and, if so, generating by said controller a PSTN based number on the basis of the extension number and the registered network information;

determining whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the telephone handset;

extracting a sequence of digits from the stored numbers of said memory for initiating communication via one of said cellular and said cordless networks.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the generated phone number is stored in international plus-format.

7. A telephone handset which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, comprising:

a controller unit which controls the communication with said cellular network and said at least one cordless network, and which registers which networks are connected;

a call storage receiving a phone number in the establishment of a call;

wherein the controller unit, when establishing a call, automatically checks whether the phone number in the call storage contains a main number corresponding to the main number of said at least one cordless network;

wherein the controller unit, if a main number is identified, determines the extension number of the cordless network for use in the call on the basis of the stored phone number; and

wherein the controller unit is operative further to determine whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the telephone handset, and to extract a number from the call storage for initiating communication via one of said cellular and said cordless networks.

8. A telephone handset according to claim 7, wherein the controller unit divides the phone number into segments, such as nation code, region code and short phone number format in the analysis of the phone number in the call storage.

9. A telephone handset according to claim 8, wherein the controller unit searches for the main numbers of the cordless network at the beginning of the short phone number format segment.

10. A telephone handset according to claim 7, wherein the controller unit has an associated storage for the storage of phone numbers and associated name identification, and wherein the controller unit, when singling out a name identification, transfers the associated phone number to the call storage.

11. A telephone handset according to claim 10, wherein the associated phone number storage contains phone numbers stored in international plus-format.

12. A portable radiophone which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, comprising:

a controller unit which controls the communication with said cellular network and said at least one cordless network, and which registers which networks are connected;

a memory having a stored phone number list from which a phone number may be obtained when establishing a call;

wherein the controller unit, when storing a phone number in the phone number list, automatically checks whether the number might be an extension number to said at least one cordless network;

wherein the controller unit, if this should be the case, generates a PSTN based number on the basis of the extension number and the registered network information; and

wherein the controller unit is operative further to determine whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the radiotelephone, and to extract a number from the memory for initiating communication via one of said cellular and said cordless networks.

13. A handset according to claim 12, wherein the generated phone number is stored in international plus-format.

14. A handset capable of establishing a communication link via respective radio networks using a code indicative of a handset to be reached, said networks including a cellular network and a cordless network, handsets accessible via at least one of the respective networks having a code comprising a first string indicative of a network and a second string indicative of a particular handset in communication with that network, the handset having a preference for establishing a connection via one of the respective networks, the handset comprising:

processing means capable of identifying locally available ones of the respective networks;

means for automatically identifying the first string and the second string from a code indicative of a handset to be reached; and

means for establishing a call via the preferred network using only the second string if the first string is indicative of the preferred network; and

wherein the call-establishing means is operative further to determine whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the handset.

15. A method of establishing a call using a radiophone which is adapted to communicate via a cellular network and at least one cordless network, said radiophone including a controller and a memory, said method comprising steps of:

registering in said memory networks to which the phone is connected, said networks including a cellular network and a cordless network;

storing telephone numbers in said memory for phones to be called, the telephone numbers stored in said memory for the phones to be called enabling the radiotelephone to initiate communication with a called phone via a plurality of numbers wherein one of said plurality of numbers establishes communication via the cellular network and a second of said plurality of numbers establishes communication via the cordless network;

determining whether communication is to be via the cellular network or the cordless network based on present location of the radio telephone;

extracting a sequence of digits from the stored numbers of said memory for initiating communication via one of said cellular and said cordless networks; and

in the case of communication via the cordless network, said extracting step comprises, by means of said controller, automatically checking with numbers stored in said memory prior to the establishment of a call whether a phone number with which the call is to be established contains a main number corresponding to the main number of said at least one cordless network.