Cordless telephone arrangement

• US 6,349,212 B1
• Filed: 06/18/1996
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Martensson, Nils Erik Vilhelm, Ashdown, Michael Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/665,590
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/61, 379/63, 379/67, 379/88, 379/355, 379/60, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/89, 455/462, 455/555, 455/564, 455/565, 455/562, 455/426
• US Class Current: 455/462
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/08 home cordless telephone systems using the DECT standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A cordless telephone arrangement, such as a DECT Business Cordless Telecommunications (BCT) system, comprises a PBX base station (1) and a plurality of mobile stations in the form of portable handsets (2a, 2b . . . 2n). The handsets themselves include no means for independently dialing a telephone number. Instead of a conventional keypad the handsets each comprise only a single “TALK” key 7. The PBX 1 is adapted to dial on behalf of each handset in response to an instruction received by radio communication therefrom. In one embodiment the instructions are delivered orally to the handset. In this case the PBX includes a voice recognition device 12. A voice synthesizer 11 may also be included for returning spoken messages to the handset. The TALK key 7 is used to indicate that the handset is required to make a call, to terminate a call, or to accept an incoming call. Otherwise instructions and messages are largely conveyed between the mobile station and the base station by spoken word using radio communication.

Claims

1. A cordless telephone arrangement comprising a base station coupled to a telephone network, and a plurality of mobile stations capable of communicating selectively with other telephones on the network via a two-way radio link with the base station;

wherein

a mobile station comprises means for issuing an instruction by radio communication requesting the base station to dial a desired telephone number without the mobile station transmitting the desired telephone number to the base station with the instruction; and

the base station comprises;

means for receiving the instruction for the mobile station, and

means responsive to said receiving means receiving the instruction for determining the desired telephone number based upon the instruction and dialing the desired telephone number to establish communication between the respective mobile station and the telephone on the network having the desired telephone number.

2. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile station comprises no independent means for dialing a telephone number.

3. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base station is adapted to dial a telephone number automatically for a mobile station in response to an instruction uttered to the respective mobile station and received at the base station by radio communication therefrom.

4. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile station further includes means for initiating a signal for transmission to the base station indicating a request to open communication therewith.

5. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the signal initiating means include a button actuable by the user.

6. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the base station is adapted to send a message by radio communication to the mobile station which has requested communication inviting the user to select a service from a predetermined set of services available.

7. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the base station includes voice synthesizing means for conveying a spoken message to the mobile station.

8. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mobile station includes visual display means adapted to indicate the predetermined set of services available, and means for selecting one of the services indicated on the display.

9. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base station is adapted additionally to provide automatically for a mobile station a service other than dialing a telephone number in response to an instruction received by radio communication from the respective mobile station.

10. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile station is in the form of a portable handset.

11. A cordless telephone arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base station is in the form of a private branch exchange (PBX).

12. A cordless telephone arrangement comprising a base station coupled to a telephone network, and mobile stations capable of communicating selectively with other telephones connected to the network via a radio link of the mobile stations with the base station;

wherein the base station includes means for receiving a dialing instruction by radio communication from at least one of the mobile stations, means for dialing a telephone number on the telephone network based upon the dialing instruction received from the at least one mobile station, and means for transmitting an operating instruction to the at least one mobile station; and

wherein the at least one mobile station includes means for issuing the dialing instruction by radio communication requesting the base station to dial a telephone number, and means for receiving the operating instruction by radio communication from the base station, wherein the dialing instruction does not contain the desired telephone number and the base station comprises means for determining the desired telephone number based upon the instruction.

14. A telephone arrangement as in claim 12 wherein the at least one mobile station comprises no independent means for dialing a telephone number.

13. A cordless telephone arrangement comprising a base station coupled to a telephone network, and a plurality of mobile stations capable of communicating selectively with other telephones on the network via a two-way radio link of the mobile stations with the base station;

wherein

at least one of the mobile stations comprises means for issuing an instruction by radio communication requesting the base station to dial a desired telephone number without the instruction containing the desired telephone number; and

the base station comprises;

means for receiving the instruction from the mobile station; and

means responsive to said receiving means for dialling the desired telephone number to establish communication between the respective mobile station and the telephone on the network having the desired telephone number, the base station being adapted to simultaneously communicate with individual mobile stations on separate channels.

15. A telephone arrangement as in claim 13 wherein the at least one mobile station comprises no independent means for dialing a telephone number.