Method for providing performance features for mobile subscribers via a communications network

• US 6,353,745 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Transpacific Activa LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wehrend, Klaus, Hünlich, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US09/348,969
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/436, 455/466, 455/556, 455/557, 455/414, 370/338, 370/466, 370/467
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

When an external terminal is signed on to a communications system, a short message service link is set up between the external terminal and a teleworking computer connected to the communications system. Control information which is transferred from the external terminal via the short message service link is converted by the teleworking computer into signaling information that is usually available within the scope of a signaling protocol between internal terminals and the communications system. The converted short message control information is then transferred on to a control unit of the communications system.

Claims

1. A method of providing performance features of a communications system available at internal subscriber terminating lines in the communications system, to an external terminal via a communications network, which comprises:

setting up a short message service link between an external terminal and a teleworking computer connected via a teleworking subscriber line module of a communications system by signing on the external terminal with the communications system;

transferring items of control information entered at the external terminal in short message format via the short message service link to the teleworking computer; and

converting the short messages received by the teleworking computer into terminal-orientated signaling information items, as are usually available according to a signaling protocol between internal terminals and the communications system, and transferring the converted short message to a control unit of the communications system via the teleworking subscriber line module.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the teleworking computer is connected to the communications system via a digital interface of a subscriber line module, and the method further comprises routing the short message service link via the subscriber line module.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the teleworking computer is connected via a modem to an analog interface of a subscriber line module of the communications system, and the method further comprises routing the short message service link via the subscriber line module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the teleworking computer is connected to the communications network via a digital interface, and the method further comprises routing the short message service link via the digital interface.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises routing the short message service link via a short message service unit connected to the communications network, and transferring the short messages bidirectionally via a radio link between the short message service unit and the external terminal within a scope of the short message service link.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises realizing a bidirectional transfer of the short messages via a radio link between the external terminal and the teleworking computer within a scope of the short message service link.

7. The method according to claim 1, which comprises checking a sign-on authorization with the teleworking computer based on subscriber-related data transferred from the external terminal via the short message service link.

8. The method according to claim 7, which comprises, during sign-on, assigning with the teleworking computer a first virtual subscriber connection port of the teleworking subscriber line module to the external terminal, and rerouting data routed by the control unit to an internal subscriber terminating line and identified by the subscriber-specific data, to the virtual subscriber connection port.

9. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, during a connection set-up between the external terminal and a further terminal brought about subsequently to sign-on of the external terminal, routing a terminal link between the external terminal and the further terminal via the teleworking subscriber line module.

10. The method according to claim 9, which comprises transferring the items of control information to be transferred from the external terminal to the communications system when the terminal link exists between the external terminal and the communications system in the short message format via the short message service link.

11. The method according to claim 10, which comprises simultaneously routing a plurality of terminal links in each case between one external terminal signed on to the communications system and one further terminal via the teleworking subscriber line module.

12. The method according to claim 9, which comprises simultaneously routing a plurality of terminal links in each case between one external terminal signed on to the communications system and one further terminal via the teleworking subscriber line module.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the internal subscriber terminating line is set up merely as a virtual connection port.