Method and apparatus for providing neighborhood cordless services

• US 6,445,911 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Robert Raymond II, Russell, Jesse Eugene, Ying, Wenchu, Chow, Albert, Wang, Spencer
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/223,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20020058495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/414, 455/432, 455/436, 455/439, 455/440, 455/443, 455/462, 455/465, 455/426, 455/411, 455/435, 379/114, 379/134, 379/140, 379/154, 379/155, 379/115, 370/385, 370/401, 370/410
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/34 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7442 Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A method for providing a local cordless service comprises the steps of receiving subscriber neighborhood zone selection input so that a mobile telephone equipped subscriber may place or receive calls for a fixed rate, for example, per month without having to pay radio frequency air time charges any time they are located within their selected subscribed-to zones. If the subscribed-to zones are adjacent to one another and the mobile subscriber roams from one zone to another, the subscriber may continue their free call uninterrupted and without paying air time charges. However, when the subscriber roams outside their subscribed-to zones they may be switched from the present local cordless services to conventional personal communications services and pay air time charges. However for an active call, no air-time charges are incurred as the user transitions between the cellular/DPCS environment and the local cordless service environment. Associated apparatus comprises an IBS for automatically changing radio frequency channels as the subscriber roams within a subscribed-to neighborhood zone, roams to another subscribed-to zone or roams outside a subscribed-to zone. Subscribers may choose to use their mobile identification number, their current directory telephone number for wired public switched telephone service or obtain a new directory number.

Claims

1. A method of providing a cordless service to a subscriber having a mobile station for communicating with a radio base station serving a plurality of subscribers to said cordless service, comprising steps of:

forming a plurality of local cordless service zones, each service zone having a radius from a radio base station of a plurality of radio base stations, each radio base station radiating and receiving radio frequencies for communication with a mobile station;

receiving subscriber selection criteria of at least two selected service zones;

billing a fixed rate per service period for using said mobile station when said mobile station is located within each selected service zone regardless of a number of calls placed from said mobile station or use of a radio frequency spectrum by said mobile station during a service period, the service period being a calendar-based time period.

2. A method of providing cordless service as recited in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving subscriber selection criteria of at least one selected second service zone, said selected second service zone overlapping at least one selected service zone; and

billing an additional fixed rate for using said mobile station when said mobile station is located within one of a selected service zone and a selected second service zone regardless of a number of calls placed from said mobile station or use of a radio frequency spectrum by said mobile station during the service period.

3. A method of providing cordless service in claim 2, further comprising steps of:

monitoring said mobile station during a call; and

permitting the call to continue without additional charge as said mobile station roams via a buffer overlap area from a selected service zone to a selected second service zone.

4. A method of providing cordless service as recited in claim 1 further, comprising steps of:

receiving subscriber selection criteria of at least one selected second service zone, said selected second service zone being located remotely from each selected service zone; and

billing an additional fixed rate per service period for using said mobile station when said mobile station is located within one of a selected service zone and a selected second service zone regardless of a number of calls placed from said mobile station or use of a radio frequency spectrum by said mobile station during the service period.

5. A method of providing cordless service as recited in claim 4, further comprising steps of:

monitoring said mobile station during a call;

permitting the call to continue; and

billing additional charges for air time as said mobile station roams from a selected service zone to a selected second service zone.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of permitting the call to continue comprises steps of:

alerting a subscriber associated with the mobile station that said call will be continued as a wireless charged-for call;

obtaining a new radio frequency channel within an wireless cell for the call, the wireless cell overlapping at least one of a selected service zone and a selected second service zone; and

tuning the mobile station to the new radio frequency channel.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving a subscriber selection of one of a mobile identification number-based service and a directory number-based service, and assigning a directory number to the subscriber according to said selection.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein said directory number is ported from a wired public switched telephone for the subscriber.

9. A method of providing a cordless as recited in claim 1, wherein said selected service zone has a radius of greater than one mile.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cordless service is local cordless service.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service period is a month.

12. A cordless service system, comprising:

a mobile station having a cordless communications transmission range of at least one mile;

a plurality of wired base stations, each wired base station receiving cordless communications from a plurality of mobile stations within a cordless service zone associated with the wired base station, at least two of said mobile stations being associated with a respectively different subscriber, each cordless service zone being part of a selected service zone surrounding the plurality of wired base stations; and

billing apparatus billing each different subscriber a flat rate per service period for cordless communications within the selected service zone surrounding the plurality of wired base stations regardless of a number of calls placed from said mobile station or use of a radio frequency spectrum by said mobile station during a service period, the service period being a calendar-based time period.

13. A cordless service system as recited in claim 12, wherein said mobile station is addressed in accordance with a directory number carried from disconnected wired telecommunications service.

14. A cordless service system as recited in claim 12, further comprising a network server platform for storing a subscriber profile for each different subscriber, the subscriber profile including billing data and subscriber service data for each different subscriber.

15. A cordless service system as recited in claim 12, further comprising two of said radio base station and a remote digital terminal for concentrating ISDN BRI lines from said radio base station to GR 303 trunks to a serving switch.

16. A cordless service system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least another of said radio base stations services another selected service zone, such that when said mobile station moves from the selected service zone to the another selected service zone during a call in progress, base station within the selected service zone hands off the call to one of the another of said radio base stations without an additional charge.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the cordless service is local cordless service.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the service period is a month.