Multi-base station cordless telephone

• US 6,470,187 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Howard Rosen
• Original Assignee: Howard Rosen
• Inventors: Rosen, Leonard, Rosen, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/908,789
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 455/462, 455/465, 455/552, 455/553, 455/554, 455/433, 455/406, 455/445, 455/426
• US Class Current: 455/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/733 with a plurality of base stations connected to a plurality of lines for selection in cordless PBX H04W84/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

The present invention is a system of at least one cordless telephone, a home base station and at least one non-home base station. A roaming cordless telephone out of range of its home base station will use a non-home base station to direct digital mode signals to its home base station. The home base station will convert the digital mode signals to analog signals and communicate them with the telephone network. Only a single direct line connection is needed for the home base station, as the digital mode signals and the analog signals communications do not interfere with each other. The user may potentially avoid long distance charges by using the non-home base station as a conduit while using the home base station as the telephone network site for long distance charge accrual. Further, the necessity for using a cellular telephone with the consequent charges is avoided.

Claims

1. A system for completing a cordless phone call through a cordless subscriber'"'"'s home base station via a non-home base station including at least one cordless telephone uniquely addressed to a home base station comprising:

(a) at least one non-home base station;

(b) the home base station having telephone line connection to a telephone network by direct connection and a unique address;

(c) the cordless telephone having means for analog signal input, converting analog signal input to digital mode signals, and wirelessly transmitting those digital mode signals with said unique address to a non-home base station when the cordless telephone is out of range of its home base station;

(d) each non-home base station having means for routing digital mode signals from a cordless telephone uniquely addressed to a home base station, wherein said means for routing comprises means for wirelessly receiving said digital mode signals, means for correlating the transmitted unique address to the home base station, and a means for;

(i) wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to said home base station based on said unique address if a given non-home base station receiving said digital mode signals is within range of said home base station, and,

(ii) if said given non-home base station is not within range of said home base station, wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to at least one additional non-home base station, thereby eventually routing the digital mode signals to said home base station based on said unique address; and

(e) said home base station having means for wirelessly receiving the routed digital mode signals, means for identifying the unique address of the cordless phone, and a means for completing said call through the direct line connection by using the digital mode signals received from said non-home base station.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the non-home base stations is also a home base station uniquely addressed for a second cordless telephone.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one non-home base station is capable of communication with another telephone line in the public telephone network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein at least one non-home base station is capable of communication with another telephone line in the public telephone network at the same time as the transmission of digital mode signals to a home base station from a cordless telephone.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each home base station has means for converting received digital mode signals to analog or digital or data signals.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each home base station has means for transmitting to another telephone line in the public telephone network the analog signals converted from digital mode signals.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein each home base station has means for receiving analog, digital or data signals from a live telephone line to the public telephone network, converting those analog, digital or data signals to digital mode signals and transmitting them to a non-home base station having means for sending the digital mode signals wirelessly to a cordless telephone uniquely addressed to the home base station.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein each cordless telephone has means for wirelessly receiving digital mode signals sent from a non-home base station such that only digital mode signals from a cordless telephone'"'"'s home base station are further processed.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein each cordless telephone has means for wirelessly receiving digital mode signals sent from a non-home base station and transforming those signals to analog signals such that a user of the cordless telephone may receive communication thereby.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein at least one non-home base station has means for transmitting to and receiving from digital mode signals from more than one cordless telephone out of range of their respective home base stations and respectively receiving, from and transmitting to the direct line those digital mode signals such that each set of digital mode signals from each out of range cordless telephone is effectively exchanged with its home base station without interference with the other digital mode signals transmitted on the same direct line.

11. A system for completing a cordless phone call through a cordless subscriber'"'"'s home base station via a non-home base station including at least one cordless telephone uniquely addressed to a home base station comprising:

(a) the cordless telephone having a unique address;

(b) the home base station having telephone line connection to a telephone network by direct connection and means for input from the telephone network, converting input from the telephone network to digital mode signals, and wirelessly transmitting those digital mode signals with said unique address to a non-home base station when the cordless telephone is out of range of its home base station;

(c) at least one non-home base station, each having means for routing digital mode signals from the home base station uniquely addressed to its cordless telephone, wherein said means for routing comprises means for wirelessly receiving said digital mode signals, means for correlating the transmitted unique address to the cordless telephone, and a means for selectively;

(i) wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to said cordless telephone based on said unique address if a given non-home base station receiving said digital mode signals is within range of said home base station, and,

(ii) if said given non-home base station is not within range of said home base station, wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to at least one additional non-home base station, thereby eventually routing the digital mode signals to said cordless telephone based on said unique address; and

(d) the cordless telephone further having means for wirelessly receiving the routed digital mode signals, means for identifying the unique address of the home base station, and a means for completing said call through the direct line connection by using the digital mode signals received from said non-home base station.

12. A system for completing a cordless phone call through a cordless subscriber'"'"'s home base station via a non-home base station including at least one cordless telephone uniquely addressed to a home base station comprising:

(a) at least one non-home base station;

(b) the home base station having telephone line connection to a telephone network by direct connection and a unique home address;

(c) the cordless telephone having a unique handset address, means for analog signal input, converting analog signal input to digital mode signals, and wirelessly transmitting those digital mode signals with said unique home address to a non-home base station when the cordless telephone is out of range of its home base station;

(d) the home base station further having means for input from the telephone network, converting input from the telephone network to digital mode signals, and wirelessly transmitting those digital mode signals with said unique handset address to a non-home base station when the cordless telephone is out of range of its home base station;

(e) each non-home base station having means for routing digital mode signals from said cordless telephone to its home base station and means for routing digital mode signals from said home base station to its cordless phone, wherein said means for routing comprises means for wirelessly receiving said digital mode signals, means for correlating the transmitted unique home address to the home base station, means for correlating the transmitted unique handset address to the cordless telephone and a means for selectively;

(iii)wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to said home base station based on said unique address if a given non-home base station receiving said digital mode signals is within range of said home base station, and, if said given non-home base station is not within range of said home base station, wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to at least one additional non-home base station, thereby eventually routing the digital mode signals to said home base station based on said unique home address; and

(iv)wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to said cordless telephone based on said unique handset address if a given non-home base station receiving said digital mode signals is within range of said cordless telephone, and, if said given non-home base station is not within range of said cordless telephone, wirelessly routing said digital mode signals to at least one additional non-home base station, thereby eventually routing the digital mode signals to said cordless telephone based on said unique handset address; and

(f) said home base station and cordless telephone having means for wirelessly receiving the routed digital mode signals, means for identifying the received unique address, and a means for completing said call through the direct line connection by using the digital mode signals received from said non-home base station.