Method and system for supporting wireless communications within an internetwork

• US 6,584,095 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1998
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information & Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Jacobi, Eli, Korpi, Markku, Kozdon, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TOAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/057,352
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/352, 370/390, 370/355, 370/386, 370/485, 370/400, 370/354, 370/356, 370/261, 370/401, 370/404
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method for supporting communications among multiple interconnected networks include assigning multiple dynamic telephony addresses to each wireless communication device that registers in more than one network. The networks assign the addresses independently of each other. When an incoming call is directed to a particular wireless device via a first network, if the wireless device is beyond the transmission range of the first network, a locate-wireless-communication-device message may be single-cast, multicast or broadcast to remote networks, with instructions to return dynamic telephony addresses assigned to the device. While the telephony addresses are different in each network, each wireless device is associated with a device identifier that is universally applied in the internetwork. Upon receiving a telephony address from a remote network, the address is stored in local memory at the first network, thereby allowing access for subsequent incoming calls.

Claims

1. A system for supporting communications within an internetwork, including communications involving wireless communication devices that are relocatable among transmission regions of said internetwork, comprising:

first, second and third networks that are interlinked to at least partially form said internetwork, said networks being linked networks of a single business enterprise, each said network including;

(a) a base station having a generally fixed transmission region with respect to supporting communications with said wireless communication devices; and

(b) a call control means cooperative with said base station for establishing communication links and for assigning a dynamic internetwork protocol telephony address to each wireless communication device from which a device identifier is received via said base station, said device identifier being specific to said each wireless communication device, said assigned dynamic telephony address having a unique association with said each wireless communication device within said each network and said unique association being independent of assigned dynamic telephony addresses to said each wireless communication device in other networks of said first, second and third networks,

wherein each said call control means of said first, second and third networks is configured to transmit an internetwork locate-wireless-communication-device message in response to determining (1) that a dynamic telephony address assigned by another said call control means is unavailable for a particular said wireless communication device to which an incoming call is to be directed and (2) that said particular wireless communication device is outside of said generally fixed transmission region of said base station with which said each call control means is cooperative, and

wherein said internetwork locate-wireless-communication-device message includes said device identifier that is specific to said particular wireless communication device and includes a request for dynamic telephone addresses assigned to said particular wireless communication device by other said call control means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said call control means of each said network is a router-server and said dynamic telephony address is an internet protocol (IP) telephony address, said wireless communication devices including cellular telephones.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each said first, second and third network includes local memory means for storing dynamic telephony addresses assigned to said wireless communication devices, each local memory means having stored data representative of associations between each said device identifier and dynamic telephony addresses assigned by selected networks to the wireless communication device to which said each device identifier is specific, said selected networks including a local network in which said local memory means is included and further including any remote network from which said local network receives a dynamic telephony address assigned by said remote network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein each call control means is further configured to transmit call-setup requests to first remote networks when said incoming call is directed to said remotely located wireless communication device via said call control means, said first remote networks being networks for which said each call control means has local memory access to dynamic telephony addresses assigned to said remotely located wireless communication device by said first remote networks, each call-setup request that is transmitted to one of said first remote networks containing the dynamic telephony address assigned to said remotely located wireless communication device by said first remote networks.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each network includes a stored registration set for each wireless communication device to which a dynamic telephony address has been assigned by said each network, said stored registration set including said device identifier specific to said each wireless communication device and including all known dynamic telephony addresses assigned to said each wireless communication device.

6. A method for supporting wireless communications within an internetwork comprising steps of:

(a) detecting a presence of a first wireless device within a territorial region of a first network that is specific to supporting connectivity with a plurality of wireless devices within said territorial region;

(b) assigning a first dynamic internetwork protocol telephony address to said first wireless device, including selecting said first telephony address independently of telephony addresses assigned to said first wireless device by remote networks of said internetwork, where each said remote network is specific to supporting connectivity with said wireless devices when said wireless devices are in territorial regions supported by said remote networks;

(c) detecting incoming calls directed to said first wireless device via said first network;

(d) for each incoming call, determining whether said first wireless device is within said territorial region of said first network;

(e) establishing connectivity for said incoming calls using resources of said first network if said first wireless device is within said territorial region;

(f) determining dynamic internetwork protocol telephony addresses assigned to said first wireless device by said remote networks if said first wireless device is outside said territorial region; and

(g) transmitting call-setup messages to remote networks for which a dynamic telephony address has been assigned to said first wireless device and communicated to said first network, each call-setup message that is transmitted to a particular remote network having the dynamic telephony address assigned to said first wireless device by said particular remote network, each call-setup message being configured to initiate connectivity for said each incoming call.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising applying steps (a) through (g) for each of a plurality of second wireless devices.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising a step (h) of transmitting a locate-wireless-communication-device message to each remote network for which a dynamic telephony address has not been communicated to said first network.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said step (b) of assigning said first dynamic telephony address is implemented in each of said remote networks such that said first wireless device has a different dynamic telephony address in each network in which said first wireless device has been assigned a dynamic telephony address.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising a step of storing each dynamic telephony address assigned to said first wireless device by said remote networks.

11. A system for supporting wireless communication among networks in an internetwork comprising:

a home router-server located on a home network supporting wireless communication, said home router-server being configured to establish a wireless communication link between telephonic devices and a wireless communication device that is associated with a first IP-telephony address uniquely assigned by said home network, said home router-server being configured to remotely broadcast a locate-wireless-communication-device command including a device identifier in response to an incoming call from one of said telephonic devices to said wireless communication device, said device identifier being specific to said wireless communication device, said locate-wireless-communication-device message including a request for at least one remotely assigned dynamic IP-telephony address assigned to said wireless communication device by a remote network, said home router-server being further configured to remotely transmit at least one call-setup request including a known remotely assigned dynamic IP-telephony address;

a second network linked to said home network to exchange messages and requests, said second network including a second router-server configured to transmit a second dynamic IP-telephony address as one of said remotely assigned dynamic IP-telephony addresses in response to said locate-wireless-communication-device message from said home router-server, said second router-server being further configured to establish a wireless communication link with said wireless communication device via a second wireless base station supported by said second network if said wireless communication device is within a transmission range of said second wireless base station; and

a third network linked to said home network and said second network to exchange messages and requests, said third network including a third router-server configured to transmit a third dynamic IP-telephony address as one of said remotely assigned dynamic IP-telephony addresses in response to said locate-wireless-communication-device message from said home router-server, said third router-server being further configured to establish a wireless communication link with said wireless communication device via a third wireless base station supported by said third network if said wireless communication device is within a transmission range of said third wireless base station.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said second router-server is configured to assign said second dynamic IP-telephony address to said wireless communication device in response to a registration request transmitted by said wireless communication device via said second wireless base station, said registration request including said device identifier that is specific to said wireless communication device, said third router-server being configured to assign said third dynamic IP-telephony address to said wireless communication device in response to a second registration request that includes said device identifier and that is transmitted by said wireless communication device via said third wireless base station.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising local memory on said home network including said device identifier, said home router-server being configured to access said device identifier to be included in said locate-wireless-communication-device message, said home router-server being further configured to store said second and third dynamic IP-telephony addresses upon receiving said second and third dynamic IP-telephony addresses from said second and third router-servers.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a home wireless base station located in said home network, said home router-server being configured to transmit a call-setup signal including said first dynamic IP-telephony address to said home wireless base station, said wireless base station being configured to transmit a first wireless call-setup signal having information enabling establishment of a wireless communication link if said wireless communication device is within a transmission range of said home wireless base station.

15. A system for supporting communications within an internetwork, including communications involving wireless communication devices that are relocatable among transmission regions of said internetwork, comprising:

first, second and third networks that are interlinked to at least partially form said internetwork, each said network including;

(a) a base station having a generally fixed transmission region with respect to supporting communications with said wireless communication devices; and

(b) a call control means for establishing communication links and for assigning a dynamic internetwork protocol telephony address to each wireless communication device from which a device identifier is received via said base station, said device identifier being specific to said each wireless communication device, said assigned dynamic telephony address having a unique association with said each wireless communication device within said each network and said unique association being independent of assigned dynamic telephony addresses to said each wireless communication device in other networks of said first, second and third networks, each said call control means being configured such that;

(1) said each call control means is enabled to transmit call-setup requests to first remote networks when an incoming call is directed to a remotely located wireless communication device via said each call control means, said remotely located wireless communication device being outside the generally fixed transmission region of the network in which said each call control means is included, said first remote networks being networks for which said each call control means has local memory access to dynamic telephony addresses assigned to said remotely located wireless communication device by said first remote networks; and

(2) said each call control means is further enabled to transmit a locate-wireless-communication-device message to second remote networks for which local memory access to a dynamic telephony address is unavailable when said incoming call is directed to said remotely located wireless communication device, said locate-wireless-communication-device message including said device identifier that is specific to said remotely located wireless communication device and including a request for dynamic telephony addresses assigned to said remotely located wireless communication device by said second remote networks.