Automatic feature changeover between a wired telephone and a wireless portable telephone

• US 6,792,095 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Frank, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/568,785
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 379/216.01, 379/355.01, 455/445, 455/552
• US Class Current: 379/216.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724

Abstract

A telecommunications system provides “feature forwarding” between a fixed telephone unit (such as a desktop wired telephone) and a portable telephone unit (such as a cellular telephone) that are assigned to the same prime telephone number. Thus, only one of the two phones in the telephone pair is accessible (e.g., is forwarded ring signals) at any one time. In one embodiment, the system monitors changes in state regarding whether or not the wireless telephone is in a power recharging state. When the wireless telephone is connected to a power recharger, the wired telephone is designated as the current exclusive telephone to which service features are to be applied. On the other hand, when the wireless telephone is removed from the power recharging state, the common user information necessary for seamlessly implementing common features is reallocated to providing service to the wireless telephone. The common features may include a last number redial feature, a saved number redial feature, and/or features related to accessing voice mail messages.

Claims

1. A method of selectively enabling user-specific features comprising steps of:

associating operation of a substantially fixed telephone unit with operation of a portable telephone unit, said fixed telephone unit and said portable telephone unit being independently operable with respect to conducting telephone sessions in which voice information is exchanged, including assigning a prime telephone number to accessing both of said fixed and portable telephone units, said fixed and portable telephone units being configured to execute user-specific features, including common user-specific features that are available via operations of both of said fixed and portable telephone units;

storing common user information relevant to implementation of said common user-specific features;

monitoring current availability of said portable telephone unit while neither of said fixed and portable telephone units is in an off-hook state, said current availability being specific to functionality of said portable telephone unit;

based upon said current availability of said portable telephone unit, selecting one of said fixed and portable telephone units as a current exclusive telephone unit to which said common user information is to be applied; and

identifying said fixed and portable telephone unit that is not selected as said current exclusive telephone unit as being an out-of-service telephone unit, including deactivating functions/features of said out-of-service telephone unit, thereby consistently rendering one of said fixed and portable telephone units deactivated and inaccessible while neither of said fixed and portable telephone units is in an off-hook state.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing common user information includes storing data indicative of a telephone number for an automatic redial feature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing common user information includes storing data for enabling access to voice mail messages of a specific user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of reassigning a database of said common user information with each change in selection of said current exclusive telephone unit.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of reassigning includes transmitting said database to said current exclusive telephone unit.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of monitoring includes detecting when said portable telephone unit is in a power recharging state, said fixed telephone unit being selected as said exclusive telephone unit when said portable telephone unit is in said power recharging state, said portable telephone unit being selected as said exclusive telephone unit upon detection of removal from said power recharging state, wherein only said exclusive telephone unit receives a ring signal in response to an incoming call for said prime telephone number.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said steps of monitoring and selecting include determining whether said portable telephone unit is in a geographical area assigned to a home radio base station of said portable telephone unit, said fixed telephone unit being within said geographical area, said step of selecting further including identifying said fixed telephone unit as said exclusive telephone unit only when said portable telephone unit is in said geographical area and in said power recharging state.

8. A method of providing telephone service for a user having a wired telephone and a wireless telephone, each of said wired and wireless telephones being feature telephones, said method comprising steps of:

establishing connectivity at a telecommunications switch such that only one of said wired and wireless telephones receives service at any one time, including configuring said connectivity such that ring signals are forwarded to said only one that is receiving service;

monitoring periods of time in which said wireless telephone is in a power recharging state; and

automatically switching between extending service to said wired telephone and extending service to said wireless telephone on a basis of said monitoring, including automatically transferring dynamic user information for implementation of service features at said wired telephone when said wireless telephone is detected as having entered said power recharging state and including automatically transferring said dynamic user information for implementation of said service features at said wireless telephone when said wireless telephone is detected as having been removed from said power recharging state;

wherein said step of automatically transferring said dynamic user information includes transmitting a database from said telecommunications switch to one of said wired and wireless telephones each time that said automatic switching occurs, said database having said dynamic user information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step that includes automatically transferring said dynamic user information includes carrying over user information related to at least one of a service feature relating to access to voice mail messages and a service feature relating to automatically redialing a telephone number.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of monitoring includes exchanging notification signals between said telecommunications switch and at least one of said wired and wireless telephones each time that said wireless telephone enters and is removed from said power recharging state.

11. A telecommunications system comprising:

a wired telephone configured to provide a plurality of first user-specific service features;

a wireless telephone configured to provide a plurality of second user-specific service features, said first and second user-specific service features including mutually available service features that utilize dynamic user information during implementation, said wired and wireless telephones being independently operable with respect to conducting telephone sessions in which voice information is exchanged;

a power recharger for recharging said wireless telephone;

a telecommunications switch having a capability of detecting when said wireless telephone is coupled to said power recharger, said telecommunications switch being configured to enable said wired telephone when said wireless telephone is coupled to said power recharger and to enable said wireless telephone when said wireless telephone is removed from said power recharger, said telecommunications switch being further configured to disable an unselected one of said wired and wireless telephones with respect to receiving incoming calls when a selected one of said wired and wireless telephones is enabled, such that said wired and wireless telephones are prevented from being simultaneously enabled with respect to receiving said incoming calls, said telecommunications switch having memory for storing said dynamic user information and being configured to switch between exclusively associating said dynamic user information with said wired and wireless telephones in response to said detecting when said wireless telephone is coupled to said power recharger, such that said wired telephone is disassociated from said dynamic user information when said wireless telephone is removed from said power recharger; and

an override operatively associated with said power recharger to enable a user to override responsiveness of said telecommunications switch with respect to said enabling said wireless telephone when said wireless telephone is removed from said power recharger.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 11 wherein said power recharger is connected to said wired telephone, said wired telephone being in communication with said telecommunications switch to transmit notification signals indicative of when said wireless telephone is coupled to said power recharger.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 12 wherein one of said power recharger and said wireless telephone is in communication with said telecommunications switch to transmit notification signals indicative of when said wireless telephone is coupled to said power recharger.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 11 wherein said wired and wireless telephones are assigned a common prime telephone number, said telecommunications switch being configured to identify said unselected one of said wired and wireless telephones as being out-of-service.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 11 wherein said mutually available service features relate to accessing voice mail messages and to redialing telephone numbers, said dynamic user information including data related to dialed telephone numbers and related to availability of a voice mail message.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 11 wherein said telecommunications switch is a private branch exchange (PBX), said memory including a database of said dynamic user information, said PBX being connected to support communication via a plurality of pairs of wireless and wired telephones.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 11 wherein said override includes a switch on said power recharger.