Wireless device for use with a vehicle embedded phone

• US 6,792,295 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Dorfstatter, Walter A., Nixon, Timothy R., Hanevich, Daniel A., Timm, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gantt, Alan T.
• Application Number:
  US09/481,859
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/575, 455/569, 455/575.1, 455/569.1, 340/425.5
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a communications system including a vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving and sending communications and a wireless device subsystem including a base station and a wireless device. The base station is coupled to the vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving incoming cellular communications at the wireless device and sending communications from the wireless device to the vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving and sending communications;

a wireless device subsystem including a base station and a wireless handset, said base station being coupled to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving incoming communications from said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem and transmitting said incoming communications to said handset and receiving outgoing communications from said handset and sending said outgoing communications to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem;

a vehicle hands free subsystem including a microphone for receiving audible communications from a user and a speaker for providing audible communications to the user;

said vehicle hands free subsystem being coupled to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem; and

a switch for selectively connecting said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem to said vehicle hands free subsystem.

2. The communications system of claim 1 further comprising:

a controller for controlling the status of said switch.

3. The communications system of claim 1 further comprising:

a further wireless handset in communication with said base station;

said wireless handset generating a conference signal;

said base station receiving said conference signal and placing said wireless handset and said further wireless handset in communication in response to said conference signal.

4. A communications system comprising:

a vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving and sending communications;

a wireless device subsystem including a base station and a wireless handset, said base station being coupled to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving incoming communications from said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem and transmitting said incoming communications to said handset and receiving outgoing communications from said handset and sending said outgoing communications to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem;

a switch for selectively connecting said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem to said wireless device subsystem; and

a controller for controller the status of said switch.

5. The communications system of claim 4 wherein:

said controller receives a signal from said handset to set said switch to connect said wireless device subsystem and said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem.

6. A communications system comprising:

a vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving and sending communications;

a wireless device subsystem including a base station and a wireless handset, said base station being coupled to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem for receiving incoming communications from said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem and transmitting said incoming communications to said handset and receiving outgoing communications from said handset and sending said outgoing communications to said vehicle embedded cellular phone subsystem; and

a wireless unit in communication with said base station, said wireless unit comprising at least one of a further wireless handset and a pager;

said wireless handset generating a page signal;

said base station receiving said page signal and paging said wireless unit in response to said page signal.

7. The communications system of claim 6 wherein:

said paging of said wireless unit causes said wireless unit to generate an audible tone.