Wireless communications interface

• US 6,804,536 B1
• Filed: 11/15/1999
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Bultman, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US09/440,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 455/462, 455/465, 455/552, 455/553, 455/554-557, 455/445, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 379/35
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

A wireless communications interface couples wireless service to conventional wireline phone appliances. In one embodiment, the wireless communications interface is connected to the phone appliances through existing phone jacks. This allows a user to place and receive calls over a wireless network using the existing wireline infrastructure in a building. By using the invention, users can consolidate their portable and fixed phone service with one of the multiple wireless service providers and bypass the wireline service provider entirely, if so desired. In a second embodiment, the wireless communications interface is directly connected to the phone appliances, bypassing the installed wireline infrastructure. In a third embodiment, both wireline and wireless service are operative, and the wireless communications interface may include logic arbitration to route multiple calls to multiple phone appliances.

Claims

1. A system for providing wireless communications service to a wireline phone appliance, the system comprising:

a portable wireless device for communicating communications traffic over a wireless network;

a phone appliance;

a wireless communications interface that carries said communications traffic between said wireless device and said phone appliance;

a wireline infrastructure coupled between said wireless communications interface and said phone appliance that carries said communications traffic between said wireless communications interface and said phone appliance; and

wherein said wireline infrastructure is not in communication with a wireline communications service, so that said communications traffic is provided through said wireless device;

wherein said portable wireless device is separable from said wireless communications interface and is capable of being used independent of said wireline infrastructure for communications;

wherein said wireless communications interface includes an audio hybrid equivalent that converts a tip and ring signal from said phone appliance into separate transmit and receive signals that are compatible with said wireless device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said communications traffic comprises telephone traffic.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said communications traffic comprises at least one of voice traffic or data traffic.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireline infrastructure comprises a plurality of phone jacks connected by one or more phone lines.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said phone appliance is one of a plurality of phone appliances, each of said plurality of phone appliances coupled to said wireline infrastructure.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless communications interface comprises a means for ringing each of said plurality of phone appliances to indicate a new call received by said wireless device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a cellular phone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a PCS phone.

9. A system for coupling wireless communications service to wireline phone appliances, the system comprising:

a wireless device for communicating communications traffic over a wireless network;

a plurality of phone appliances connected together by an installed wireline infrastructure; and

a wireless communications interface that conveys said communications traffic between said wireless device and said installed wireline infrastructure, whereby telephone calls may be placed and received over said wireless network using one or more of said phone appliances, said wireless communications interface coupled to a wireline service through said installed wireline infrastructure;

wherein said installed wireline infrastructure includes a first infrastructure path and a second infrastructure path, said first infrastructure path connecting said wireless communications interface to a first phone appliance, said second infrastructure path connecting said wireless communications interface to a second phone appliance; and

wherein if a first call is received over the wireless communications service and a second call is received from the wireline service during said first call, said wireless interface routes said first call to said first phone appliance using said first infrastructure path, and routes said second call to said second phone appliance using said second infrastructure path.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said communications traffic includes one of voice traffic or data traffic.

11. A method of receiving an incoming call over a wireless network at a wireline phone appliance, said method comprising the steps:

(1) detecting a first incoming call over the wireless network using a wireless device;

(2) notifying a first phone appliance of said first incoming call;

(3) detecting an acceptance of said first incoming call by said first phone appliance;

(4) communicating communications traffic associated with said first incoming call between said wireless device and said first phone appliance;

(5) detecting a second incoming call during said first incoming call, said second incoming call coming from a wireline network; and

(6) routing said second incoming call to a second phone appliance simultaneous with step (4).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (1) comprises the step of detecting a control signal from said wireless device that indicates said first incoming call.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said step (2) comprises the step of causing said first phone appliance to ring to announce said first incoming call.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein step (2) comprises the step of generating a ringer signal that activates a ringer in said first phone appliance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said step (3) comprises the step of detecting an off-hook condition for a receiver of said first phone appliance, and further comprising the step of terminating said ringer signal based on said step (3).

16. A method for receiving an incoming call over a wireless network at a wireline phone appliance, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) detecting a control signal from a wireless device that indicates a first incoming call over the wireless network;

(2) causing a wireline phone appliance to ring to announce said first incoming call;

(3) detecting an off-hook condition for the wireline phone appliance to indicate acceptance of said first incoming call;

(4) communicating communications traffic associated with said incoming call between said wireless device and said wireline phone appliance;

(5) detecting a second incoming call during said first incoming call, said second call coming from a wireline network; and

(6) routing said second call to a second wireline phone appliance simultaneous with step (4).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said telephone traffic is one of voice traffic or data traffic.

18. A method of placing an outgoing call over a wireless network using a wireline phone appliance, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving a first phone number from a first phone appliance;

(2) causing a wireless device to dial said first phone number indicated in step (1), thereby attempting to make a connection over the wireless network to said first phone number;

(3) communicating communications traffic between said wireless device and said first phone appliance if the connection is made in step (2);

(4) receiving a second phone number from a second phone appliance during step (3);

(5) causing a wireline device to dial the second phone number, thereby attempting to make a connection over a wireline network; and

(6) communicating communications traffic between said wireline device and said second phone appliance if the connection is made in step (5).

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the following steps prior to step (1):

(7) detecting an off-hook signal for the phone appliance; and

(8) causing a dial tone to be generated at the phone appliance in response to step (7).

20. A wireless communications interface for coupling a wireless device to a wireline phone appliance, said wireless communications interface comprising:

a wireless interface capable of coupling to a wireless device that provides wireless communications service;

a phone appliance interface capable of coupling to a phone appliance;

a wireline interface capable of coupling to a wireline that provides wireline communications service;

a switch, a first input of said switch coupled to said wireless interface, a second input of said switch coupled to said wireline interface, an output of said switch coupled to said phone appliance interface;

a processor for controlling said switch based on a user input, thereby connecting either wireline communications service or wireless communications service to said phone appliance based on said user input; and

an audio hybrid equivalent, coupled between said output of said switch and said phone appliance interface, wherein said audio hybrid equivalent converts a tip and ring signal from said phone appliance interface into separate transmit and receive signals that are compatible with said wireless interface.

21. The wireless communications interface of claim 20, said processor having logic for receiving an incoming call from said wireless device, said logic comprising:

means for enabling said processor to detect an incoming call to said wireless device;

means for enabling said processor to ring said phone appliance based on said incoming call;

means for enabling said processor to detect an acceptance of said incoming call by said phone appliance; and

means for enabling said processor to notify said wireless device of said acceptance.

22. The wireless communications interface of claim 21, wherein said means for enabling said processor to detect an acceptance comprises a means for enabling said processor to detect an off-hook condition for the phone appliance.

23. The wireless communications interface of claim 20, said processor further comprising logic for placing a wireless call from said phone appliance through said wireless device, said computer program logic comprising:

means for enabling said processor to detect an off-hook condition for said phone appliance;

means for enabling said processor to generate a dial tone at said phone appliance in response to said off-hook condition;

means for enabling said processor to receive a phone number from said phone appliance; and

means for enabling said processor to instruct said wireless device to dial said phone number over a wireless network.

24. The wireless communications interface of claim 20, wherein said wireline interface comprises:

means for detecting a ringer signal on said wireline, with said ringer signal announcing a new call on said wireline;

means for detecting when said wireline is in use;

means for inserting a test load on said wireline to simulate an off-hook receiver; and

means for detecting a dial tone on said wireline.

25. The wireless communications interface of claim 24, wherein said means for detecting when said wireline is in use comprises a means for detecting audio signals on said wireline.

26. The wireless communications interface of claim 20, wherein said processor is a state machine.

27. A wireless communications interface for coupling a wireless device to a wireline phone appliance, said wireless communications interface comprising:

a wireless interface capable of coupling to a wireless device that provides wireless communications service;

a phone appliance interface capable of coupling to a phone appliance; and

an audio hybrid equivalent, coupled between said wireless interface and said phone appliance interface, wherein said audio hybrid equivalent converts a tip and ring signal from said phone appliance interface into separate transmit and receive signals that are compatible with said wireless interface.

28. The wireless communications interface of claim 27, further comprising a processor, coupled to said wireless interface, that monitors one or more control signals from the wireless device to detect an incoming call on the wireless device.

29. The wireless communications interface of claim 28, further comprising a means for causing the wireline phone appliance to ring based on said incoming call.

30. The wireless communications interface of claim 29, wherein said means for causing includes a wireline driver circuit, coupled to said wireline interface, that generates one or more signals to ring the wireline phone appliance so as to announce said incoming call.

31. The wireless communications interface of claim 30, wherein said wireline driver circuit toggles between two or more voltages to ring the wireline phone appliance.

32. The wireless communications interface of claim 27, further comprising a processor, coupled to said phone appliance interface, that monitors a control signal from the wireline phone appliance to detect an off-hook condition at the wireline phone appliance.

33. The wireless communications interface of claim 32, wherein said off-hook condition indicates an outgoing call from the wireline phone appliance.

34. The wireless communications interface of claim 32, wherein said phone appliance interface further comprises a dial tone generator that causes the wireline phone appliance to emit a dial tone in response to said off-hook condition.

35. The wireless communications interface of claim 32, wherein said processor receives a telephone number from the wireline phone appliance, and causes said wireless device to call said telephone number over a wireless network.

36. The wireless communications interface of claim 27, further comprising a base configured to cradle the wireless device.

37. The wireless communications interface of claim 36, wherein said base includes a connector that connects said wireless interface to a corresponding connector on said wireless device.

38. The wireless communications interface of claim 36, wherein said base further includes a connector that is compatible with a phone line connected between said connector and the phone appliance.

39. The wireless communications interface of claim 38, wherein said connector carries communications traffic between said wireless communications interface and the phone appliance.

40. The wireless communications interface of claim 36, wherein said base further comprises a connector for a power adaptor to supply power for said wireless communications interface.

41. The wireless communications interface of claim 40, wherein said power adaptor also supplies power for said wireless device.

42. The wireless communications interface of claim 36, wherein said base further comprises:

a first connector that is compatible with a phone line connected between said first connector and the wireline phone appliance;

a second connector that connects said wireless interface to a corresponding connector on the wireless device; and

a third connector for a power adaptor to supply power for said wireless communications interface.

43. The wireless communications interface of claim 42, wherein said base further comprises:

a fourth connector that is compatible with a second phone line connected between said fourth connector and a second wireline phone appliance.

44. The wireless communications interface of claim 43, wherein one of said first connector and said fourth connector is selected to route communications between the wireless device and one of the wireline phone appliance and said second phone appliance.

45. A method of coupling a wireless device to a wireline phone appliance, comprising:

receiving a first communications signal from the wireline phone appliance having a tip and ring signal that is compatible with the wireline phone device;

converting said tip and ring signal to separate transmit and receive signals that are compatible with the wireless device; and

sending said separate transmit and receive signals to the wireless device.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

receiving a second communications signal from the wireless device having separate transmit and receive signals that are compatible with the wireless device;

converting said separate transmit and receive signals to a tip and ring signal that is compatible with the wireline phone appliance; and

sending said separate transmit and receive signals to the wireline phone appliance.