Efficient and flexible communication device and system with base-to-base communication
First Claim
1. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
- a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the first base is configured to receive a communication from the second base over the base-to-base communication link indicating that the second base has received an incoming communication from the second network line interfaced to the second base through the second line interface contained in the second base, and wherein the first base will communicate the presence of the incoming communication to the second base to a first handset associated with the first base.
6 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication device that includes a base. The base includes a line interface for receiving incoming communications over a network line and sending outgoing communications over the network line, a communication transceiver for interfacing the communication device over a communication link to other communication devices in a same in-home network and for interfacing other communication devices in the same in-home network to the line interface via the communication link, and a storage medium for storing communication software that allows the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through the transceiver. The communication device also includes a processor coupled to the storage medium and to the line interface. The processor is configured to run the communication software and to receive incoming communications through the line interface and to send an outgoing communications through the line interface. The communication transceiver can be a RF short range transceiver.
65 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
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a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the first base is configured to receive a communication from the second base over the base-to-base communication link indicating that the second base has received an incoming communication from the second network line interfaced to the second base through the second line interface contained in the second base, and wherein the first base will communicate the presence of the incoming communication to the second base to a first handset associated with the first base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 16, 17, 18)
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7. A communication system comprising a first base, a second base and a first handset,
the first base including: -
a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base; and
the first handset including;
a speaker configured to receive an audio drive signal;
a microphone configured to generate a voice signal;
a first RF communication transceiver configured to generate an incoming RF signal over a RF communication channel and to transmit an outgoing RF signal over the RF communication channel; and
a second processor coupled to the speaker, the microphone, and the first RF transceiver, the processor configured to generate the outgoing RF signal from the voice signal and to generate the audio drive signal from the incoming RF signal, wherein the first base further comprises a second RF communication transceiver, the second RF transceiver configured to transmit the incoming RF signal to the first RF transceiver over the RF communication channel and to receive the outgoing RF signal from the first RF transceiver over the RF communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
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a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the storage medium is configured to store messages from unanswered incoming communications.
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19. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
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a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the user functionality is a voice recognition functionality in the first base, and wherein the first base makes the voice recognition functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base.
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20. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
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a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the user functionality is an answering machine functionality in the first base, and wherein the first base makes the answering machine functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base.
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21. A communication system comprising a first base and a second base, the first base including:
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a first line interface configured to receive incoming communications over a first network line and to send outgoing communications over the first network line;
a first communication transceiver configured to interface the first base over a base-to-base communication link to the second base;
a storage medium configured to store communication software that allows the first base to communicate with the second base through the first communication transceiver;
a first processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and to the first line interface, the processor configured to run the communication software and to receive an incoming communication through the first line interface and send an outgoing communication through the first line interface;
a first user functionality;
wherein the first base makes the first user functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base, and wherein the user functionality is a caller identification functionality in the first base, and wherein the first base makes the caller identification functionality available to the second base over the base-to-base communication link for use by a user of the second base.
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Specification