Method for in-progress telephone call transfer between a wireless telephone and a wired telephone using a short-range communication control link

• US 6,999,769 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1999
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Henon, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/456,900
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/417, 455/426, 455/432, 455/435, 455/461, 455/462, 455/463, 455/518, 455/519, 455/436, 455/437, 455/439, 455/442, 455/414.1, 455/416, 455/432.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/560
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

In-progress call transfer between a wireless telephone and a wired telephone is effected using a short-range wireless communication link between the devices. Each of the devices are provisioned to include a short-range radio or infrared transceiver so that the devices can communicate with each other over the short-range wireless communication link, preferably using a given short-range wireless protocol. When the wireless telephone'"'"'s battery is almost exhausted, or for any other reason that the user may desire, the wireless telephone requests the wired telephone'"'"'s phone number by communicating with wired telephone over the short-range wireless communication link. Upon receipt of the wired telephone'"'"'s phone number the wireless telephone issues a call transfer request to a cellular base station, passing the wired telephone'"'"'s phone number. The base station and the network then re-route the call to the wired telephone.

Claims

1. A method of transferring an in-progress telephone call between a wireless device and a wired device, comprising:

establishing a short-range wireless communication link directly between the wireless device and wired device;

at the wireless device, receiving an identifier that has been transmitted from the wired device to the wireless device over the direct wireless communication link; and

at the wireless device, transmitting the identifier together with a call transfer request to enable the telephone call to be transferred to the wired device.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the short-range wireless communication link conforms to a given radio frequency (RF) protocol.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the given RF protocol is Bluetooth.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the short-range wireless communications link is an infrared link.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

at the wireless device, transmitting a request message to the wired device requesting transmission of the identifier.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

in a network, receiving the identifier and the call transfer request transmitted from the wireless device; and

re-routing the in-progress call to the wired device.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the identifier is a telephone number of the wired device.

8. A method of transferring an in-progress telephone call between a wireless device and a wired device, comprising:

establishing a first wireless communication link directly between the wireless and wired devices when the devices are in physical proximity to each other;

at the wireless device, transmitting a request message to the wired device over the first direct wireless communication link requesting transmission of an identifier;

at the wireless device, receiving the identifier that has been transmitted directly from the wired device to the wireless device over the first direct wireless communication link;

at the wireless device, transmitting the identifier together with a call transfer request to a network device over a second communication link; and

at the network device, receiving the identifier together with the call transfer request and re-routing the in-progress call to the wired device.

9. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the first direct wireless communication link is a short-range wireless radio communication link.

10. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the first direct wireless communication link is a short-range wireless infrared communication link.

11. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the identifier is a telephone number of the wired device.

12. The method as described in claim 8 further comprising disconnecting the wireless device from the in-progress telephone call following re-routing.

13. The method as described in claim 8 further comprising:

having a user of the wireless device initiate the establishing of the first direct wireless communication link by entering given control commands in the wireless device.

14. A communication system, comprising:

a wireless device having a first transceiver;

a wireline device having a second transceivers;

a short-range direct wireless communications link over which the wireless and wireline devices communicate using their respective first and second transceivers; and

means operative in the wireless device for transferring an in-progress telephone call from the wireless device to the wireline device.

15. The communications system as described in claim 14 wherein the means for transferring comprises:

means for transmitting a request message to the wired device over the direct wireless communications link requesting transmission of an identifier;

means for receiving the identifier transmitted from the wired device to the wireless device over the direct wireless communications link; and

means for transmitting the identifier together with a call transfer request to a network device to re-route the in-progress telephone call.

16. The communications system as described in claim 14 wherein each of the transceivers is provisioned according to a given RF protocol.

17. The communications system as described in claim 16 wherein the given RF protocol is Bluetooth.

18. A wireless device, comprising:

a processor,

a short-range wireless transceivers;

memory coupled to the processor, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor for transferring an in-progress telephone call from the wireless device to a selected wireline device by the following method;

controlling the short-range wireless transceiver to transmit a request message directly to the wired device over a short-range wireless communications link requesting transmission of an identifier;

controlling the short-range wireless transceiver to receive the identifier transmitted from the wired device directly to the wireless device over the short-range wireless communications link; and

transmitting the identifier together with a call transfer request to a given network device to request re-routing of the in-progress telephone call.

19. A wireline device, comprising:

a processor;

a short-range wireless transceiver;

memory coupled to the processor, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor for receiving a transfer of an in-progress telephone call from the wireless device by the following method steps;

controlling the short-range wireless transceiver to receive a request message transmitted directly from the wireless device over a short-range wireless communications link requesting transmission of an identifier; and

controlling the short-range wireless transceiver to transmit the identifier directly to the wireless device over the short-range wireless communications link.