Communications unit, system and methods for providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver
DCFirst Claim
1. A communications unit comprising:
- a) a first wireless transceiver port operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station;
b) a first expansion interface in communication with said first wireless transceiver port, having a bus interface operable to communicate with expansion interfaces of respective communications unit on respective communication channels associated with respective said communications units, to permit any of said communications units communicate with said wireless base station through the first wireless transceiver;
c) a processor circuit programmed to effect communications between said first wireless transceiver port and said first expansion interface;
d) a first communications appliance interface, said processor circuit being operable to effect communications between said first wireless transceiver port, said first expansion interface and said communications appliance interface;
e) said processor circuit being programmed to receive dialed digits from said communications appliance interface and communicate said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver port to cause a transceiver in communication with said first wireless transceiver port to dial said dialed digits on a wireless network; and
said processor circuit being programmed to communicate said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver in response to a change in the rate at which dialed digits are received at said communications appliance interface.
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Abstract
The present invention addresses the above need by providing a communications unit comprising a first wireless transceiver port operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station; and a first expansion interface in communication with the first wireless transceiver port and operable to communicate with a second communications unit on a plurality of communications channels, to permit the second communications unit to access the first wireless transceiver. Effectively, a plurality of communications units of the type described above may be connected together to create a system for providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, where the wireless transceiver may be a wireless transceiver on any of the so connected communications units. Using a system of this type, users may add the ability to add additional communications appliances and/or additional wireless communications paths to the system. Thus, the system is expandable and contractible and completely eliminates the need to connect communications appliances to land lines. In one embodiment the first expansion interface is operable to conduct communications with the second communications unit on time multiplex channels. Alteratively, such communications may be conducted on frequency multiplex channels.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A communications unit comprising:
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a) a first wireless transceiver port operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station;
b) a first expansion interface in communication with said first wireless transceiver port, having a bus interface operable to communicate with expansion interfaces of respective communications unit on respective communication channels associated with respective said communications units, to permit any of said communications units communicate with said wireless base station through the first wireless transceiver;
c) a processor circuit programmed to effect communications between said first wireless transceiver port and said first expansion interface;
d) a first communications appliance interface, said processor circuit being operable to effect communications between said first wireless transceiver port, said first expansion interface and said communications appliance interface;
e) said processor circuit being programmed to receive dialed digits from said communications appliance interface and communicate said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver port to cause a transceiver in communication with said first wireless transceiver port to dial said dialed digits on a wireless network; and
said processor circuit being programmed to communicate said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver in response to a change in the rate at which dialed digits are received at said communications appliance interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, the system comprising:
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a) a plurality of communications units, at least one of which includes;
i) a first wireless transceiver port operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station; and
ii) a first expansion interface in communication with said first wireless transceiver port and having a bus interface operable to communicate with expansion interfaces of respective communications units on respective communications channels associated with respective said communications units, to permit any of said communications units to communicate with said wireless base station through the first wireless transceiver;
b) wherein each of said communications units comprises a communications appliance interface operable to communicate with said first wireless transceiver port and wherein at least some of the communications units have respective wireless transceiver ports operable to be accessed by any of said communications appliance interfaces and wherein any of said communications units having a respective wireless transceiver port is operable to receive programming information from other communications units to configure said any of said communications units having a respective wireless transceiver port to selectively make its wireless transceiver port and its communications appliance interface communicate with a wireless transceiver port or a communications appliance interface of at least one other of said plurality of communications units. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A method of providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, comprising:
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supporting communications, through a first expansion interface, having a bus interface configured to provide a plurality of communications channels, associated with respective communications units, between a first wireless transceiver port of a first communications unit and at least one of said respective communications units, receiving dialed digits from a communications appliance interface of said at least one of said respective communications units and communicating said dialed digits to a first wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a wireless base station and in communication with said first wireless transceiver port, to dial said dialed digits on a wireless network wherein communicating said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver comprises communicating said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver interface in response to a change in the rate at which dialed digits are received at said communications appliance interface; and
using said first wireless transceiver port to communicate with the first wireless transceiver to permit said at least one of said respective communication units to communicate with said wireless base station through said first wireless transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, comprising:
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supporting communications, through a first expansion interface, having a bus interface configured to provide a plurality of communications channels, associated with respective communications units, between a first wireless transceiver port of a first communications unit and at least one of said respective communications units by supporting communications between a communications appliance interface on any of said communications units and said first wireless transceiver port;
supporting communications between wireless transceiver ports on at least some of said communications units and communications appliance interfaces on at least some of said communications units;
using said first wireless transceiver port to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station, to permit any of said communication units to communicate with said wireless base station through said first wireless transceiver; and
programming any of said communications units from other communications units having a respective wireless transceiver port from another of said communications units to configure said any of said communications units having a respective wireless transceiver port to selectively make its wireless transceiver port and its communications appliance interface communicate with a wireless transceiver port or a communications appliance interface of at least one other of said plurality of communications units. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A communications unit comprising:
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a) a first wireless transceiver port operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station; and
b) a first expansion interface in communication with said first wireless transceiver port and having a bus interface operable to communicate with expansion interfaces, the same as said first expansion interface, of respective communications units on respective communications channels associated with respective said communications units, to permit any of said communications units to communicate with said wireless base station through the first wireless transceiver.
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Specification