Communications unit, system and methods for providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver

• US 7,020,488 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2000
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Embedded Systems Products Intellectual Property, LLC (Fred DuFresne)
• Original Assignee: Embedded Systems Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Bleile, Leonard George, Becker, Christopher Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US09/619,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/414.1, 455/426, 455/462, 455/500, 455/552, 455/573, 455/426.2, 455/554.2
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation

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.

Claims

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.

2. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said bus interface is operable to the time multiplex said communications channels.

3. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said bus interface is operable to frequency multiplex said communications channels.

4. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first wireless transceiver port and said first expansion interface are on a common base.

5. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first communications appliance interface is operable to selectively communicate with at least one of the first wireless transceiver and said first expansion interface, to permit a communications appliance connected to said first communications appliance interface to communicate with the wireless base station or another communications unit in communication with said first expansion interface.

6. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first expansion interface is programmable by commands received from a communications appliance in communication with said first communications appliance interface.

7. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first communications appliance interface includes an analog telephone interface.

8. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first wireless transceiver port, said first communications appliance interface and said first expansion interface are contained within a common base.

9. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first expansion interface and said first communications appliance interface are selectively operable to use said first wireless transceiver port.

10. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first expansion interface is operable to support independent communications between another communications unit and the wireless transceiver while supporting independent communications between another communications unit and said first communications appliance interface.

11. The communications unit of claim 5 wherein said first expansion interface is programmable by commands received at said communications appliance interface.

12. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first expansion interface is programmable by commands received from at least one of said first wireless transceiver port and one of said communications units.

13. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein said first expansion interface is programmable to cause said first wireless transceiver port to selectively communicate with one of a plurality of communications units operable to communicate with said first expansion interface.

14. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said bus interface includes a Pulse Code Modulation bus interface.

15. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first wireless transceiver port includes a receptacle operable to receive and hold a wireless telephone.

16. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first wireless transceiver port is operable to communicate with a data interface on a wireless telephone.

17. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said processor circuit is programmed to communicate said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver interface in response to expiry of a timeout period after entry of said dialed digits at said communications appliance.

18. The communications unit of claim 1 wherein said first wireless transceiver port is operable to communicate with a first wireless transceiver operable to conduct wireless communications with a wireless base station of a public network.

19. A system for providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, the system comprising:

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.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein any of said communications appliance interfaces can access any of said wireless transceivers, through respective expansion interfaces on respective communications units on which said any of said communications appliance interfaces are located and respective communications units on which any of said wireless transceivers are located.

21. A method of providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, comprising:

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.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein supporting communications comprises conducting communications with at least one of said communications units on time multiplexed channels.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein supporting communications comprises conducting communications with at least one of said communications units on frequency multiplexed channels.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein supporting communications comprises supporting communications between said first wireless transceiver port and said first expansion interface within a common base.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising selectively conducting communications between a first communications appliance interface and at least one of the first wireless transceiver and said first expansion interface, to permit a communications appliance connected to said communications appliance interface to communicate with the wireless base station or another communications unit in communication with said first expansion interface.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising conducting communications with a telephone in communication with said first communications appliance interface.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising selecting which of said first expansion interface and said first communications appliance interface are to use said first wireless transceiver port.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising simultaneously supporting independent communications between one of said respective communications units and said wireless transceiver while supporting independent communications between another of said respective communications units and said first communications appliance interface.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising programming said first expansion interface by commands received at said communications appliance interface.

30. The method of claim 25 further comprising programming said first expansion interface port by commands received from a communications appliance in communication with said first communications appliance interface.

31. The method of claim 21 further comprising programming said first expansion interface by commands received from at least one of said first wireless transceiver port and said at least one of said respective communications units.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising programming said first expansion interface to cause said first wireless transceiver port to selectively communicate with one of said respective communications units.

33. The method of claim 21 wherein supporting communications comprises supporting communications through a Pulse Code Modulation bus interface.

34. The method of claim 21 further comprising receiving and holding a wireless telephone in a receptacle to facilitate connection of said wireless telephone to said wireless transceiver port.

35. The method of claim 21 further comprising causing said first wireless transceiver port to communicate with a data interface on a wireless telephone.

36. The method of claim 21 further comprising communicating said dialed digits to said first wireless transceiver interface in response to expiry of a timeout period after entry of said dialed digits at said communications appliance.

37. A method of providing multiple access to a wireless transceiver, comprising:

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.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein supporting communications comprises causing respective expansion interfaces on respective communications units to permit any of said communications appliance interfaces to access any of said wireless transceivers.

39. 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; 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.