Apparatus and method for merging wireless telephone service with existing wired telephone equipment in a facility

• US 7,082,306 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spinac, Clifford Jay, Smith, Newton James Jr., Himmel, Maria Azua, Rodriquez, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/942,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 455/462, 455/74.1, 455/552, 455/465, 455/433, 455/432.1, 455/566, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for merging mobile, or wireless, telephone service with existing wired telephone equipment in a facility, such as a home or business, are provided. With the apparatus and method, a converter is associated with the facility such that a wireless telephone number is associated with the converter. Telephone calls may be made to the facility via a wireless telephone network and the converter. The converter receives calls from the wireless telephone network directed to the converter, converts the format of the wireless telephone call to a wired telephone call format, and routes these calls to one or more wired telephone units in the facility. Calls originating from the wired telephone units in the facility are received by the converter which converts the call signals to an appropriate format for wireless network routing, and forwards the call to the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method of routing calls to wired telephone devices in a facility, comprising:

receiving a call directly from a wireless network;

converting the call to a wired telephone network format;

forwarding the call to a wired telephone device without routing the call through a wired telephone network external to the facility;

determining a location of a wireless telephone device associated with the facility; and

routing the call to the wireless telephone device based on the location of the wireless telephone device, wherein the call is routed to the wireless telephone device only when the location of the wireless telephone device is not a location within the facility.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing the call to both the wired telephone device and a wireless telephone device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the call has one or more associated wireless telephone services, and wherein the one or more associated wireless telephone services are provided through the wired telephone device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wired telephone device includes a wireless service unit that provides one or more interfaces for providing the one or more wireless telephone services to a user of the wired telephone device, wherein the services are services a wireless user has subscribed to receive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the call has an associated address, and wherein forwarding the call to a wired telephone device includes looking up the associated address in a directory of wired telephone devices associated with the facility, wherein the associated address is a geographic location of the facility and wherein determining if the last reported location of the wireless telephone device coincides with the geographical location of the facility with which the wireless telephone unit is associated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing tracking information for the wired telephone device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tracking information includes one or more of records of calls made to or from the wired telephone device, wired telephone device preferences, wired telephone capabilities, user preferences for a user of the wired telephone device, and billing records for the wired telephone device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein a telephone number associated with the call has an associated identifier for the wired telephone device and an associated identifier for the wireless telephone device, and wherein the call is routes to the wired telephone device and the wireless telephone device based on the associated identifiers.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining when to route the calls to the wired or wireless telephones associated with the facility; and

routing the call based upon the determination.

10. An apparatus for routing calls to wired telephone devices in a facility, comprising:

a facility wired network interface;

a wireless network interface; and

a controller coupled to both the facility wired network interface and the wireless network interface, wherein the controller receives a call directly from a wireless network via the wireless network interface, converts the call to a wired telephone network format, forwards the call to a wired telephone device via the facility wired network interface without routing the call through a wired telephone network external to the facility;

determines a location of a wireless telephone device associated with the facility; and

routes the call to the wireless telephone device based on the location of the wireless telephone device, wherein the controller routes the call to the wireless telephone device only when the location of the wireless telephone device is not a location within the facility.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller routes the call to both the wired telephone device and a wireless telephone device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the call has an associated address, and wherein the controller forwards the call to a wired telephone device by looking up the associated address in a directory of wired telephone devices associated with the facility, wherein the associated address is a geographic location of the facility and wherein determining if the last reported location of the wireless telephone device coincides with the georaphical location of the facility with which the wireless telephone unit is associated.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a storage device that stores tracking information for the wired telephone device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the tracking information includes one or more of records of calls made to or from the wired telephone device, wired telephone device preferences, wired telephone capabilities, user preferences for a user of the wired telephone device, and billing records for the wired telephone device.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a telephone number associated with the call has an associated identifier for the wired telephone device and an associated identifier for the wireless telephone device, and wherein the controller routes the call to the wired telephone device and the wireless telephone device based on the associated identifiers.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller determines when to route the calls to the wired or wireless telephones associated with the facility;

and routes the call based upon the determination.

17. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for routing calls to wired telephone devices in a facility, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a call directly from a wireless network;

second instructions for converting the call to a wired telephone network format;

third instruction for forwarding the call to a wired telephone device without routing the call through a wired telephone network external to the facility;

fourth instructions for determining a location of a wireless telephone device associated with the facility; and

fifth instructions for routing the call to the wireless telephone device based on the location of the wireless telephone device, wherein the call is routed to the wireless telephone device only when the location of the wireless telephone device is not a location within the facility.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising sixth instructions for routing the call to both the wired telephone device and a wireless telephone device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the call has one or more associated wireless telephone services, and wherein the one or more associated wireless telephone services are provided through the wired telephone device.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the call has an associated address, and wherein the third instructions for forwarding the call to a wired telephone device include instructions for looking up the associated address in a directory of wired telephone devices associated with the facility, wherein the associated address is a geographic location of the facility and wherein determining if the last reported location of the wireless telephone device coincides with the geographical location of the facility with which the wireless telephone unit is associated.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising sixth instructions for storing tracking information for the wired telephone device.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the tracking information includes one or more of records of calls made to or from the wired telephone device, wired telephone device preferences, wired telephone capabilities, user preferences for a user of the wired telephone device, and billing records for the wired telephone device.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

sixth instructions for determining when to route the calls to the wired or wireless telephones associated with the facility; and

seventh instructions for routing the call based upon the determination.