Call diversion system

• US 7,123,905 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stratos Global Ltd. (Inmarsat PLC)
• Original Assignee: Stratos Global Ltd. (Inmarsat PLC)
• Inventors: Usher, Martin Philip, Mead, Andrew Robert, Allaway, Andrew Wayne, McLaren, Donna, Lindsay, nee Tisdell, Elizabeth Clare
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/088,030
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 455/417, 455/445, 455/12.1, 455/433, 455/414.1, 455/435.1, 455/430, 455/426.1, 455/422.1, 455/555, 455/554.1
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

An interface (52) is provided between a satellite telephone system (4) and a cellular telephone system (5) for allowing calls to a user'"'"'s cellular telephone to be diverted to a satellite telephone (25) when the user is unable to use his cellular telephone, for example when on board an aeroplane (2) fitted with a satellite telephone system (20). The user inserts a card (which may be the SIM of his mobile phone, or a card compatible with existing satellite telephone equipment) into a suitable reader in the satellite telephone (20), which causes the satellite ground station'"'"'s card verification system (42) to connect to a host cellular network (50). The host cellular network has an interface unit (52) which emulates the operation of a normal base station, so that the host cellular system (50) acts as if the mobile user'"'"'s terminal is roaming on the host network, but is currently “busy”. The interface (52) also resets the user'"'"'s existing call diversion instructions so that when the host cellular system (5) receives a busy tone frome the base station emulator (52), it routes calls to the directory number of the terminal (20).

Claims

1. A method for forwarding incoming cellular communications to an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a request to divert incoming calls for a cellular telephone number to a communication system on board an aircraft;

associating a divert on busy instruction with the cellular telephone number, the divert on busy instruction representing an instruction to forward an incoming call for the cellular telephone number to the communications system aboard the aircraft; and

considering a state of a cellular telephone associated with the cellular telephone number as busy, regardless of an actual state of the cellular telephone;

wherein, an incoming telephone call to the cellular telephone number is forwarded, consistent with said considering and in accordance with the divert on busy instruction, to the communications system on board the aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said associating a divert on busy instruction comprises giving priority to an address of the communications system on board the aircraft over any previous divert on busy instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a telephonic device aboard the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a communication device electrically coupled with a cellular telephone aboard the aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a facsimile machine.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the telephonic device is an aircraft telephone handset station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said associating a divert on busy instruction comprises modifying a preset divert on busy instruction associated with the cellular telephone to include the communication system on board the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an incoming call for the cellular telephone number; and

forwarding the incoming call to the communication system on board the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 1, the cellular telephone having at least one original divert on busy instruction prior to said associating a divert on busy instruction, the method further comprising:

receiving an incoming call for the cellular telephone number;

diverting, in response to an actual state of the cellular telephone being busy, the incoming call consistent with the at least one original divert on busy instruction.

10. A method for routing incoming cellular telephone traffic through a land-based host network to a cellular device user aboard an aircraft, the cellular device user having an associated cellular telephone number, comprising:

receiving, at the host network, a request to register the presence of the cellular device user aboard the aircraft;

the host network advising the cellular device user'"'"'s home network that the cellular device user is within the operating jurisdiction of the host network;

associating, at the host network, a primary divert on busy instruction with the cellular telephone number, the divert on busy instruction representing an instruction to divert an incoming call to a communication system on board the aircraft; and

considering a current operational state associated with the cellular telephone number as busy, regardless of an actual operational state of the cellular device;

wherein, upon receipt of an incoming call to the cellular telephone number, the host forwards an incoming call to the communication system on board the aircraft consistent with the primary divert on busy instruction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said associating a primary divert on busy instruction comprises giving an identifier of the communication system on board the aircraft priority over any preset divert on busy instruction.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a telephonic device aboard the aircraft.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a communication device electrically coupled with a cellular telephone aboard the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication system on board the aircraft is a facsimile machine.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephonic device is an aircraft telephone handset station.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said associating the primary divert on busy instruction comprises modifying preset diversion instructions associated with the cellular telephone to include the communication system on board the aircraft.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an incoming call for the cellular telephone number; and

forwarding the incoming call to the communication system on board the aircraft.

18. The method of claim 10, the cellular telephone having at least one original divert on busy instruction prior to said associating a primary divert on busy instruction, the method further comprising:

receiving an incoming call for the cellular telephone number; and

diverting, in response to an actual state of the cellular telephone being busy, the incoming call consistent with the at least one original divert on busy instruction.

19. A method of registering to divert a telephone call to a telecommunications device on-board a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving first and second identification information, the first identification information being associated with a cellular device, the second identification information being associated with the telecommunications device;

associating modified divert on busy instructions with the cellular device that identify the telecommunications device as a divert on busy instruction; and

setting an indication of a status of the cellular device as busy regardless of an actual status of the cellular device.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a telephonic call intended for the cellular device;

diverting the telephonic call to the on-board telecommunications device consistent with the primary divert on busy instruction.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the on-board telecommunications device includes a facsimile device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said associating comprises inserting a telecommunications device identifier as a primary divert on busy instruction within any existing divert on busy instructions.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said receiving, associating and setting occur at a host network, the cellular device is associated with a home network different from the host network, and said method further comprising advising the home network that the cellular device is roaming within the coverage of the host network.

24. A method of registering to divert incoming cellular telephone calls to an on-board telecommunications device, the method comprising:

registering a cellular device as roaming on a host network regardless of the actual location of the cellular device relative to the host network; and

updating, in response to said registering, a primary divert-on-busy instruction of the cellular device as an on-board telecommunication device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising setting an indication of a status of the cellular device as busy regardless of an actual status of the cellular device.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the cellular device is associated with a home network, said method further comprising advising the home network that the cellular device is roaming on the host network.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a telephonic call placed to the cellular device; and

diverting the telephonic call to the on-board telecommunications device.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the on-board telecommunications device includes a facsimile device.

29. A method of receiving a telephonic call placed to a mobile station at a telecommunications device on-board a vehicle comprising:

receiving a call forwarded from a home network, the call being placed to the mobile station;

returning a busy signal for the mobile station regardless of an actual state of the mobile station;

accessing a divert-on-busy instruction for the mobile station; and

forwarding the call to the vehicle consistent with said accessing;

wherein the call terminates at the telecommunications device on-board the vehicle.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the on-board telecommunications device comprises a facsimile device.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising setting an indication of a status of the mobile station as busy regardless of an actual status of the cellular device.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the mobile station is associated with the home network, said method further comprising advising the home network that the cellular device is roaming on a host network.

33. A method of receiving a telephonic call placed to a cellular device at a telecommunications device on-board a vehicle comprising:

receiving first and second identification information, the first identification information being associated with a cellular device, said second identification information being associated with the telecommunications device;

associating modified divert on busy instructions with the cellular device that identifies the telecommunications device as a divert on busy option;

setting an indication of a status of the cellular device as busy regardless of an actual status of the cellular device;

receiving a call forwarded from a home network, the call being placed to the cellular device;

accessing the modified divert on busy instructions for the cellular device; and

forwarding the call to the telecommunications device consistent with said accessing;

wherein the call terminates at the telecommunications device on-board the vehicle.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the on-board telecommunications device includes a facsimile device.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the mobile station is associated with the home network, said method further comprising advising the home network that the cellular device is roaming on a host network.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein said associating comprises inserting a telecommunications device identifier as a primary divert on busy instruction within any existing divert on busy instructions.

37. The method of claim 33, said method further comprising routing, when said actual status of the cellular device is busy, the call consistent with the existing divert on busy instructions.