Neighborhood cordless service call handoff

• US 7,257,404 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ying, Wenchu, Kim, Jinman, Chow, Albert, Wang, Spencer
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/914,110
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/442, 455/450, 455/452.1, 370/331, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing telephone call hand offs between a local cordless service and a different wireless cellular service such as a macro-cellular service. The local cordless service may be configured such that a mobile telephone equipped subscriber may place or receive calls for a fixed rate, for example, per month without having to pay radio frequency air time charges any time they are located within their selected subscribed-to zones. If the subscribed-to zones are adjacent to one another and the mobile subscriber roams from one zone to another, the subscriber may continue their free call uninterrupted and without paying air time charges. However, when the subscriber roams outside their subscribed-to zones they may be switched from the present local cordless services to conventional personal communications services and pay air time charges.

Claims

1. A method for handing off a call between a mobile station and a first, anchor base station to a second, target base station, the first base station associated with a local cordless service and the second base station associated with a macro-cellular service, said first anchor and second target base stations being connected to a line side of a same digital communications switch, and said method comprising:

the first, anchor base station sending a call handoff request to the second, target base station, wherein the handoff request includes at least one of a priority list of base stations served by a network service platform and an identifier of the mobile station, and wherein the first, anchor base station sending a call handoff request to the second, target base station includes;

the first, anchor base station sending the call handoff request to said network server platform (NSP);

the NSP checking for channel availability of other base stations as set forth in a priority list of base stations, wherein the second, target base station is defined as the base station of highest priority having channel availability;

the NSP sending the handoff request to the second, target base station;

the second, target base station connecting with the mobile station, simultaneous with a connection between said mobile station and said first, anchor base station via said line side of said digital communications switch; and

the first, anchor base station releasing a connection with the mobile station.

2. A method for handing off a call between a mobile station and a first anchor base station to a second, target base station, the first base station associated with a local cordless service and the second base station associated with a macro-cellular service, wherein said first, anchor base station and said second, target base station are connected to a same local digital switch (LDS), said method comprising:

the first, anchor base station sending a call handoff request to a network server platform (NSP), wherein the handoff request includes at least one of a priority list of base stations served by the NSP and an identifier of the mobile station,

the NSP sending a handoff preparation message to the second, target base station;

wherein the first, anchor base station sending a call handoff request to the NSP, and the NSP sending a handoff preparation message to the second, target base station includes;

the first, anchor base station sending the call handoff request to the NSP;

the NSP checking for channel availability of other base stations as set forth in the priority list of base stations, wherein the second, target base station is defined as the base station of highest priority having channel availability;

the NSP sending the handoff preparation message to the second, target base station;

the second, target base station connecting with the mobile station; and

the first, anchor base station releasing a connection with the mobile station.