System and method for accessing a wireless network from a handset connected to a public wiring network

• US 7,372,955 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryder, Brian, Black, Anthony B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr.; William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/728,913
• Time in Patent Office: 2,633 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.01, 379/221.14, 455/554.2, 455/462, 455/465, 455/74.1, 455/560, 455/557, 455/417, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/221.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

A system and method for accessing a wireless network from a handset connected to a public wiring network are described. A request to establish a communication is received from a user interface. A connection path is determined for the communication based on an identification parameter of the communication. Finally, the communication is transmitted along the connection path.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for establishing a communication from a user interface;

determining a connection path for said communication based on an identification parameter of said communication;

detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset;

retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

transmitting said communication along said connection path.

2. A method, comprising:

receiving a communication from a network;

detecting a signal from a user, said signal enabling said communication;

detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset and retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

transmitting said communication to said user.

3. An apparatus, comprising:

a handset conversion module for receiving a request for establishing a communication from a user interface, determining a connection path for said communication based on an identification parameter of said communication, detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset, retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module, and transmitting said communication along said connection path.

4. An apparatus, comprising:

a handset conversion module for receiving a communication from a network, detecting a signal from a user, said signal enabling said communication, detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset and retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module, and transmitting said communication to said user.

5. A conversion apparatus, comprising:

an enable module receiving a request for establishing a communication from a user interface;

an identification module coupled to said enable module for determining a connection path for said communication based on an identification parameter of said communication; and

a bus conversion module coupled to said identification module for detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset, retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module, and transmitting said communication along said connection path.

6. A computer readable medium-containing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause the system to perform a method, comprising:

receiving a request for establishing a communication from a user interface;

determining a connection path for said communication based on an identification parameter of said communication;

detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset;

retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

transmitting said communication along said connection path.

7. A computer readable medium-containing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause the system to perform a method, comprising:

receiving a communication from a network;

detecting a signal from a user, said signal enabling said communication;

detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset and retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

transmitting said communication to said user.

8. An apparatus-comprising:

means for receiving a request for establishing a communication from a user interface;

means for determining a connection path for said communication based on an identification parameter of said communication;

means for detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset;

means for retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

means for transmitting said communication along said connection path.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a communication from a network;

means for detecting a signal from a user, said signal enabling said communication;

means for detecting a wired interface of a wireless handset;

means for retrieving a profile of said interface from a storage module; and

means for transmitting said communication to said user.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving a connection request from a first handset, the connection request including an identification parameter;

comparing the identification parameter to a predetermined code associated with a telephone calling area; and

selecting a connection path between the first handset and a second handset, the connection path selected from a wired network and a wireless network based on a comparison of the identification parameter to the predetermined code, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless handset having a wired interface to the first handset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second handset is a remote handset.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the wired network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the connection path comprises either selecting a local connection path through the wired network, wherein the wired network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN), or selecting a long distance connection path through the wireless network, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting a communication signal from the first handset to the second handset over the long distance connection path via the wireless handset, wherein the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting the first handset to the cellular telephone via a residential telephone network.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting the first handset to the cellular telephone via the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification parameter comprises a code representing a telephone area code.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification parameter comprises at least one tone signal embodying a certain number of digits of a telephone call.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting the connection path in response to a determination that the identification parameter is different than the predetermined code.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a wired interface of a third handset, wherein the third handset is the wireless handset; and

retrieving a profile of the interface from a storage module.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming communication signal including an identification parameter at a conversion module coupled to a residential wiring network, an external wired network, and an external wireless network comprising a wireless handset having a wired interface to the conversion module;

selecting a connection path for the incoming communication signal based on a comparison of the identification parameter to a predetermined code, the connection path including the residential wiring network and an external network, the external network selected from the external wired network and the external wireless network; and

communicating the incoming communication signal from the external network to the residential wiring network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the external wired network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the external wireless network is a cellular network and the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating the incoming communication signal from a remote handset through the cellular telephone to a wired handset coupled to the residential wiring network.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a call enable module to receive a connection request from a first handset, the connection request including an identification parameter; and

a call identification module coupled to the call enable module, the call identification module to compare the identification parameter to a predetermined code associated with a telephone calling area, and the call identification module to select a connection path between the first handset and a second handset, the connection path selected from a wired network and a wireless network based on a comparison of the identification parameter to the predetermined code, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless handset having a wired interface to the call identification module.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the wired interface comprises a bus system to couple the call identification module to an interface module of the cellular telephone.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the bus system is a serial bus.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first handset is a wired handset and the second handset is a remote handset.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a serial bus conversion module coupled to a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF)/pulse translation module coupled to the call identification module, the DTMF/pulse translation module to translate a plurality of tone signals from the first handset into a plurality of messages, the serial bus conversion module to convert the plurality of messages from the DTMF/pulse translation module into a data stream.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a routing module coupled to an output control module coupled to the serial bus conversion module, the routing module to transmit voice data from the first handset through a wired analog interface to a hands free interface of the wireless handset, wherein the connection path between the first and second handsets includes the wireless handset.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a routing module coupled to a digital signal processing (DSP) module coupled to the serial bus conversion module, the routing module to route analog voice data from the first handset to the DSP module.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the DSP module is configured to convert the analog voice data into a voice data stream and to transmit the voice data stream to a serial bus conversion module.

35. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising an incoming call to cell connection module to couple the enable module to the first handset, wherein the first handset is remotely located with respect to the enable module.

36. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a serial bus conversion module coupled to the call identification module, the serial bus conversion module to detect the wired interface of the wireless handset; and

an interface definition reader coupled to the serial bus conversion module, the interface definition reader to retrieve a profile of the interface from a storage module.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising an output control module to determine, according to the profile of the interface, whether to send voice data to the wireless handset over a serial bus coupled between the wireless handset and the serial bus conversion module.

38. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a foreign exchange station (FXS) module coupled to the call enable module, the FXS module to format voice data from the first handset for a signal level required for an output amplifier;

an on/off hook module coupled to the call enable module and to a serial bus conversion module, the on/off hook module to transmit a hook signal to the serial bus conversion module to indicate the on/off status of a connection at the call enable module;

a ring generation module coupled to the call enable module, the ring generation module to detect a trigger signal from an incoming telephone call and to send a ring signal to the first handset, the ring generation module also to generate a ring count signal; and

an answer enable module coupled to the FXS module, the answer enable module to enable an answering machine to answer the incoming telephone call in response to the ring count signal.

39. A method, comprising:

receiving a connection request including an identification parameter for a communication from a first handset;

selecting a connection path between the first handset and a second handset based on a comparison of the identification parameter with a predetermined code, the connection path selected from a first network and a second network, wherein the second network is a different network from the first network, wherein the first network is a wireless network comprising a wired interface to a wireless handset.

40. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a connection request from a first handset, the connection request including an identification parameter;

comparing the identification parameter to a predetermined code associated with a telephone calling area; and

selecting a connection path between the first handset and a second handset, the connection path selected from a wired network and a wireless network based on a comparison of the identification parameter to the predetermined code, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless handset having a wired interface to the first handset.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein selecting the connection path comprises either selecting a local connection path through the wired network, wherein the wired network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN), or selecting a long distance connection path through the wireless network, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network and the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 41, wherein the executable instructions further cause the system to transmit a communication signal from the first handset to the second handset over the long distance connection path via the wireless handset, wherein the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 42, wherein the executable instructions further cause the system to connect the first handset to the cellular telephone via a residential telephone network.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 42, wherein the executable instructions further cause the system to connect the first handset to the cellular telephone via the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

45. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the executable instructions further cause the system to select the connection path in response to a determination that the identification parameter is different than the predetermined code.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the executable instructions further cause the system to:

detect a wired interface of a third handset, wherein the third handset is the wireless handset; and

retrieve a profile of the interface from a storage module.

47. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a connection request from a first handset, the connection request including an identification parameter;

means for comparing the identification parameter to a predetermined code associated with a telephone calling area; and

means for selecting a connection path between the first handset and a second handset, the connection path selected from a wired network and a wireless network based on a comparison of the identification parameter to the predetermined code, wherein the wireless network comprises a wired interface of a wireless handset.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the means for selecting the connection path comprises either:

means for selecting a local connection path through the wired network, wherein the wired network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

or

means for selecting a long distance connection path through the wireless network, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network and the wireless handset is a cellular telephone.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, further comprising:

means for detecting the wired interface of the wireless handset; and

means for retrieving a profile of the interface from a storage module.