Wireless LAN system and control method and control program of wireless LAN system

• US 7,944,865 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daita Frontier Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kiyomatsu, Hisanori, Takatori, Sunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US11/704,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20080025277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 370311-313, 370/318, 370/338, 370/349, 370/270, 370/328, 455/41.2, 455/500, 455/517
• US Class Current: 370/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72505 Radio link set-up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless LAN system uses a single wireless telephone line. When a telephone apparatus outside the network originates a call to the LAN, the system allows establishment of wireless telephone communication between that telephone apparatus and a slave communication device. Each transmission/reception device is controlled to switch between a first state in normal times in which a transmission/reception device of a master communication device is turned on and transmission/reception device of respective slave communication devices are turned off and a second state in which the transmission/reception device of the master communication device is turned off and only the transmission/reception device of any one of the slave communication devices is turned on.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication request signal identifying a wireless telephone apparatus at a wireless local area network (LAN) comprising a plurality of short-range wireless transceivers that transmit and receive radio signals within the wireless LAN, a plurality of wireless transceivers that transmit and receive communications via a wireless telephone connection, and a plurality of controllers that control the plurality of wireless transceivers, a master communication device; and

a slave communication device;

transmitting a control signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device;

turning on, by the controller of the slave communication device, the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device after the transmitting;

turning off, by the controller of the master communication device, the wireless transceiver of the master communication device after the transmitting;

transmitting, after turning off the wireless transceiver of the master communication device, a first status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is OFF;

receiving a second status signal at the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that a wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is ON;

allowing communication between the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device and the wireless telephone apparatus via a wireless telephone connection; and

monitoring the slave communication device, at the master communication device, to determine whether control should be returned to the master communication device after the allowing.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving information regarding a destination slave communication device for the communication in the communication request signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving identification information related to a destination slave communication device in the communication request signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information related to the slave communication device includes at least one of:

an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address; and

a request for the control signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal includes information related to identification information or a telephone number of the master communication device, instructions for turning on the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, instructions for prohibiting receiving communications at the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, or instructions for limiting origination of communications from the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device to predetermined destinations.

6. A method comprising:

receiving at a master communication device, within a wireless local area network (LAN), communications from an originating communication device, the master communication device comprising a short-range wireless transceiver that transmits and receives radio signals within the wireless LAN, a wireless transceiver that transmits and receives communications via wireless telephone connections and a controller that controls the wireless transceiver,

transmitting a control signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device to a short-range wireless transceiver in a slave communication device, the short-range wireless transceiver in the slave communication device transmitting and receiving communications via wireless telephone connections, the slave communications device further comprising a controller that controls the wireless transceiver in the slave communication device,

turning on, by the controller of the slave communication device the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device after the transmitting;

turning off, by the controller in master communication device, the wireless transceiver of the master communication device after the transmitting;

allowing communication between the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device and the originating communication device via a wireless telephone connection shared between the master communication device and the slave communication device; and

monitoring the slave communication device, at the master communication device, to determine whether control should be returned to the master communication device after the allowing.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining at the master communication device an identification number of the originating communication device;

determining at the master communication device a destination slave communication device that the call is directed to; and

completing, at the master communication device, communication between the master communication device and the originating communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the control signal includes at least one of instructions for prohibiting the destination slave communication device from originating a call and information about the identification number of the originating communication device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising blocking the destination slave communication device from receiving communications from originating communications devices identified by identification numbers based on the control signal.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a short-range wireless transceiver in a slave communication device within a wireless local area network (LAN), a control signal from a short-range wireless transceiver in a master communication device to allow the slave communication device to turn on a wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, wherein the control signal includes information identifying the master communication device, information identifying a requesting device outside of the LAN, and an instruction imposing limitations on the function of the slave communication device;

receiving, at the short-range wireless transceiver in the slave communication device, a first status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is OFF;

transmitting a second status signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is ON;

allowing communication between the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device and the requesting device via a wireless telephone connection shared between the master communication device and the slave communication device;

determining, at the slave communication device, based on the instruction imposing limitations, whether control should be returned to the master communication device after the allowing; and

turning off the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device and turning on the wireless transceiver of the master communication device in response to determining that communication with the originating communication device is completed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, before turning on the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, the first status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is OFF; and

transmitting, after turning on the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, the second status signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is ON.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving at the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device a communication originated from the requesting device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a third status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device to the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is OFF; and

receiving a fourth status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device at the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is ON.

14. A system comprising:

a wireless local area network (LAN) comprising,

a plurality of short-range wireless transceivers configured to transmit and receive radio signals within the wireless LAN,

a plurality of wireless transceivers configured to transmit and receive communications via a wireless telephone connection, and

a plurality of controllers configured to control the plurality of wireless transceivers,

a master communication device comprising at least one of the plurality of short-range wireless transceivers, at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers, and at least one of the plurality of controllers, and

a slave communication device comprising at least one of the plurality of short-range wireless transceivers, at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers, and at least one of the plurality of controllers,

wherein the master communication device is configured to communicate with the slave communication device, wherein the master communication device transmits a control signal from a short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device to a short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device to turn on, by the controller in the slave communication device, the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, wherein the master communication device is configured to turn off, by the controller in the master communication device, the wireless transceiver of the master communication device after the control signal is transmitted, to allow the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device to communicate with an apparatus outside the LAN via a wireless telephone connection shared between the master communication device and the slave communication device, and wherein the master communication device monitors the slave communication device to determine whether the master communication device should turn off the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device,

wherein the master communication device is configured to receive a completion status signal from the slave communication device indicating that communication between the slave communication device and a telephone apparatus outside the LAN is complete.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control signal is transmitted to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device through the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

receive at the short-range wireless transceiver a request signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device for originating a call; and

transmit an originating control delegation signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

turn OFF the wireless transceiver of the master communication device; and

transmit a first status signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is turned OFF.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

receive a second status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the call is terminated and the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is turned OFF.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

turn on the wireless transceiver of the master communication device based on the second status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device; and

transmit a third status signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is turned ON.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the request signal includes information about a destination of the call.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the request signal includes information related to the slave communication device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the information related to the slave communication device includes at least one of:

an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address and a request for the originating control delegation signal.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the originating control delegation signal includes an instruction for turning on a the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, prohibiting receiving a call at the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device, or to allow calls only from the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device to predetermined destinations.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the master communication device further comprises a storage memory for storing an identification number of the master communication device; and

the originating control delegation signal includes information related to the identification number or a telephone number of the master communication device.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

receive, at the wireless transceiver of the master communication device, a call originated from an originating communication device;

determine an identification number of the originating communication device and the slave communication device that receives the call;

transmit a terminating control delegation signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device; and

terminate the call.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

turn off the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device; and

transmit a first status signal to the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device through the short-range wireless transceiver of the master communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is turned OFF.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the master communication device is configured to:

receive a second status signal from the short-range wireless transceiver of the slave communication device indicating that the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device is turned OFF;

turn on the wireless transceiver of the master communication device based on the second status signal from the slave communication device; and

transmit a third status signal indicating that the wireless transceiver of the master communication device is turned ON.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the terminating control delegation signal includes an instruction for prohibiting the slave communication device from originating a call, information on the identification number of the originating telephone device, or an instruction for permitting receiving a call at the wireless transceiver of the slave communication device only from the telephone number.