Auto sensing home base station for mobile telephone with remote answering capabilities

• US 8,046,007 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meadows, Vernon, Frank, Scott M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMMONDS, MARCUS C
• Application Number:
  US11/733,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20070178900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 455560-561, 455/428, 455/3.04, 455/41.2, 455/74.1, 455410-411, 4554261-4262, 4554321-433, 455/435.1, 455/454, 455/462, 455/517, 455/525, 455/553.1, 4555541-5542, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/567, 370/352, 370/360
• US Class Current: 455/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

The present invention discloses in one embodiment a mobile telephone capable of communicating with a home base station through radio signals. The mobile telephone registers with a home base station before beginning to communicate with the home base station. The home base station is capable of sensing the presence of the mobile telephone in its coverage area and subsequently establishing contact with the mobile telephone, if the mobile telephone is registered with the home base station. The home base station can support a plurality of telephone devices, including corded and cordless telephone devices, and provides call placement and answering services to these telephone devices if there is a registered mobile telephone within its coverage area.

Claims

1. Customer premises equipment for placing a telephone call to a remote telephone via a mobile telephone, the customer premises equipment for use in a system for providing communication services through a mobile telecommunications network, the customer premises equipment comprising:

a controller;

a mobile telephone interface unit for communication with the mobile telephone;

a mobile telephone registration unit, configured to wirelessly detect presence of the mobile telephone, the mobile telephone registration unit further configured to store information identifying the mobile telephone;

a local telephone registration unit coupled to a plurality of local telephones, the plurality of local telephones comprising a local telephone and a second local telephone, wherein the local telephone registration unit is in communication with the mobile telephone registration unit, and the local telephone registration unit is configured to detect a network status of the local telephone;

a privacy unit to provide privacy when receiving a first privacy request signal from the local telephone during the telephone call between the local telephone device and the remote telephone, the first privacy signal requests that the mobile telephone and the second local telephone be prevented from receiving audio communication from the telephone call between the local telephone and the remote telephone via the mobile communications network, and the privacy unit provides privacy when receiving a second privacy request signal from the mobile telephone during the telephone call, the second privacy request signal requesting that the second local telephone be prevented from receiving audio communication from the telephone call between the mobile telephone and the remote telephone via the mobile communications network, and

wherein the local telephone placing the telephone call through the mobile telephone interface unit is configured with a privacy request button to signal the first privacy request to the privacy unit to prevent the second local telephone and the mobile telephone from receiving audio communication from the telephone call to the remote telephone.

2. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller places the telephone call via the mobile telephone interface unit.

3. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication between the mobile telephone interface unit and the mobile telephone follows Bluetooth protocols.

4. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the local telephone includes a corded telephone.

5. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 4, wherein the local telephone includes a cordless telephone.

6. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone is one of a plurality of mobile telephones and the controller places the telephone call via the mobile telephone as a selected one of the plurality of mobile telephones.

7. The customer premises equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller provides information identifying the mobile telephone for display to a user.

8. A method for facilitating communications with a mobile telephone via a mobile communications network, the method comprising:

registering the mobile telephone for providing communications services to a first local telephone device;

wirelessly detecting presence information for the mobile telephone;

collecting dialed digits from the first local telephone device;

sending data related to the dialed digits to the mobile telephone, the mobile telephone being configured to facilitate a communication between the first local telephone device and a remote telephone via the mobile communications network;

receiving a first privacy request signal from the first local telephone device during the communication, the first privacy request signal requesting that the mobile telephone and a second local telephone be prevented from receiving audio communication from the communication between the first local telephone device and the remote telephone via the mobile communications network;

responsive to receiving the first privacy request signal during the communication, disabling audio communication to the second local telephone and instructing the mobile telephone to disable audio communication;

receiving a second privacy request signal from the mobile telephone during the communication, the second privacy request signal requesting that the second local telephone be prevented from receiving audio communication from the communication; and

responsive to receiving the second privacy request signal during the communication, disabling audio communication to the second local telephone.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dialed digits are received from the first local telephone device via a wireless communication.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein registering the mobile telephone includes registering a plurality of mobile telephones.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing intercom communication services for the first local telephone device.

12. A method for facilitating communication with a remote telephone via a mobile telephone, the method comprising:

receiving, wirelessly, identification information related to the mobile telephone for providing communication services to a local telephone device at a home base station;

comparing the received identification information with information related to a registered mobile telephone at the home base station;

in response to determining that the received identification information matches the information related to the registered mobile telephone, facilitating, by the home base station, a communication over a mobile communications network between the local telephone device and the remote telephone via the mobile telephone,

wherein the mobile telephone is configured to send a first privacy request signal during the communication to prevent a second local telephone device from receiving data from the communication, and the local telephone device is configured to send a second privacy request signal during the communication to prevent the mobile telephone and the second local telephone device from receiving data from the communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification information is received via a wireless communication from the mobile telephone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless communication follows a Bluetooth protocol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein in response to determining that the identification information does not match information related to the registered mobile communication device, determining that the mobile communication device is not registered.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the received identification information.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile communication device includes a cellular telephone.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the local telephone device includes of the following:

a wire-line telephone and cordless telephone.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein facilitating communication with the remote telephone via the mobile telephone includes determining dialed digits for communication with the remote telephone.

20. The method of claim 12, in response to determining that the received identification information does not match information related to the registered mobile telephone, registering the mobile telephone.