Wired cellular telephone system

• US 8,433,315 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Weissman, Haim
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US13/114,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20110223907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/16, 455/506, 455/445, 455/3.06, 455/561, 455/67.1, 455/509, 455/67.14, 455/426.1, 370/225, 370/34, 370/522, 370/486, 370/335, 370/487, 370/490, 725/106, 348/100, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.3
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Telephone apparatus, including a cable television (CATV) network interface, which is adapted to be connected to a CATV network so as to receive downstream cellular telephone communication signals transmitted at a downstream intermediate frequency (IF) via the CATV network from a base-station transceiver system (BTS) operative in a cellular telephone network. The apparatus includes a telephone interface, which is adapted to connect to a cellular telephone operative in the cellular telephone network via a physical connection.

The apparatus also includes signal conversion circuitry, which is adapted to convert the downstream communication signals received at the downstream IF via the CATV network interface to downstream radio-frequency (RF) cellular telephone signals compatible with the cellular telephone network, and to convey the downstream RF cellular telephone signals to the cellular telephone via the physical connection.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing electromagnetic radiation from cellular telephones, comprising:

a cellular telephone interface configured to be communicatively coupled to a cable television (CATV) network and further configured to couple with a cellular telephone such that the cellular telephone is communicatively coupleable to the CATV network;

wherein when a cellular telephone is coupled with the interface, the cellular telephone may communicate with at least one network element in a cellular network over the CATV network with at least reduced Radio Frequency (RF) cellular signal radiation compared to a direct cellular RF communication with the at least one network element in the cellular network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter coupleable to the at least one network element wherein the network element is at least one base-station transceiver system (BTS) and the cable television (CATV) network, wherein the converter is configured to enable communication from the cellular telephone to the at least one BTS via the CATV network.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter and cellular telephone interface are configured to be coupled to the cable television (CATV) network by any cabling method known in the art, such as coaxial cable and/or fiber optic cable, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter is configured to convert upstream and downstream Intermediate Frequency (IF) signals to and from radio-frequency (RF) cellular signals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the intermediate frequency (IF) signals are selected such that they do not interfere with other service signals transmitted over the cable television CATV network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a system controller coupled to the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter and configured to select the Intermediate Frequency signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone interface comprises an (Intermediate Frequency) IF diplexer, one or more local oscillators, and a (Radio Frequency) RF diplexer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cellular telephone interface further comprises a docking receptacle coupled to the Radio Frequency (RF) diplexer, which transmits the Radio Frequency (RF) upstream cellular signals to the diplexer, and receives the Radio Frequency (RF) downstream signals from the diplexer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the docking receptacle is configured to accept a cellular telephone.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone interface is further configured to communicatively couple with an extension telephone that acts as a cordless phone communicating with the console by a protocol known in the art, such as a cordless telephone protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, or an IEEE 802.11 protocol.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter and cellular telephone interface are configured to be coupled to the cable television (CATV) network by any cabling method known in the art, such as coaxial cable and/or fiber optic cable, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter is configured to convert upstream and downstream Intermediate Frequency (IF) signals to and from radio-frequency (RF) cellular signals.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the intermediate frequency (IF) signals such that they do not interfere with other service signals transmitted over the cable television CATV network.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein selection of the IF signals is performed with a system controller coupled to the base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter and configured to select the Intermediate Frequency signals.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the cellular telephone interface further comprises a docking receptacle coupled to the Radio Frequency (RF) diplexer, which transmits the Radio Frequency (RF) upstream cellular signals to the diplexer, and receives the Radio Frequency (RF) downstream signals from the diplexer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the docking receptacle is configured to accept a cellular telephone.

11. A method for reducing electromagnetic radiation from cellular telephones, comprising:

coupling at least one cellular telephone with a cable television (CATV) network without RF cellular signal radiation with a cellular telephone interface; and

communicatively coupling the cellular telephone interface and at least one network element in a cellular network over the CATV network, such that communication between the at least one cellular telephone and the at least one network element is operable with reduced Radio Frequency (RF) cellular signal radiation compared to a direct cellular RF communication with the at least one network element in the cellular network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

coupling the at least one cellular telephone to the at least one network element through a base-station transceiver system (BTS) frequency converter coupleable to the at least one network element wherein the network element is at least one base-station transceiver system (BTS) and the cable television (CATV) network, wherein the converter is configured to enable communication from the cellular telephone to the at least one BTS via the CATV network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the cellular telephone interface comprises an (Intermediate Frequency) IF diplexer, one or more local oscillators, and a (Radio Frequency) RF diplexer.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the cellular telephone interface is further configured to communicatively couple with an extension telephone that acts as a cordless phone communicating with the console by a protocol known in the art, such as a cordless telephone protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, or an IEEE 802.11 protocol.