Cellular docking station

• US 8,583,106 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BellSouth Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: DePani, Sebastiano, Roach, Peter O. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US11/952,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/426.2, 455/413, 455/425, 455/465, 455/74.1, 455/555, 455/557, 370/351, 370/337, 379/2, 379/399.01, 379/32.04, 379/92.04, 379/61
• US Class Current: 455/426.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system for communicating with the user of a cellular telephone via the cellular mobile radio (CMR) system and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A communications interface appends the telephone exchange number of an outgoing communication to include an identifier unique to the communications interface. The outgoing communication is transmitted by the cellular telephone to the CMR system, which recognizes and verifies the outgoing communication as originating with the communications interface. Accordingly, the origination of the outgoing communication from a communications interface is documented prior to forwarding the outgoing communication to its intended recipient via the PSTN. Communications incoming to a communications interface are authenticated as such, and a record as to this is created, prior to forwarding the incoming communication to the cellular telephone.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating telephone communication with a cellular communications network through a radiotelephone, the apparatus comprising:

a first interface configured to facilitate communication with the radiotelephone;

a second interface configured to facilitate telephone communication between a wired telephone at a customer premises and the cellular communications network through the radiotelephone; and

a communications interface controller configured to

receive an outgoing communication,

determine whether the radiotelephone is communicatively coupled to the apparatus,

determine whether the outgoing communication is from the wired telephone, the outgoing communication directed to a telephone number,

in response to determining that the outgoing communication is from the wired telephone, append an identifier to the telephone number, the identifier corresponding to the apparatus, and

in response to determining that the outgoing communication is from the radiotelephone instead of from the wired telephone, append the identifier to the telephone number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an authentication component configured to facilitate authentication of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to physically couple to the radiotelephone.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to wirelessly couple to the radiotelephone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second interface is configured to facilitate an RJ-11 type connection.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface controller is configured to:

forward the outgoing communication to the radiotelephone for transmission to the cellular communications network;

receive a verification sequence from an authentication unit associated with the cellular communications network, the verification sequence for confirming that the outgoing communication originated from the apparatus;

perform a predetermined manipulation of the verification sequence; and

relay a result of the predetermined manipulation of the verification sequence back to the authentication unit associated with the cellular communications network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the wired telephone coupled to the second interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radiotelephone includes a handheld cellular radiotelephone.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication interface controller is configured to communicate with a plurality of radiotelephones.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication interface controller is configured to facilitate communication with a further communications network via the cellular communications network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the further communications network includes a Public Switched Telephone Network.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cellular communications network includes a cellular mobile radiotelephone system.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface controller is further configured to facilitate an authentication procedure with the cellular communications network.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface controller is configured to facilitate communication of at least one of the following:

a voice signal and a data signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a telephone support unit configured to:

receive concurrent outgoing communications;

arbitrate priority among the concurrent outgoing communications by prioritizing a first-placed outgoing communication of the concurrent outgoing communications over remaining outgoing communications of the concurrent outgoing communications; and

provide a notification to the remaining outgoing communications that completion of the remaining outgoing communications was unsuccessful.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first interface is configured to provide a docking interface for the radiotelephone.

17. An apparatus for facilitating initiation of an outgoing communication with a cellular communications network via a radiotelephone, the apparatus comprising:

a second interface configured to receive an outgoing telephone communications request from a wired telephone at a customer premises, the outgoing telephone communications request including digits of an outgoing telephone number;

a first interface configured to send the outgoing telephone communications request received from the second interface to the radiotelephone for transmission to the cellular communications network to facilitate telephone communication between the wired telephone at the customer premises and the cellular communications network through the radiotelephone; and

a communications interface controller configured to

receive a verification sequence from an authentication unit associated with the cellular communications network, the verification sequence for confirming that the outgoing telephone communications request originated from the apparatus,

perform a predetermined manipulation of the verification sequence, and

relay a result of the predetermined manipulation of the verification sequence back to the authentication unit associated with the cellular communications network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a telephone support unit configured to:

receive concurrent outgoing telephone communications requests;

arbitrate priority among the concurrent outgoing telephone communications requests by prioritizing a first-placed outgoing telephone communications request of the concurrent outgoing telephone communications requests over remaining outgoing telephone communications requests of the concurrent outgoing telephone communications requests; and

provide a notification to the remaining outgoing telephone communications requests that completion of the remaining outgoing telephone communications requests was unsuccessful.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second interface is configured to facilitate an RJ-11 type connection.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communications interface controller is configured to:

receive the outgoing telephone communications request from the wired telephone, the outgoing telephone communications request directed to the outgoing telephone number; and

append an identifier to the outgoing telephone number, the identifier corresponding to the customer premises equipment.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communications interface controller is configured to determine that a call initiated through the second interface is distinct from a call initiated by the radiotelephone.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communications interface controller is configured to facilitate communication of at least one of the following:

a voice signal and a data signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first interface is configured to provide a docking interface for the radiotelephone.

24. A method comprising:

receiving, at a cellular mobile system, an incoming communication;

determining, by the cellular mobile system, whether the incoming communication originated from a communications interface apparatus;

in response to determining that the incoming communication originated from a communications interface apparatus, transmitting, by the cellular mobile system, a verification sequence to the communications interface apparatus to verify that the communications interface apparatus originated the incoming communication;

determining, by the cellular mobile system, a predetermined manipulation associated with the communications interface apparatus to be applied to the verification sequence;

applying, by the cellular mobile system, the predetermined manipulation to the verification sequence to generate a first manipulated verification sequence;

receiving, by the cellular mobile system, a second manipulated verification sequence from the communications interface apparatus; and

determining, by the cellular mobile system, whether the first manipulated verification sequence matches the second manipulated verification sequence received from the communications interface apparatus.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

if the first manipulated verification sequence matches the second manipulated verification sequence received from the communications interface apparatus, then transmitting the incoming communication via a first telephone cable trunk reserved for incoming communications from communications interfaces; and

if the first manipulated verification sequence does not match the second manipulated verification sequence received from the communications interface apparatus, then transmitting the incoming communication via a second telephone cable trunk reserved for incoming communications from apparatus other than the communications interfaces.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein determining whether the incoming communication originated from the communications interface apparatus comprises determining whether the incoming communication is associated with an identifier appended to a telephone exchange number of the incoming communication, the identifier indicating that the incoming communication originated from the communications interface apparatus.