Apparatus and methods for bridging calls or data between heterogeneous network domains

• US 8,693,466 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US12/420,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20100260173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-338, 370352-356, 370386-390, 370401-465, 709224-229, 709230-249, 455426-448, 379 88- 93, 379201-221
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42246 where the subscriber uses a multi-mode terminal which moves and accesses different networks with at least one network having a wireline access including cordless PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for unified communication across circuit-switched and packet-switched network domains. In one embodiment, voice or data available in one domain (e.g., circuit-switched such as a PSTN) can be seamlessly forwarded onto another domain (e.g. packet-switched such as a WLAN). A bridge or intermediary device is used that is coupled to both the circuit-switched network and packet-switched network. This bridge device allows bidirectional operation and permits, for example, a user to receive a telephone call at a user'"'"'s home network via a PSTN, and forward that telephone call or information related to that call over another network such as a local IP network (e.g. a WLAN) to the user, where the user can answer that call or otherwise receive information associated with the call on their primary user device (e.g., cellular phone).

Claims

1. A method of forwarding circuit-switched information to a mobile device that is configured for packetized communications within a wireless local area network, the method comprising:

receiving a voice call comprising the circuit-switched information via a circuit-switched network;

converting the circuit-switched information of the voice call into a packetized format that is suitable for transmission via the wireless local area network;

receiving a poll from the mobile device;

sending a response to the received poll to the mobile device, the response causing the mobile device to wake from a power conserving state that is associated with a substantially dormant state of the mobile device,

wherein the waking from the power conserving state activates at least a portion of the mobile device from the substantially dormant state; and

transmitting the packetized format of the circuit-switched information to the mobile device via the wireless local area network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of packetized voice or data from the mobile device;

converting the received at least one of packetized voice or data to a circuit-switched format that is suitable for transmission over the circuit-switched network; and

transmitting the converted circuit-switched format of the at least one packetized voice or data over the circuit-switched network to a recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving the circuit-switched information of the voice call comprises receiving voice information rendered in an analog form; and

the converting the circuit-switched information into a packetized format comprises encoding the voice information rendered in the analog form to a digital form using a coder/decoder (codec).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the codec comprises a code-excited linear prediction (CELP) based codec.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless local area network is Wi-Fi compliant; and

the transmitting the packetized format of the circuit-switched information to the mobile device via the wireless local area network comprises transmitting the packetized format of the circuit-switched information from a Wi-Fi access point to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the transmitted packetized format of the circuit-switched information at the mobile device;

converting the received packetized format of the circuit-switched information to an analog form; and

playing the converted analog form of the packetized format of the circuit-switched information over a speaker of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile device has an associated mobile communication address; and

the packetized format of the circuit-switched information is transmitted to the mobile communications address.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile communication address is an internet protocol address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the packetized format of the circuit-switched information is associated with a digitally rendered voicemail message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a cellular interface of the mobile device to indicate a busy state or a call waiting state when receiving the transmission of the packetized format of the circuit-switched information.

11. A method of forwarding circuit-switched information to a mobile device via a packet-switched network, the method comprising:

receiving a voice call comprising the circuit-switched information via a circuit-switched network;

storing the circuit-switched information associated with the voice call for a limited period of time;

converting the stored circuit-switched information into a packetized text format that is suitable for transmission via a packet-switched network; and

transmitting the packetized text format of the stored circuit-switched information to the mobile device via the packet-switched network,

wherein the packet-switched network is not a cellular telecommunication network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the mobile device is a cellular phone that is configured to communicate over a cellular network; and

the packet-switched network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the acts of receiving, storing, converting and transmitting are performed within a premises apparatus located within a home of a user associated with the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting comprises utilizing a speech recognition algorithm to recognize the circuit-switched information associated with the voice call to convert the circuit-switched information to the text format.

15. A method for processing a voice call, the method comprising:

receiving the voice call from a remote device via the circuit-switched network;

attempting to establish communications with an intended recipient of the voice call via a wireless local area network (WLAN), wherein the intended recipient of the voice call is associated with a mobile device having cellular communications capability;

transmitting a ping message to the mobile device associated with the intended recipient;

listening for a response to the ping message from the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device is within a wireless communications range of the WLAN; and

responsive to a determination that the mobile device is not within the wireless communications range of the WLAN, attempting to establish communications with the intended recipient of the voice call via a cellular telecommunication network that is compliant with the cellular communications capability of the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the WLAN is a Wi-Fi compliant network; and

the mobile device further has Wi-Fi communications capability.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the circuit-switched network is a plain old telephone system (POTS) network or a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

25. The method of claim 15, wherein when a response to the ping message is received from the mobile device, the mobile device is determined to be within the wireless communications range of the WLAN.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein when a response to the ping message is not received from the mobile device, the mobile device is determined not to be within the wireless communications range of the WLAN.

18. An apparatus configured to enable communications via two or more different communication networks, the apparatus comprising:

a first network interface in operative communication with a first network that is associated with a plain old telephone system (POTS) network or a public switched telephone network (PSTN) supporting circuit-switched communications;

a second network interface in operative communication with a second network that is associated with a wireless local area network (WLAN) supporting packet-switched communications;

one or more processors coupled to the first network interface and second network interface; and

a storage device coupled to the one or more processors, the storage device comprising computer executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive a voice call comprising circuit-switched information via the first network;

receive a poll from a mobile device via the second network interface;

send a response to the received poll to the mobile device, the response causing the mobile device to exit from a power conservation mode that is associated with a substantially dormant state of the mobile device; and

transmit the received circuit-switched information of the voice call to the mobile device in a packetized format via the second network.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus comprises a personal computer (PC).

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus comprises a stand-alone computing device.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus comprises a wireless dongle adapted to mechanically and electrically interface with another device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless dongle comprises a high speed serial bus protocol interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless dongle comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB)-compliant interface.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless dongle comprises a Wi-Fi compliant wireless interface.