System and apparatus for adapting operations of a communication device

• US 8,717,955 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robbins, William Stanley, Pearson, Larry B., Wallis, R. Tyler, Ryan, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US13/847,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350, 370351-357, 370400-410, 370386-393, 370461-463, 375219-222, 375/295, 4554221-444, 455403-421, 455445-466, 4555521-560
• US Class Current: 370/310.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, at a base station, communicating with a mobile phone where the base station comprises a premises wireless access point, at the base station, communicating with a mobile communication system by way of a broadband connection, and instructing a landline phone communicatively coupled to the base station to communicate with a remote end user device via the mobile communication system utilizing identification information of the mobile phone and responsive to communications between the base station and the mobile phone. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request to establish communications from a premises cellular access point device; and

enabling, by the server, a landline phone communicatively coupled to the premises cellular access point device to communicate with a remote end user device utilizing identification information of a cellular phone, wherein the communication between the landline phone and the remote end user device comprises a voice call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is in communication with a public switched telephone network communication system and an internet protocol multimedia subsystem communication system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the premises cellular access point device is incorporated in a set top box, and wherein the server communicates with the set top box over a broadband connection.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identification information of the cellular phone comprises an electronic serial number, and wherein communications with the landline phone are disabled responsive to detecting that the cellular phone is outside of a communication range threshold of the set top box.

5. The method if claim 1, wherein the identification information of the cellular phone comprises an international mobile equipment identity, and wherein communications for the landline phone is disabled responsive to receiving a termination request from the cellular phone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the landline phone presents an incoming call alert responsive to detecting an incoming call, and wherein the cellular phone is prevented from presenting the incoming call alert.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a set top box, cause the set top box to perform operations comprising:

transmitting signals for facilitating establishing communications with a cellular phone;

transmitting signals for facilitating establishing communications with a cellular communication system by way of a broadband interface of the set top box; and

enabling a landline phone communicatively coupled to the set top box to communicate with a remote end user device via the cellular communication system utilizing identification information of the cellular phone and responsive to the establishing of the communications between the set top box and the cellular phone, wherein the communication between the landline phone and the remote end user device comprises a voice call.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise disabling communications between the landline phone and the cellular communication system responsive to detecting that the cellular phone is outside of a communication range threshold of the set top box.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise disabling communications between the landline phone and the cellular communication system responsive to receiving a request from the cellular phone.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise transcoding signals generated by the cellular phone.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

disabling communications with the cellular phone while the landline phone is enabled to communicate with the cellular communication system; and

enabling the landline phone to communicate with the remote end user device via a second communication system utilizing identification information of the landline phone when the landline phone is not enabled to communicate with the remote end user device via the cellular communication system.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a query to the cellular phone to determine whether operations are to be transferred to the landline phone; and

disabling calls directed to the cellular phone responsive to receiving an affirmative response to disable the cellular phone while the cellular phone is communicatively coupled to the set top box.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an incoming call from the cellular communication system directed to the cellular phone;

causing the landline phone to present an incoming call alert responsive to the detecting the incoming call; and

preventing the cellular phone from presenting the incoming call alert.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the identification information of the cellular phone comprises an electronic serial number, and wherein the set top box monitors an action to disable communications between the landline phone and the cellular communication system.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the identification information of the cellular phone comprises an international mobile equipment identity, and wherein the set top box disables communications between the landline phone and the cellular communication system responsive to receiving a termination request from the cellular phone.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving from the landline phone a request to initiate an outgoing call; and

initiating the outgoing call by way of a landline communication system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the set top box is communicatively coupled to the cellular communication system by way of a data communications protocol.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the data communications protocol corresponds to an internet protocol.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the set top box is in communication with a public switched telephone network communication system and an internet protocol multimedia subsystem communication system.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, a request to establish communications from a premises cellular access point device, wherein the system provides communication services based on circuit-switching and packet switching;

enabling, by the system, a landline phone communicatively coupled to the premises cellular access point device to communicate with a remote end user device utilizing identification information of a cellular phone, wherein the communication between the landline phone and the remote end user device comprises a voice call; and

enabling the landline phone to communicate with the remote end user device via a second communication system utilizing identification information of the landline phone.