Distributed locater, alert, repeater, and/or call technologies for communication devices

• US 8,798,604 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Faulkner, Max, Haughn, Erick, Lewis, John
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US12/620,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20110117899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/66.1, 455/90.3, 455415-420, 455/458, 455/465, 455/466, 455/517, 455/550.1, 455/554.1, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/566, 455/567, 455/450, 455/403, 455/454, 370/347, 370/280, 370/252, 370/338, 370/431, 370/329, 725/126, 725/131, 342/457, 380/247, 380/270, 375/260, 375/368
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• 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: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/06 using multi-step notification by changing the notification area
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus that utilize distributed locater, alert, repeater, and/or call technologies for communication devices are presented herein. A base component can be configured to receive a message at a base unit, the message corresponding to at least one of a call directed to a wireless communication device or another message directed to at least one of the wireless communication device or a wired communication device. The base component can distribute an alert to at least one remote unit based on the message. A remote component can be configured to receive the alert at the at least one remote unit, and broadcast the alert or another alert from the at least one remote unit. An interface component can be configured to receive an input at the at least one remote unit based on the alert. Further, the remote component can be configured to transmit a response based on the input.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, from a network device of a service provider network, a signal originating from a wireless communication device and initially received by the network device from the wireless communication device, wherein the signal indicates a message is being directed to the wireless communication device, wherein the network device facilitates communications in a macro coverage area, and wherein the apparatus facilitates communications in another coverage area that is smaller in size than the macro coverage area, and

distributing, by a base component of the apparatus, an alert to a remote device, in response to the signal, to facilitate broadcast of the alert by the remote device, wherein the distributing of the alert to the remote device is facilitated by communication with an access point device of the remote device via a wireless communication connection, wherein the wireless communication device is associated with a communication coverage area that is within a first communication range of a base station device that is associated with the service provider network and services a portion of the macro coverage area comprising the communication coverage area, and is outside of a second communication range of the access point device that services the other coverage area, and wherein the alert is customized based on input information that is received in connection with a subscription associated with the wireless communication device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal is received via a wired interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal is received via a wireless interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert is distributed to the remote device via a wired interface, wherein the remote device is located in the other coverage area.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert is distributed to the remote device via a wireless interface, wherein the remote device is located in the other coverage area.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the wireless interface is provided by a femtocell access point device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the input information; and

based on the input information, customizing the alert that is distributed to the remote device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises a ring tone associated with the subscription.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input information is received from a device of a wide area network.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving an alert distributed by a base device based on a message directed to a wireless communication device, wherein the base device receives a signal, from the wireless communication device via a service provider network device, that indicates the message is being directed to the wireless communication device, wherein the service provider network device facilitates communications in a first coverage area, and the apparatus is located in and facilitates communications in a second coverage area that is smaller in size than the first coverage area, and wherein the wireless communication device is associated with a communication coverage area that is within a first communication range of a base station device that is associated with the service provider network device and services a portion of the first coverage area comprising the communication coverage area, and is outside of a second communication range of an access point device that services the second coverage area and facilitates broadcast of the alert; and

broadcasting the alert in response to receiving the alert, wherein the alert is customized based on input information that is received in connection with a subscription associated with the wireless communication device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving second input information based on the alert; and

transmitting, based on the second input information, a response to the message directed to the wireless communication device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the response is transmitted according to a messaging protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving other input information at the remote device based on the alert; and

accepting the message based on the other input information.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying data representing a message-sender identification, wherein the message-sender identification is associated with the message and directed to the wireless communication device.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a visual representation of the broadcast of the alert.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the alert is broadcast with a light emitting diode.

20. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the access point device is located in the other coverage area and comprises a femtocell access point device.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a base device comprising a processor, a first message from a wireless communication device via a network device associated with a service provider network, wherein the first message indicates that a communication is directed to the wireless communication device, wherein the network device facilitates communications in a first coverage area and the base device facilitates communications in a second coverage area that is smaller in size than the first coverage area, and wherein the wireless communication device is associated with a communication coverage area that is within a first communication range of a base station device that is associated with the service provider network and services a portion of the first coverage area comprising the communication coverage area, and is outside of a second communication range of an access point device that services the second coverage area and is associated with a remote device; and

transmitting, by the base device, a second message directed to the remote device based on the first message, wherein the second message indicates an alert for broadcast by the remote device in relation to the first message, wherein the transmitting the second message comprises communicating with the access point device of the remote device via a wireless communication link, and wherein the alert is customized based on input information that is received in connection with a subscription associated with the wireless communication device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the base device, the input information associated with the subscription of the wireless communication device;

customizing, by the base device, the alert based on the input information; and

distributing, by the base device, the alert to the remote device located in the second coverage area to facilitate broadcasting the alert by the remote device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause an access point device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

communicating with a base unit via a wireless communication connection,

wherein the communicating includes receiving an alert by the access point device, the alert having been distributed from the base unit based on a message indicating a communication is directed to a wireless communication device,

wherein the message is received by the base unit from the wireless communication device via a service provider network device configured to facilitate communications in a macro coverage area, wherein the access point device is configured to facilitate communications in another coverage area that is smaller in size than the macro coverage area, wherein the wireless communication device is associated with a communication coverage area that is within a first communication range of a base station device that is associated with the service provider network device and services a portion of the macro coverage area comprising the communication coverage area, wherein the communications coverage area is outside of a second communication range of the access point device associated with the other coverage area, and wherein the alert is customized based on input information that is received in connection with a subscription associated with the wireless communication device; and

emitting a notification from the access point device based on the alert.