Cordless cellular system base station

• US 5,675,629 A
• Filed: 09/08/1995
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Neill, Paul B., Jarett, Keith, Williams, Roland E., Raffel, Michael A., Leuca, Ileana A., Winship, Peter L., Bamburak, Michael D., Kibria, Masud, Lawrence, Christopher G., Nelson, Roderick, Marx, Joseph P., Glass, David R., Lee, Tony S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/525,473
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 379/59, 379/58, 370/58.3, 370/67, 455/51.2
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 De-registration or detaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile station communicates with both a cellular network, by which it is assigned a mobile identification number, and to a cordless cellular base station utilizing the same cellular frequency range and communications protocol. The cordless cellular base station is preferably connected to a public switched telephone network and is assigned a landline number. The cordless cellular base station acts as a conduit between the mobile station and the public switched telephone network. When the mobile station comes within range of a cordless cellular base station, it deregisters automatically from the cellular network and register with the cordless cellular base station. Once the mobile station is communicating with the cordless cellular base station, the cordless cellular base station communicates with the cellular network to instruct the cellular network to route all calls for mobile identification number to the cordless cellular base station'"'"'s landline number. In addition, all calls placed on the mobile station are sent through the cordless cellular base station to the public switched telephone network. When the mobile station severs contact with the cordless cellular base station, the mobile station registers with the regional cellular base station of the regional cellular network. The cordless cellular base station then sends a network forwarding cancellation message to the cellular network to cancel the forwarding of calls for the mobile station'"'"'s identification number. Once the mobile station is registered with the regional cell, calls to the mobile stations identification number are directly routed by the cellular network to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising:

standard telephone interface hardware in communication with a PSTN line wherein said hardware receives a first communication signal from said PSTN line and converts said first communication signal to a first voice signal;

a receiver establishing a plurality of receive channels, wherein a first receive channel is assigned to receive a first digital communication signal from a first wireless remote station and a second receive channel is assigned to receive a second digital communication signal from a second wireless remote station;

a first converter in communication with said receiver wherein said first converter decodes said first digital signal to form a second voice signal and decodes said second digital signal to form a third voice signal;

a first summer which combines said first and second voice signals to form a first composite voice signal;

a second summer which combines said first and third voice signals to form a second composite voice signal;

a third summer which combines said second and third voice signals to form a third composite voice signal;

a second converter in communication with said first and second summers, wherein said second converter encodes said first composite voice signal to form a first composite encoded signal and encodes said second composite voice signal to form a second composite encoded signal;

a transmitter establishing a plurality of transmit channels, said transmitter adapted to transmit the first encoded composite signal to said second wireless remote station in a first transmit channel and to transmit said second encoded composite signal to said first wireless remote station in a second transmit channel; and

wherein said standard telephone interface hardware is in communication with said third summer and said PSTN line to convert said third composite voice signal to a second communication signal for transmission to said PSTN line.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein said receiver is a time division multiplex receiver.

3. The base station of claim 2, wherein said receiver is a time division multiple access receiver.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiplex transmitter.

5. The base station of claim 4, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiple access transmitter.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein said transmitter and receiver are implemented as a transceiver.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein said standard telephone interface hardware is a standard four-wire-to-two wire hybrid device.

8. A base station for receiving communication signals from first and second wireless remote stations and a PSTN line, comprising:

standard telephone interface hardware in communication with the PSTN line, wherein said hardware receives a communication signal from said PSTN line and converts said communication information to a first voice signal;

a receiver establishing a plurality of receive channels, wherein a first receive channel is assigned to receive a first digital communication signal from a first wireless remote station and a second receive channel is assigned to receive a second digital communication signal from a second wireless remote station;

a first converter in communication with said receiver wherein said first converter decodes said first digital signal to form a second voice signal and decodes said second digital communication signal to form a third voice signal;

a first voice level comparator having first and second inputs and an output, said first input connected to said first voice signal and said second input connected to said second voice signal to determine which of said signals is the loudest;

a switch having first, second and third inputs and an output, said first input connected to the first voice signal, said second input connected to said second voice signal and said third input connected to said output of said first voice level comparator, said switch adapted to connect either of the first and second inputs to said output depending upon the output of said first voice level comparator to select the louder of said first and second voice signals;

a second voice level comparator having first and second inputs and an output, said first input connected to said first voice signal and said second input connected to said third voice signal to determine which of said signals is the loudest;

a switch having first, second and third inputs and an output, said first input connected to the first voice signal, said second input connected to said third voice signal and said third input connected to said output of said second voice level comparator, said switch connected to said output of said switch dependent upon the output of said second voice level comparator to select the louder of the first and third voice signals;

a second converter in communication with the first and said second switches, wherein said second converter encodes said output of said first switch to form a first encoded signal and codes said output of said second switch to form a second encoded signal;

a transmitter establishing a plurality of transmit channels, said transmitter adapted to transmit the first digital signal to said second wireless remote station in a first transmit channel and to transmit the second digital signal to said first wireless remote station in a second transmit channel; and

a summer having first and second inputs and an output, said first input connected to said second voice signal and said second input connected to said third voice signal to form a composite voice signal at said output, wherein said standard telephone interface hardware converts said composite voice signal to a second communication signal for transmission to said PSTN line.

9. The base station of claim 8, wherein said receiver is a time division multiplex receiver.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein said receiver is a time division multiple access receiver.

11. The base station of claim 8, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiplex transmitter.

12. The base station of claim 11, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiple access transmitter.

13. The base station of claim 8, wherein said transmitter and receiver are implemented as a transceiver.

14. The base station of claim 8, wherein said standard telephone interface hardware is a standard four-wire-to-two wire hybrid device.

15. A base station for receiving communication signals from first and second wireless remote stations and a PSTN line, comprising:

a receiver establishing a plurality of receive channels, wherein a first receive channel is assigned to receive a first digital communication signal said first wireless remote station and a second receive channel is assigned to receive a second digital communication signal from said second wireless remote station;

a voice detector in communication with said receiver and adapted to detect the presence of said first digital voice signal or said second digital voice signal and to report which of said first and second digital voice signals are the loudest to an output;

a switch having first, second and third inputs and an output, said first input connected to the first digital voice signal, said second input connected to said second digital voice signal and said third input connected to said output of said voice detector, said switch adapted to connect either of the first and second inputs to said output of said switch depending upon which voice signal is detected as being the loudest by the detector;

a first converter in communication with said output of said switch, said first converter adapted to decode a voice signal output from said switch to form a first voice signal;

standard telephone communications hardware in communication with the PSTN line and said first converter, wherein said hardware converts said first voice signal to a first communication signal for transmission to said PSTN line and converts said second communication signal received from the PSTN line to a second voice signal;

a second converter in communication with said standard communications hardware, wherein said second converter encodes said second voice signal to form a third digital voice signal; and

a transmitter establishing a plurality of transmit channels, said transmitter adapted to transmit said third digital voice signal to said first wireless remote station in a first transmit channel and to transmit said third digital signal to said second wireless remote station in a second transmit channel.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein said receiver is a time division multiplex receiver.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein said receiver is a time division multiple access receiver.

18. The base station of claim 15, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiplex transmitter.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein said transmitter is a time division multiple access transmitter.

20. The base station of claim 15, wherein said transmitter and receiver are implemented as a transceiver.

21. The base station of claim 15, wherein said standard telephone interface hardware is a standard four-wire-to-two wire hybrid device.