Communications bridge for circuit switched data transfer simulation

• US 6,363,335 B1
• Filed: 09/20/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Xircom Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Monroe, Daniel R., Rea, Gregory A., Turner, Jeffery E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US09/400,623
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 703/13-22, 703/23-27, 379/106.03, 455/550-574
• US Class Current: 703/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/323 for the arrangements providing the connection (test connection, test call, call simulation)
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A communications bridge for simulating circuit switched call links to user equipment is provided. According to one embodiment, the communications bridge receives data from the user equipment over a serial data interface. The communications bridge simulates circuit switched call link responses back to the user equipment so that the user equipment believes that a circuit switched call link has been made. Once the simulated circuit switched call link is established, data from the user equipment is packetized into short message service or general packet radio service packets for transmission over a non-circuit switched call link.

Claims

1. A communications bridge, including:

a first interface configured to receive data over a serial data connection and translate said data into packet data for transmission by a wireless radio over a GSM network; and

,

an application layer object code added to a GSM protocol stack, said application layer object code configured to handle a simulated circuit switched call link to a user equipment;

wherein said communications bridge is further configured to simulate a circuit switched call link to said user equipment through said serial data connection.

2. The communications bridge of claim 1, wherein said packet data is in short message service format.

3. The communications bridge of claim 1, wherein said packet data is provided in accordance with general packet radio service (GPRS) format.

4. The communications bridge of claim 1, further comprising:

a microcontroller;

a non-volatile memory coupled to said microcontroller;

a volatile memory coupled to said microcontroller; and

an input output controller coupled to said microcontroller, said input output controller including;

said serial data connection, and

a second serial data connection configured to communicatively couple to said wireless radio.

5. A method for simulating a circuit switched call link comprising:

establishing a simulated circuit switched call link with a user equipment;

preparing data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for transmission as one or more packets over a non-circuit switched call link, wherein preparing said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link includes formatting said data into short message service format packets;

monitoring said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for an escape sequence; and

tearing down said non-circuit switched call link and said simulated circuit switched call link if said escape sequence is detected.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising preparing packet data received via a non-circuit switched call link into serial data for transmission over said simulated circuit switched call link.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending flow control data to said user equipment, said flow control data indicating a capacity of said data terminal apparatus to handle data flows from said user equipment; and

configuring status information for verifying successful transmission of data to a destination.

8. A method for simulating a circuit switched call link comprising:

establishing a simulated circuit switched call link with a user equipment;

preparing data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for transmission as one or more packets over a non-circuit switched call link, wherein preparing said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link includes formatting said data into general packet radio service (GPRS) format packets;

monitoring said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for an escape sequence; and

tearing down said non-circuit switched call link and said simulated circuit switched call link if said escape sequence is detected.

9. A computer readable medium having stored therein one or more sequences of instructions for simulating a circuit switched call link, said one or more sequences of instructions causing one or more processors to perform the acts of:

establishing a simulated circuit switched call link with a user equipment;

preparing data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for transmission as one or more packets over a non-circuit switched call link, wherein preparing said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link includes formatting said data into short message service format packets;

monitoring said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for an escape sequence; and

tearing down said non-circuit switched call link and said simulated circuit switched call link if said escape sequence is detected.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising preparing packet data received via a non-circuit switched call link into serial data for transmission over said simulated circuit switched call link.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further configured to cause said one or more processors to perform the acts of:

sending flow control data to said user equipment, said flow control data indicating a capacity of said data terminal apparatus to handle data flows from said user equipment; and

configuring status information for verifying successful transmission of data to a destination.

12. A computer readable medium having stored therein one or more sequences of instructions for simulating a circuit switched call link, said one or more sequences of instructions causing one or more processors to perform the acts of:

establishing a simulated circuit switched call link with a user equipment;

preparing data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for transmission as one or more packets over a non-circuit switched call link, wherein preparing said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link includes formatting said data into general packet radio service (GPRS) format packets;

monitoring said data received over said simulated circuit switched call link for an escape sequence; and

tearing down said non-circuit switched call link and said simulated circuit switched call link if said escape sequence is detected.