Call re-establishment for a dual mode telephone

• US 6,445,921 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Bell, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/467,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/456, 455/461, 455/435, 455/414, 455/466, 455/434, 379/27
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed

Abstract

A wireless communication device is disclosed for establishing communication with a remote terminal device through a cordless or a mobile base station. The wireless communication device has a cordless section and a mobile section. The cordless section is for communicating with a remote terminal device through the cordless base station in a cordless mode used for a cordless call. The mobile section is for communicating with the remote terminal device through the mobile base station in a mobile mode used for a mobile call. A processor of the wireless communication device detects a drop of a current call using the cordless service, for example, and re-establishes the communication using the mobile service. The user may be prompted prior to call re-establishment. For outgoing calls, the last dialled number is stored and re-dialled for call re-establishment. For incoming calls, the caller ID is used for call re-establishment. When a cheaper service is detected during a call, the user is prompted and invited to use the cheaper service.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device for establishing communication with a remote terminal device through one of a cordless base station and a cellular base station comprising:

a cordless section for communicating with said remote terminal device through said cordless base station in a cordless mode used for a cordless call;

a cellular section for communicating with said remote terminal device through said cellular base station in a cellular mode used for a cellular call;

a processor which detects a drop of a current call being one of said cordless call and said cellular call and re-establishes said communication using another of said cordless base station and said cellular base station, said processor being configured to prompt a user of said wireless communication device whether to re-establish said communication.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said drop of said current call is detected when a loss of connection to said remote terminal is detected.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication is re-established without data from said cordless base station and said cellular base station.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said communication is re-established without knowledge of links of said current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal device.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising a memory which stores an identification code of said current call, and wherein said processor redials said identification code to re-establish said communication.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein said identification code is a last dialed telephone number when said current call is an outgoing call;

and when said current call is an incoming call, said identification code is one of a caller identification received by said wireless communication device and a user entered number when said caller identification is not received by said wireless communication device.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein said processor redials said identification code upon detection of said drop of said current call.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said processor has a default setting that selects one of said cordless base station and said cellular base station for an outgoing call.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein said default setting is changeable.

10. A wireless communication device for establishing communication with a remote terminal device through one of a cordless base station and a cellular base station comprising:

a cordless section for communicating with said remote terminal device through said cordless base station in a cordless mode used for a cordless call;

a cellular section for communicating with said remote terminal device through said cellular base station in a cellular mode used for a cellular call;

a processor which detects a drop of a current call being one of said cordless call and said cellular call and re-establishes said communication using another of said cordless base station and said cellular base station, said processor being configured to detect a cheaper link than said current call that connects said wireless communication device to said remote terminal device, said cheaper link being provided through one of said cordless base station and said cellular base station, and said processor being configured to prompt a user of said wireless communication device whether to terminate said current call and re-establish said communication using said cheaper link.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein said drop of said current call is detected when a loss of connection to said remote terminal is detected.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein said communication is re-established without data from said cordless base station and said cellular base station.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein said communication is re-established without knowledge of links of said current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal device.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 10, further comprising a memory which stores an identification code of said current call, and wherein said processor redials said identification code to re-establish said communication.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein said identification code is a last dialed telephone number when said current call is an outgoing call;

and when said current call is an incoming call, said identification code is one of a caller identification received by said wireless communication device and a user entered number when said caller identification is not received by said wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein said processor redials said identification code upon detection of said drop of said current call.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein said processor has a default setting that selects one of said cordless base station and said cellular base station for an outgoing call.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein said default setting is changeable.

19. A method for establishing a communication between a wireless communication device and a remote terminal comprising:

establishing a current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal through one of a cordless base station and a cellular base station;

detecting a drop of said current call; and

re-establishing said communication using another of said cordless base station and said cellular base station, said re-establishing including prompting a user of said wireless communication device whether to re-establish said communication; and

re-establishing said communication in response to a positive response from said user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the detecting act is performed without communicating with said cordless base station and a cellular base station.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the re-establishing act is performed without data from said cordless base station and said cellular base station.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the re-establishing act is performed without knowledge of links of said current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the re-establishing act includes storing in a memory of said wireless communication device an identification code of said current call, and redialling said identification code to re-establish said communication.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said identification code is a last dialed telephone number when said current call is an outgoing call;

and when said current call is an incoming call, said identification code is one of a caller identification received by said wireless communication device and a user entered number when said caller identification is not received by said wireless communication device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the redialling act is performed upon detection of said drop of said current call.

26. A method for establishing a communication between a wireless communication device and a remote terminal comprising:

establishing a current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal through one of a cordless base station and a cellular base station;

detecting a drop of said current call; and

re-establishing said communication using another of said cordless base station and said cellular base station, said re-establishing including detecting a cheaper link than said current call that connects said wireless communication device to said remote terminal, said cheaper link being provided through one of said cordless base station and said cellular base station; and

said re-establishing further including prompting a user of said wireless communication device whether to terminate said current call and re-establish said communication using said cheaper link.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the detecting act is performed without communicating with said cordless base station and a cellular base station.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the re-establishing act is performed without data from said cordless base station and said cellular base station.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the re-establishing act is performed without knowledge of links of said current call between said wireless communication device and said remote terminal.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the re-establishing act includes storing in a memory of said wireless communication device an identification code of said current call, and redialling said identification code to re-establish said communication.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said identification code is a last dialed telephone number when said current call is an outgoing call;

and when said current call is an incoming call, said identification code is one of a caller identification received by said wireless communication device and a user entered number when said caller identification is not received by said wireless communication device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the redialling act is performed upon detection of said drop of said current call.