System and method of transitioning between cellular and voice over internet protocol communication

• US 7,577,427 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bicker, Dennis D., Dilley, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, PIERRE LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US10/702,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/436, 455/414.1, 370/352, 370/354, 370/352.3, 370/259
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• 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 multi-mode cellular and voice over internet protocol mobile device and a supporting network is disclosed. The mobile device includes a housing, an antenna, a wide area cellular communications module to provide wide area cellular communications, and a short-range wireless local area network module to provide a wireless communications interface to a wireless local area network having voice over internet protocol capability. In a particular embodiment, an internet protocol address managed by a wireless LAN base station is forwarded to and stored by the mobile phone device. In another embodiment, a method of forwarding a call from a mobile phone to a wireless LAN base station is disclosed. In another illustrative embodiment, a method of communicating from a wireless LAN base station to a mobile phone is disclosed. The method includes determining that the mobile phone is within range of a wireless LAN base station, connecting the mobile phone to the wireless LAN, including retrieving an internet protocol address, connecting the mobile phone to the voice over internet protocol (VoIP) provider, including retrieving an optional port number, and sending the internet protocol address and optional port number of the VoIP provider to the cellular provider as a request to forward calls for the mobile phone through the VoIP provider.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding a call from a mobile phone, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile phone is within range of a wireless local area network base station with voice over internet protocol capability, the mobile phone including a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) module;

receiving an internet protocol address associated with the wireless local area network base station via the WLAN module;

sending a call forwarding message including the Internet Protocol (IP) address from the mobile phone to a remote cellular network element of a wide area cellular network via the WWAN module, the call forwarding message to redirect a call destined for the mobile phone to the wireless local area network base station for transmission to the mobile phone;

determining that the mobile phone has moved out of range of the wireless local area network base station and while the mobile phone is out of range of the wireless local area network base station, sending a message to the cellular network element to cancel call forwarding to the wireless local area network base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone receives the redirected call from the wireless local area network base station and allows voice communication using a voice over internet protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone determines that it is in range of the wireless local area network by receiving a message in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol address is communicated to the mobile phone using a dynamic host configuration protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide area cellular network sends a call directly to the mobile phone over a cellular spectrum after the mobile phone has moved out of range of the wireless local area network base station.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile phone and the wireless local area network base station communicate bidirectionally using a voice over internet protocol.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the call destined to the mobile phone is communicated between the remote cellular network element and the wireless local area network base station without utilizing a public switched telephone network.

7. A mobile phone device comprising:

a housing;

an antenna attached to the housing;

a wide area cellular communications module disposed within the housing, the wide area cellular communications module having a cellular interface to communicate with a remote wide area cellular network; and

a short-range wireless local area network module disposed within the housing, the short-range wireless local area network module including a wireless interface to communicate with the wireless local area network having voice over internet protocol communications capability, the short-range wireless local area network module adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address from the wireless local area network;

wherein the wide area cellular communication module formulates a call forwarding message that includes the IP address; and

wherein the wide area cellular communication module communicates the call forwarding message to the remote wide area cellular network via the cellular interface; and

wherein the wide area cellular communication module is adapted to formulate a cancel message to cancel the previously communicated call forwarding message, the cancel message for transmission to the remote wide area cellular network.

8. The mobile phone device of claim 7, wherein the wide area cellular communications module and the short-range wireless local area network module are computer software modules integrated within a digital processor device.

10. The mobile phone of claim 7, further comprising a memory adapted to store the IP address and a local port number that uniquely identify a communication path between the mobile phone and the wireless local area network.

11. The mobile phone of claim 7, further comprising a network messaging module to selectively communicate text messages via one of the wide area cellular communications module and the short-range wireless local area network module.

12. A method of forwarding a call from a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) address at a wireless communication device from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) module of a wireless local area network device via a short range wireless network, the wireless communication device including a wide area network communications module to communicate with a wide area wireless network and a local area network communications module to communicate with the wireless local area network device;

establishing a connection to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider via the wireless local area network using the IP address;

after the mobile communication device is registered with the VoIP provider, sending a call forwarding message from the mobile communication device to a cellular network element of the wide area wireless network via the wide area network communications module, the call forwarding message including data related to the VoIP provider to forward calls intended for the mobile communications device to the VoIP provider for routing to the mobile communication device via the wireless local area network; and

detennining that the mobile phone has moved out of range of the wireless local area network base station and while the mobile phone is out of range of the wireless local area network base station, sending a message to the cellular network element to cancel call forwarding to the wireless local area network base station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a phone call at the mobile communication device via the local area network communications module, the phone call being forwarded from the wide area wireless network to the VoIP provider and from the VoIP provider to the IP address associated with the wireless local area network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the call forwarding message further includes a port number defining a communication path to the mobile communication device via the short range wireless network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the short range wireless network comprises an 802.11 protocol network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile communication device further includes a memory to store an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the VoIP provider and to store a user identification and password associated with the VoIP provider, wherein communicating with the VoIp provider comprises accessing the IP address of the VoIP provider and sending the user identification and password to the VoIP provider to establish a connection between the mobile communication device and the VoIP provider.