Common communication terminal architecture and method

• US 7,940,749 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2007
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jianhong Hu, Wei Lu
• Inventors: Lu, Wei, Hu, Jianhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Weibin
• Application Number:
  US11/856,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20090075654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,333 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/338, 370/351, 370/352, 370/400, 370/401, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/422.1, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/445
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• 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 common communication terminal system and method of converging mobile cellular communications, wireless access systems, wireless local area network and wireline communications into one Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) platform supporting cost-effective and spectrum-efficient broadband services across wireless and wired communication environment in one single terminal device with one unified telephone number for office, home and mobile communications.

Claims

1. An outgoing network access method of a common communication terminal architecture supporting multiple network access capabilities, said method comprising simultaneously connecting a common terminal to both a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and a Virtual Mobile Server (VMS) whenever an IP (Internet Protocol) network connection is available for said common terminal in order to optimize the system performance, transmission performance, user applications and quality of service for said common terminal, wherein said method further comprising:

a) Establishing communication between said common terminal and said MSC through said IP connection with a Visitor IP address when a wired network is available for said common terminal,

b) Establishing communication between said common terminal and said MSC via Wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or Wireless PAN (Personal Access Network) or BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) through said IP connection with said Visitor IP address when said wired network is not available, but said Wireless LAN or said Wireless PAN or said BWA is available for said common terminal,

c) Connecting said common terminal to said MSC via cellular base station over a mobile cellular air-link channel when all of said wired network, said Wireless LAN, said Wireless PAN and said BWA are not available for said common terminal, and

d) Synchronizing said common terminal to said VMS with a Home-IP address whenever said IP connection is available between said common terminal and said MSC.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising searching for multiple network access wherein the default access priority order from high to low is said wired network, said Wireless LAN, said Wireless PAN, said BWA and said mobile cellular network.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said VMS further maintaining an updated and real-time copy of a Connection Table containing the most updated information of said Visitor IP address and said mobile cellular air-link channel address of said common terminal, and a Software Defined Module (SDM) data center for said common terminal.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein said SDM is a portable open module containing parameters, algorithms, protocols of different wireless air interfaces.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein said SDM contains one or multiple different wireless air interfaces installed from a SDM external memory and processing card or downloaded from the Internet.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising utilizing said Visitor IP address in said common terminal wherein said Visitor IP address can be static fixed IP address or dynamic IP address.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising processing said network access based on an unified user Telephone Number identified for said common terminal registered in said MSC wherein said Telephone Number is an unified and common communication identifier (ID) for said common terminal used in any access networks and any network access modes to converge an office phone, home phone, mobile phone and other access equipments'"'"' numbers to one single said Telephone Number.