System and method for making and receiving cellular telephone calls at a wired analog telephone device

• US 8,032,179 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walter, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US10/969,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/517, 455/445, 455415-420, 455461-463, 455/426.1, 455/557, 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A cellular telephone docking station is provided and includes a semiconductor device that has a processor and a memory device that is coupled to the processor. An identification device is coupled to the semiconductor device and the identification device includes a docking station identification. The cellular telephone docking station also includes a cellular telephone cradle that is coupled to the identification device. Further, a computer program is embedded within the memory. The computer program includes instructions to verify that a cellular telephone identification matches the docking station identification. Additionally, the computer program includes instructions to transfer a cellular telephone service associated with the cellular telephone to the docking station. The computer program also includes instructions to disable the cellular telephone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a cellular telephone docking station, an electronic serial number from a first cellular telephone that is docked at the cellular telephone docking station;

verifying that the electronic serial number received from the first cellular telephone is one of a plurality of electronic serial numbers that are stored at the cellular telephone docking station;

detecting, at the cellular telephone docking station, when a telephone call is initiated via a telephone device that is communicatively coupled to the cellular telephone docking station;

receiving a first cellular telephone selection code at the cellular telephone docking station when a plurality of cellular telephones are docked at the cellular telephone docking station, wherein a different cellular telephone selection code is associated with each cellular telephone of the plurality of cellular telephones, and wherein the first cellular telephone selection code corresponds to the first cellular telephone;

selecting a cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station that is associated with the first cellular telephone based on the first cellular telephone selection code, wherein the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station is independent of the plurality of cellular telephones that are docked at the cellular telephone docking station; and

establishing a connection between the telephone device and a cellular telephone network using the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular radio component is at least one of a code division multiple access radio component and a global system for mobile radio component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a conference call between the telephone device and the plurality of cellular telephones that are docked at the cellular telephone docking station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting when a target telephone number is dialed via the telephone device;

capturing digits of the target telephone number; and

sending the digits of the target telephone number to the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the captured digits of the target telephone number via the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station to the cellular telephone network.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a call at a cellular radio component integrated in a cellular telephone docking station via a cellular telephone network;

identifying a cellular telephone that is being called, wherein the cellular telephone is one of a plurality of cellular telephones that are docked at the cellular telephone docking station;

transmitting caller identification information that identifies the cellular telephone that is being called to a caller identification screen associated with a telephone device that is communicatively coupled to the cellular telephone docking station; and

transmitting the call to a receiver of the telephone device when the receiver transitions to an off-hook state,

wherein the cellular radio component integrated in the cellular telephone docking station is independent of the plurality of cellular telephones that are docked at the cellular telephone docking station.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a ring tone that identifies the cellular telephone that is being called, wherein a different ring tone is associated with each cellular telephone of the plurality of cellular telephones that are docked at the cellular telephone docking station; and

transmitting the ring tone that identifies the cellular telephone that is being called to the telephone device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

validating a cellular telephone identifier embedded in the cellular telephone after the cellular telephone is docked at the cellular telephone docking station;

transferring a wireless service from the cellular telephone to the cellular telephone docking station when the cellular telephone identifier is valid; and

disabling the cellular telephone.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising indicating an error condition when the cellular telephone identifier is not valid.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising processing the call at the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the call at a voice processor of the cellular telephone docking station.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a ring tone via a ring tone generator at the cellular telephone docking station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the ring tone from the cellular telephone docking station to the telephone device.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the cellular radio component of the cellular telephone docking station is one of a code division multiple access radio component and a global system for mobile radio component.

15. A cellular telephone docking station, comprising:

a semiconductor device including a processor and a memory device coupled to the processor;

an identification device coupled to the semiconductor device, the identification device including a docking station identifier;

a plurality of cellular telephone cradles coupled to the identification device; and

a plurality of cellular radio components coupled to the semiconductor device wherein the identification device verifies that a cellular telephone identifier embedded in a cellular telephone matches the docking station identifier after the cellular telephone is docked at one of the plurality of cellular telephone cradles, and

wherein each of the plurality of cellular radio components is independent of any cellular telephones docked at the plurality of cellular telephone cradles.

16. The cellular telephone docking station of claim 15, wherein each cellular radio component of the plurality of cellular radio components is one of a code division multiple access radio component and a global system for mobile radio component.