Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1996-11-27
2001-04-03
Wolfe, Willis R. (Department: 3747)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S433000, C455S462000, C455S554100, C455S557000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212377
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to radio telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to a system and method of providing network support in a radio telecommunications network for a group of office extension phones.
2. Description of Related Art
For telecommunication system operators, investments in the local loop (the final connection from the local exchange to the subscriber's premises) represent a very large percentage of their costs, typically around 50 percent, due to the extensive and labor-intensive civil engineering work involved. The local loop also represents a large portion of operational costs because maintenance and repair in this part of the network are costly and time-consuming.
The local loop is of increasingly strategic importance to operators as a means of controlling the delivery of service to subscribers and because of its impact on operators' costs. At the same time, the size of the investment required for competing operators to match the capabilities of an incumbent operator means that introducing real competition in the local loop poses considerable problems. However, new fibre-based solutions, flexible multiplexers, compact remote concentrators, and new solutions for telecommunication services over cable-TV networks are examples of technologies now used by operators to build more effective access networks. The benefits of such technologies, however, have been slow to appear in the local loop. A system and method for providing the final connection from the local exchange to the subscriber's premises more rapidly and in a more cost-effective manner are needed.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,042 to Soury et al. (Soury) discusses subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein. Soury discloses a device for setting up and routing telephone calls between subscribers of a radio telephone network and/or a wired telephone network. Soury utilizes an automatic telephone exchange which is wired to the wired telephone exchange and connected to the radio telephone network by a plurality of radio transceivers via a radio connecting unit. The radio connecting unit enables an organization of the radio telephone subscribers into groups communicating on a same frequency and/or on a same transmission channel.
FIG. 1
of Soury, however, shows on the mobile subscriber side of the automatic telephone exchange that a given transceiver can only be connected to a unique mobile subscriber terminal. It would be advantageous to have a system in which, for greater sing efficiency, a single transceiver can be connected to a plurality of mobile terminals. In this manner, a group of transceivers can be utilized as a pool of resources to serve a greater number of mobile terminals. In addition, it would be desirable to have a radio network implementation that enables calls to be delivered to appropriate extension numbers. Such a solution would provide the final connection from the local exchange to the subscriber's premises more rapidly and in a more cost-effective manner. The present invention provides such a system and method.
Review of each of the foregoing references reveals no disclosure or suggestion of a system or method such as that described and claimed herein.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention is a radio telecommunications network for providing group extension phone service to a plurality of subscribers utilizing standard wireline telephones. The network comprises a gateway mobile switching center (G-MSC) connected to an external communication network, a home location register (HLR) which includes a database of directory number (DN) categories, a serving mobile switching center/visited location register (MSC/VLR) which includes a plurality of cellular trunks in a pool configuration, a base station connected to the serving MSC/VLR, and a multi-line terminal (MLT) for connecting the plurality of standard wireline telephones to the base station. The MLT may include a cellular side for establishing a radio link to the base station, an office side for establishing wireline connections to the plurality of standard wireline telephones, and means for interfacing the cellular side with the office side.
In another aspect, the present invention is a radio telecommunications network for providing group extension phone service to a plurality of subscribers utilizing standard wireline telephones. The network includes a serving mobile switching center/visited location register (MSC/VLR) providing radio telecommunication services to the plurality of subscribers, a gateway mobile switching center (G-MSC) connected to an external communication network, and a home location register (HLR) connected to the G-MSC and the MSC/VLR. Also connected to the serving MSC/VLR is a first database which associates a dialed DN having a fixed private branch exchange (PBX) category with a mobile identification number (MIN), associates a plurality of cellular trunks with the MIN, and identifies which of the plurality of cellular trunks are idle. The network also includes a base station connected to the serving MSC/VLR, and a multi-line terminal (MLT) identified by the MIN, the MLT providing a radio link from the plurality of standard wireline telephones to the base station.
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patent: 5054042 (1991-10-01), Soury et al.
patent: 5099511 (1992-03-01), Matsumoto
patent: 5189695 (1993-02-01), Maei
patent: 5291549 (1994-03-01), Izumi
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patent: 5771275 (1998-06-01), Brunner et al.
patent: 2293524 (1996-03-01), None
patent: WO 95/29565 (1995-11-01), None
Dufour Daniel
Turcotte Eric
Griggs, Robinson, Post, Henderson & Smith, L.L.P.
Wolfe Willis R.
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