Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-30
2001-04-10
Maung, Nay (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S461000, C455S462000, C455S554100, C379S211010, C379S212010, C379S220010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216005
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to telecommunications services and, more particularly, to incorporating a cellular-fixed call transfer service into the conventional public switched telephone network in combination with the conventional cellular network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most individuals now, or in the near future will, have at least two telephone numbers through which they make or receive calls on a regular basis. One of these telephone numbers is usually associated with a local access provider while the other is usually associated with a cellular service provider. The connectivity from the local access provider is to the traditional fixed telephone network (oftentimes referred to as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)) while the connectivity from the cellular service provider is to the cellular network (CN). For discussion purposes below, let N
f
and N
c
respectively denote the telephone number for a particular user to the fixed and cellular network.
The calls made from N
f
are usually of lower cost than those made or received from N
c
because the call is routed over the fixed network and therefore does not make use of the limited wireless bandwidth. However, once a call has been initiated on the fixed network, the user has very little mobility; a cordless phone may allow the user to move 50-100 meters from the base of the phone without significant deterioration in the voice quality. However, a user can move in a wide geographical area if a user could transfer an on-going call originated over the fixed network to the cellular network. A point of departure from the prior art in accordance with the present invention is a new call transfer service called the Cellular-Fixed Call Transfer Service (CFCTS) which can be offered by the cellular network provider to allow users to transfer on-going calls between the his/her fixed and cellular telephone numbers.
The CFCTS service benefits both the user and the service provider. The user benefits because he/she can use the lower cost calls through the fixed network whenever possible without sacrificing mobility. The service provider also benefits because as users switch over to fixed network from cellular whenever possible, the limited capacity of the cellular network can support other users. More customers will also be attracted to this lower cost service with full support for mobility. Also, when a user transfers a call from his/her N
f
to N
c
the cellular network provider gains additional business.
Heuristic Example 1
Suppose that a user receives a call at home on N
f
just as she is about to leave for work. At present, the user has only one of the following two options. Either complete the call before starting the commute to work or terminate the conversation and restart it using the cellular phone. Terminating the conversation and restarting it using the cellular phone requires all parties in the call to hangup and reestablish the necessary connections. This is clearly troublesome.
However, if the user can transfer the call over to her cellular telephone without disrupting the conversation, then the call can be continued while the user is in commute.
In this example, the user benefits because she gets mobility while using the lower cost of the fixed network for as long as possible. The cellular network provider also benefits because a call has been transferred to it from another service provider.
Heuristic Example 2
Suppose that a user makes a call using his cellular telephone while away from home and comes back home while the call is in progress. There will be no degradation in the voice quality and the user can continue using the more expensive cellular network while at home. However, if the user can transfer the call to his fixed telephone, the cost of the rest of call will be lower. The service provider will also benefit because as users switch over to the fixed network, the limited capacity of the cellular network can be used to support other users. In this example, the reason for the transfer capability is reduced cost to the user.
The prior art does not allow transfer of on-going calls from a fixed network to a cellular network and vice versa. Some service providers offer forwarding of calls from the fixed to the cellular network prior to the establishment of a call, such as by conventional call-forwarding. Similarly, some fixed network service providers offer transfer of on-going calls from one fixed telephone number to another, typically at the request/intervention of the called party.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These shortcomings and other limitations and deficiencies of the prior art are obviated, in accordance with the present invention, by a methodology and concomitant circuitry effected by introducing a Fixed-Cellular Mobility Agent (FCMA) into the cellular network, the FCMA having at least the functionality of a PSTN central office for interconnecting incoming/outgoing calls to the MSC as outgoing/incoming calls to the CN or the PSTN and which, in addition, monitors each call connection to carry out call transfers between the CN and the PSTN.
In accordance with a broad method aspect of the call completion aspect of the present invention, a method for establishing a call path from a calling party to a called party utilizing the functionality of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PS TN) and the Cellular Network (CN), the PSTN including a central office (CO) serving the called party, the CN including a mobile switching center (MSC) serving the called party, the called party having a conventional telephone number N
f
for accessing the called party through the serving CO, includes: (a) assigning another PSTN telephone number N
fc
to the called party for directing each call to the called party via the N
fc
to the serving MSC, and associating the N
f
with the N
fc
; (b) when the calling party initiates an incoming call to the called party using the N
fc
, directing the incoming call to the MSC; (c) initiating an outgoing call from the MSC to the called party using the N
f
associated with the N
fc
; and (d) when the called party answers the outgoing call, switching the MSC to interconnect the incoming call with the outgoing call to thereby establish the call path.
In accordance with the broad aspect of the call transfer aspect of the present invention, the method to further transfer an established call path, the established call path including a first call connection between the calling party and the MSC and a second connection between the called party and the MSC, includes: (a) monitoring the second call connection to detect a request for a call transfer from the called party; (b) initiating by the MSC an outgoing call to a cellular telephone number N
c
assigned to the called party upon the call transfer request; (c) whenever the outgoing call to a cellular telephone assigned the N
c
is answered, establishing a third call connection between the MSC and the cellular telephone; and (d) bridging the first call connection and the third call connection and terminating the second call connection.
In accordance with broad system aspects of the present invention, concomitant circuitry effects the aforementioned methodology.
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p
Agrawal Prathima
Ramanathan Parameswaran
Cockings Orville R.
Giordano Joseph
Maung Nay
Telcordia Technologies Inc.
Vuong Quochien B.
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