Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Special service
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-02-13
Eisenzopf, Reinhard J. (Department: 2745)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Special service
C455S564000, C455S573000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188888
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to personal communication devices, and more particularly to call forwarding systems for personal communication devices.
The wireless telephone industry has long noted that the proliferation of wireless telephones, voice mail systems, pagers, etc. has caused a great deal of confusion since callers often need to know multiple telephone numbers (i.e., office, home, wireless telephone, pager, travel destination telephone numbers, etc.) to have a good probability of contacting the user (subscriber). In addition, calls to wireless telephones are routinely missed if the wireless telephone is turned off. Even if the caller is aware of other likely locations for the user, the probability of contact may still be very low in light of inherent user mobility. This results in loss of accessibility for the mobile telephone user and may negatively impact productivity, business income, family contact, etc. These are all major factors in the original decision for purchasing a wireless telephone (i.e., greater accessibility).
One way to address this problem is to have the subscriber provide to the service provider a list of alternate telephone numbers at which the user may be reached, and the service provider could forward incoming calls accordingly. The user could order the list in the order in which the service provider should try the numbers. Callers may be given only the one mobile telephone number. In this way, when a call is not answered by the mobile phone, the service provider would then call each of the preprogrammed numbers in succession. This solution leads to a great deal of inconvenience for the calling party since accessing all numbers in the list could take a long time.
A second attempt to solve this problem is based on hardware supported call forwarding. Special hardware, such as a land-line residential base station in a dual mode cordless/cellular system, may detect the presence of the mobile unit when within range of the special hardware (i.e., the mobile unit is at work or at home). The special hardware then notifies the wireless telephone system to forward all calls to the preprogrammed land line telephone at that location. Unfortunately, this solution requires a large investment by the user in the special hardware, as well as system infrastructure modifications, and works only if the mobile unit is within range of the special hardware.
There is, therefore, a need in the industry for a system for addressing these and other related and unrelated problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Certain objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the advantages and novel features, the present invention is generally directed to an improved charging unit and cellular telephone providing call-forwarding. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a charging unit for a cellular telephone is provided having means for connection to an electrical power source and a charging circuit for delivering a charging current to a battery pack or the cellular telephone itself, if the cellular telephone includes an internal energy retaining mechanism (e.g., charge storage device such as a battery). The charging unit further includes a plurality of electrical contacts in electrical communication with the charging circuit. Finally, the invention includes at least one user-selectable switch and at least one electrical contact in electrical communication with the at least one user-selectable switch. Preferably, the user-selectable switch is a simple mechanical switch, such as a rotary switch or one or more toggle switches.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a cellular telephone is provided, wherein the telephone includes a sensing circuit configured to detect the presence of a charging unit. It further includes a circuit configured to identify from the charging unit a designated number to forward incoming calls to. Specifically, once the telephone senses that it has been placed on a charging unit, it looks to the circuit configured to identify a designated number to forward calls to. Preferably, this is accomplished by one or more inputs provided from a user-selectable switch on the charging unit. Finally, the telephone includes a number identifying circuit electrically connected to the at least one input and configured to identify a designated number to transmit to a cell site as a call-forward number. This may be accomplished, for example, by a CPU accessing a number storage memory.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for instructing a cellular network to forward calls otherwise directed to a cellular telephone. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the method includes the steps of sensing the placement of the cellular telephone on a charging unit and, in response, accessing the charging unit to ascertain a user-selectable number to forward calls, otherwise directed to the cellular telephone. Transmitting this user-selectable number to a cell site, which may forward the information to a mobile telephone switching office.
It will be appreciated that the call forwarding automation system includes logic and memory for storing multiple call forwarding telephone numbers, selecting a call forwarding telephone number based upon user selectable information provided to a charging unit, and automatically activating call forwarding to the selected telephone number when the telephone is placed into the charging unit.
According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wireless telephone automatically prompts the user for activation of call forwarding each time the user places the telephone on the charging unit. The process may provide the user an ability to override the number selected on the charging unit and instead allow the user to select from a list of stored call forwarding telephone numbers provided within the phone, as well as providing the user an ability to manually input a new telephone number. If user input is not received during a defined time period in response to the prompt, the wireless telephone may automatically activate call forwarding if an automatic call forwarding time-out default option is enabled.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, when taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings.
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Barber Clifton J.
Bartle Alden S.
Wise Michael A.
Eisenzopf Reinhard J.
Kincaid Lester G
Oki Telecom, Inc.
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley LLP
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