Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Special service
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-04
2002-04-30
Chang, Vivian (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Special service
C455S445000, C455S435100, C455S426100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06381453
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to call forwarding between systems in a telecommunications network, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for activating and deactivating call forwarding from a subscriber number of a first system to a predetermined subscriber number of a second system, utilizing messages transmitted from a subscriber station operating in the second system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Developments in wireless systems technology have resulted in a variety of systems being available for use by system subscribers. Many different types of wireless systems now exist or have been proposed at the concept stage. These wireless systems include conventional cellular and PCS systems that allow a system user to make and receive phone calls through a mobile station while roaming in the large geographic area covered by the system. These wireless systems also include cordless or wireless residential systems that allow system users to make and receive phone calls through a mobile handset while within a smaller coverage area, such as within a residence or an office building.
Cellular and PCS systems include base stations that are dispersed in locations through the coverage area of the system, which may be an area such as the area of a few cities or a state, or a larger area. These base stations each provide a radio interface between the system and the mobile stations as the mobile stations roam through the system. The base stations are connected to and controlled by one or more mobile switching centers (MSCs) that communicate with the base stations to provide the intelligent functions necessary for call routing and other operations of the system. The cellular/PCS system is most often connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to provide phone connections to general public service.
A cordless or wireless residential system typically operates with a personal base station (PB) providing a radio interface between the system and the mobile handset. The PB can provide a range of intelligent functions, depending on the system type. Depending on the size of the system, different numbers of base stations are used. For example, if the cordless or wireless residential system is located in a residence, only one PB may be necessary. The PB of a cordless or residential system may be connected to a PSTN through a single wireline connection. If the cordless or residential wireless system covers an office building, more than one PB, one on each floor for example, may be necessary. When more than one PB is used, the PBs may be connected to the PSTN through a private branch exchange (PBX) if necessary.
Networks containing Cellular or PCS systems combined with cordless or wireless residential systems (cellular/PCS wireless esidential networks) have recently been proposed in the telecommunications industry. In a cellular/PCS wireless residential network, a system subscriber is assigned a dual mode mobile station (DMM) that may be operated in either a wide area cellular/PCS system or the subscribers residential cordless system. In this type of network each of the cellular/PCS and residential cordless system s is typically connected to the public switched telephone network(PSTN).
In the cellular/PCS wireless residential network the subscriber may roam about the coverage area of the cellular/PCS system, while using the handset to initiate and receive calls over the radio channels of the cellular/PCS system. The subscriber may also move into the coverage area of the subscriber's residential cordless system and make and receive calls over the residential cordless system radio channels. Selection between which of the two systems the subscriber operates in may be done manually by the subscriber, or automatically within the network. For example, the cellular/PCS residential system could be designed so the DMM is switched from communications on the cellular/PCS radio channels air interface to communications on the cordless system radio channels when signal strength levels received at the handset on the radio channels of the residential cordless system become greater than a certain threshold level.
In a typical cellular/PCS residential system a subscriber may be assigned two phone numbers within the PSTN. One phone number would be assigned as the subscribers cellular/PCS number, and the other phone number would be assigned to the wireline connection to the residential cordless system PB as the residential number. Calls made to the cellular/PCS n umber a re directed to the cellular/PCS system and calls made to the residential number would be directed to the residential cordless system. If the subscriber is actively using the DMM within the cellular/PCS system, i.e., is registered in the cellular/PCS system, and a call is made to the cellular/PCS number, the call is directed to the DMM within the cellular/PCS system. Calls directed to the residential cordless number are received at the PB or PBs of the cordless system. If the subscriber's DMM is active in the cordless system and a call is made to the PB number, the subscriber's DMM will be alerted.
Since a cellular/PCS residential subscriber moves between and operates in both systems, the subscriber may desire that he be able to receive calls made to the phone number assigned for one system at the phone number assigned for the second system, when the subscriber is operating in the second system. For example, the subscriber may desire to receive calls made to his Cellular/PCS number, as well as to the residential number, when operating in the residential cordless system. This may be the case if the cellular/PCS number is used as a business number by the subscriber and the subscriber wishes that calls to the business number reach the subscriber when the subscriber is in his residence and the subscriber's DMM is operating in the residential cordless mode.
In one possible solution, the dual mode subscriber could implement desired call forwarding from the cellular/PCS number to the residential number before leaving the cellular PCS system from the DMM using presently existing call forwarding technology and techniques. However, once activated, the call forwarding would remain active until deactivated from the DMM in the cellular/PCS system and could not be controlled from the residential cordless system.
In another possible solution, call forwarding from the cellular/PCS number to the residential number may be automatically activated by a signal sent through the PSTN upon each registration of the DMM with a PB in the residential cordless system. The call forwarding could then be cancelled upon registration of the DMM in the cellular/PCS system. This solution suffers from the shortcoming that the dual mode subscriber could not deactivate the call forwarding from the cellular/PCS number to the residential number that would occur while operating in the residential system, until the DMM was registered again in the cellular/PCS system. There also may be situations in which the dual mode subscriber does not wish to receive forwarded calls.
The above solutions also suffer from another shortcoming in that they do not allow the dual mode subscriber the option of deactivating activated call forwarding from the cellular/PCS number to the residential number upon certain select conditions. For example, the dual mode subscriber may desire that activated call forwarding be deactivated when the DMM switches from the cordless residential mode to the cellular/PCS mode of operation but not when the DMM is powered down or loses communication with the residential cordless system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus and method, in a network having a first and a second system, for activating and deactivating call forwarding from a predetermined subscriber number of the second telecommunications system to the subscriber number of a first telecommunications system, utilizing messages transmitted from a subscriber station operating in the first telecommunications system. In the method and apparatus t
Chang Vivian
Lee John J.
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd
Rivers Brian T.
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