Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Auxiliary data signaling
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-27
2001-09-25
Maung, Nay (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Auxiliary data signaling
C455S445000, C370S230000, C370S231000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295457
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless data communication system. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a system for connecting one or more mobile communication devices directly to a data network via a wireless telecommunication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Developments in wireless communication technologies have made mobile communication devices, such as cellular telephones, relatively inexpensive and reliable. At the same time, portable computers, some small enough to fit in a user's pocket, have gained widespread use. As a result, wireless data communication through a wireless telecommunication network has become possible by providing a portable computer with a modem and connecting it to a mobile communication device. Thus, portable computers equipped for wireless data communication could be used to remotely connect a user to a data network, such as the Internet, from any location within the wireless telecommunication network coverage area.
Typically, wireless connection to a data network is accomplished as follows. When a data call is placed from a mobile communication system, which includes a portable computer, a modem and a mobile communication device, the mobile communication system connects to a base station through the wireless telecommunication network. The base station is typically a telecommunication system capable of routing a call made from a mobile communication device within a predetermined range to another mobile communication device also within range, to another base station for rerouting to a distant mobile communication device outside of the range, or to a standard telephone on a wire or “land” line that is part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”). The base station routes the data call received from the mobile communication device to a data network gateway through the PSTN. The data network gateway is commonly a hybrid computer and telecommunication system that enables individual users to connect to a data network, such as the Internet, via a number of high speed digital data communication lines. Data network gateways are typically operated by data service providers, who for a periodic subscription fee grant to the users the right to access a data network through the data network gateway. Assuming that the user has access rights to use the particular data network gateway, the data call received from the base station is connected to the data network. For the duration of the connection of the data call the user may interact with the data network via the mobile communication system. For example, the user can send and receive electronic mail, and upload/download both text (ASCII) and/or binary data files to and from other computers connected to the data network.
The current data network access arrangement is flawed in a number of ways. First, as a mostly analog network, PSTN has limited bandwidth, and suffers from a relatively large amount of signal noise due to the constant transmission and presence of analog voice calls and the varied condition of the wring and switching equipment. Data calls transmitted through the PSTN frequently compete for bandwidth with each other and with analog voice calls. As a result, the PSTN acts as a bottleneck in that increased data communication traffic causes a proportional decrease in data communication speed. Furthermore, data calls are also affected by signal noise, often forcing the mobile communication systems to retransmit lost or corrupted data and resulting in a significant slowdown of data communication.
Second, the PSTN requires a dedicated channel (i.e., a standard voice telephone line) for each data connection. This channel consumes its full bandwidth even if no data is being transmitted, and as a result the PSTN bandwidth is wasted by inactive channels. Moreover, the bandwidth of each data connection is limited by the bandwidth of a voice telephone line.
Finally, as wireless communication technology moves toward a purely digital wireless communication standard, it becomes cumbersome and counterproductive to convert digital data communication from a mobile communication system to analog data for the sole purpose of transmission through the PSTN, and then have to convert the data back to digital form at the data network gateway.
It would thus be desirable to provide a system for connecting a mobile communication system to a data network directly, bypassing the PSTN.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages and limitations discussed above are overcome by the present invention. The inventive wireless data communication system enables a user to directly connect to and to communicate with a data network, such as the Internet, bypassing the PSTN.
The wireless data communication system of the present invention includes a mobile communication system having a portable computer for initiating data communication and for interacting with other computers connected to a data network, a mobile communication device, such as a cellular telephone, for transmitting and receiving data communication signals to and from a wireless telecommunication network, and a modem for routing data communication signals between the portable computer and the mobile communication device. The system also includes a hybrid base station including a standard base station for transmitting and receiving data communication signals to and from a wireless telecommunication network, a data network gateway for establishing a data communication connection between the mobile communication system and the data network, and a control unit for selecting data communication signals that are of a type designated for the data network that are received by the base station and routing the selected data communication signals to the data network gateway. In another embodiment of the present invention, the data communication gateway is connected to and shared by one or more hybrid base stations with integrated control units.
The system of the present invention operates as follows. A user initiates data communication with the data network from the mobile communication system using the portable computer. Data communication signals, which may be designated for routing to the data network, are then transmitted from the portable computer to the mobile communication device through the modem. The mobile communication device then transmits the data communication signals to the hybrid base station via the wireless telecommunication network. The signals are received by the base station and routed to the control unit which determines whether the received data communication signals are of the type designated for routing to the data network. If the data communication signals are of the type so designated or identified, the control unit routes the signals to the data network gateway, which then connects the mobile communication system to the data network, enabling a bidirectional data communication connection therebetween via the wireless data communication network. Otherwise, the data communication signals are routed to another destination, such as to another base station or to a communication device connected to the PSTN.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
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paten
Gelin Jean A
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Maung Nay
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