Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-30
2001-11-20
Urban, Edward F. (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S414200, C455S445000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321084
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for setting up a telecommunication link to a person who is in a stationary or mobile, substantially enclosed facility, in particular in a building or in a passenger transport means (e.g., an airplane), inside which there are several communication transmitting terminals operated by a private branch exchange of the facility, whereby a (personal) call number in a telecommunication network, in particular a public one, is assigned to a private telecommunication transmitting terminal of the person, e.g., a radiotelephone. In addition, the invention relates to a corresponding telecommunication system for stationary or mobile facilities each forming a substantially enclosed unit, in particular for buildings or passenger transport means, with a private branch exchange provided inside the facility and able to be called from outside the facility, and with several (internal) communication transmitting terminals provided inside the facility and operated by the private branch exchange, as well as a corresponding telecommunication network.
In general, methods and telecommunication systems are known, for example in the area of office communication, in which calls from a private branch exchange (i.e., a switching center) are forwarded to corresponding private branch exchange terminals, in particular to telephones.
In addition, telecommunication systems with mobile radiotelephone telecommunication transmitting terminals, so-called mobile radiotelephone systems, are known that offer a high degree of mobility. Each subscriber is assigned a personal call number under which he can always be reached, as long as he is in the coverage area of the mobile radiotelephone system.
It is known from German patent DE 196 18 531 C1 to forward a call from a telecommunication network, namely the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile radiotelephone network, to a private branch exchange of a private network, namely to a DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone) system, if the subscriber is in an enclosed facility, for example inside his office, where the private branch exchange is installed. The private branch exchange described therein is connected via lines with the mobile radiotelephone switching center. The call is rerouted from there together with a call number, the so-called “private branch routing number” to the private branch exchange. This call number, instead of the location data (the so-called “location area identity”), is registered in the subscriber file of the mobile radiotelephone system, and shows how the subscriber can be reached through the private branch exchange in the private network. However, it is not described in DE 196 18 531 how the call is forwarded from the private branch exchange to the communication transmitting terminal (DECT handset) that the subscriber can use. The described call rerouting is not possible if the subscriber has left the coverage area of the mobile radiotelephone system and is in a moving facility, for example in an airplane. Precisely for business customers, for whom airplane trips are an everyday occurrence, the ability to also be reached in the airplane would be desirable, to be able to use the time in the airplane more productively.
At present, only telephone conversations can be transmitted from the airplane to a subscriber on the ground using a credit card or a telephone credit card or calling card, for which telephones are increasingly situated at almost every seat in the airplane.
Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,539 discloses a telecommunication system in which a call transmitted by a flight passenger from an airplane is received by a ground station and forwarded to a special target station of a ground-supported telecommunication network. For this purpose, a phone station with credit card reader is provided in the airplane, through which the telecommunication takes place with the radio ground station.
In other substantially enclosed facilities as well, such as in ships or trains, and also in facilities such as underground mines, for which telecommunication cannot take place via the public telecommunication network or for which an electromagnetic radio link cannot be made due to interference or for other reasons, e.g., for safety reasons, a person's ability to also be reached within these facilities would be extremely desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is therefore directed to a method and a telecommunication system by which a person subscribing to a telecommunication network continues to be reachable in stationary or mobile, substantially enclosed facilities under his/her personal call number.
In the method according to the invention, at least during the respective person's stay in the enclosed facility, a record is stored of the assignment of his/her personal call number to an internal communication transmitting terminal serving the enclosed facility, so that a call directed to the private telecommunication transmitting terminal of the person in the public network is rerouted together with the personal call number to the private branch exchange and that, by means of the stored assignment, the internal communication transmitting terminal assigned to the personal call number is determined and the call is forwarded to this internal communication transmitting terminal.
Thus, at least during the person's stay in the facility, the assignment of his/her personal call number to that internal communication transmitting terminal that is assigned to the person during his/her stay in the enclosed facility is stored, so that a call directed to the personal call number of the person is rerouted to the private branch exchange. By means of the stored assignment, the internal communication transmitting terminal assigned to the personal call number / ID is determined, and the call is forwarded to this internal communication transmitting terminal.
In this way, for example, the internal communication transmitting terminals (e.g., on-board telephones) already provided for outgoing calls in an airplane can now also be used for incoming calls according to the invention. For this, the corresponding airline installs for each airplane a special call number that is used by flight passengers as call routing number for calls directed to their personal call number. The private branch exchange in the airplane can be reached under this special call number. Since the personal call number of the subscriber (i.e., the flight passenger) or a unique ID (e.g., a seat number) is also transmitted along, the call can be forwarded to the subscriber after the internal on-board telephone assigned to him has been determined by means of the personal call number and/or ID.
The ID can be available for example as a so-called calling party address (CgPA). The call rerouting can be supplemented by a time-dependency, in order to reroute all calls for the subscriber to this special call number only as of a specific time.
In an advantageous design of the invention, the communication link between the private branch exchange and its internal communication transmitting terminals is made in a wireless manner, in particular by means of infrared signals via infrared telephones that are used as mobile components. If electromagnetic interference inside the facility is not a problem, the internal communication transmitting terminals may also be radiotelephones, in particular the personal mobile radiotelephones of the subscribers (flight passengers).
The assignment of the personal call numbers by the private telecommunication transmitting terminal to the respective internal communication transmitting terminal as well as the call rerouting can take place in the facility via the internal communication transmitting terminals assigned there, that is, in an airplane it can take place via the respective internal on-board telephone provided at the seat. Each flight passenger can register with the private branch exchange via the internal on-board telephone in a decentralized manner by means of a dat
Alcatel
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Urban Edward F.
LandOfFree
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