Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-27
2001-10-16
Maung, Nay (Department: 2744)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S422100, C455S560000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06304757
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a telecommunications system and more particularly to a telecommunications system that includes a number of subscriber apparatus, a number of telephone exchange units and a number of mobile subscriber apparatus.
Thus, the invention is based on a system with which a call incoming from a chosen permanent subscriber apparatus belonging to the system or from a mobile subscriber apparatus also belonging to the system can be connected to a chosen permanent subscriber apparatus or to a mobile subscriber apparatus with the aid of a special telephone exchange unit or telephone switching unit which preferably includes associated computer equipment.
It is also required by the present invention that the telecommunications system has a so-called A-number identification means, wherein each call is accompanied with information concerning the identity of the caller, such as telephone number, therewith enabling the telephone exchange unit and/or computer equipment to evaluate the geographical area and/or position of the permanent subscriber apparatus after each received call, on the basis of this identification.
It is also required by the present invention that the telephone exchange unit and/or the computer equipment included in the telecommunications system is/are able to evaluate and has/have evaluated, established and stored the geographical areas and/or positions applicable to each of a number of available, i.e. callable, mobile subscriber apparatus.
The special telephone exchange unit shall also include a so-called call transfer function, meaning that a call which is received in a telephone exchange unit on a first input terminal and which, subsequent to evaluation, shall be connected to one of said evaluated, available mobile subscriber apparatus, shall initially be received by a telephone operator or in unattended telephone exchanges or switching centres, to be connectable to a device for connection to a speech generator that includes means for generating and presenting instructions and/or questions to the calling subscriber and, subsequent to evaluating which mobile subscriber apparatus shall be indicated or pointed out, activates means associated with said telephone exchange such as to call the indicated mobile subscriber apparatus, whereafter the telephone operator or said means is released from the connection setup through the exchange or switching centre.
There are used in the following description and claims such expressions as “permanent system-associated subscriber apparatus”. This category of subscriber apparatus does not only include such subscriber apparatus that can be connected to a telephone exchange through a physical telephone line, but also includes other telephone apparatus. However, it is essential to the invention that the telephone apparatus and/or the geographical area of the person, preferably the geographical location of said person, can be established unequivocally.
Also used in the following description is the expression “mobile system-associated subscriber apparatus”, by which is meant subscriber apparatus that is allocated to a mobile unit, for instance a taxi cab, express delivery vehicle, mobility service vehicles and like vehicles equipped with mobile telephone equipment, and where it is possible to establish clearly the geographical area and/or the exact location of the unit at any moment in time.
However, in this latter case, the subscriber apparatus may be a permanently connected apparatus. By a permanent subscriber apparatus is meant, in addition to the accepted meaning of the term, a mobile subscriber apparatus which has informed the exchange or switching centre that calls will be received at a particular location, the subscriber apparatus of a taxi rank or like station.
Technicians familiar with this field, however, will be aware of the types of subscriber apparatus that can be used within the two categories aforesaid.
It is also indicated in the description that the “subscriber apparatus” is active by calling and leaving messages, although it will be understood that each such activation is initiated and effected either automatically or by the person serving the subscriber apparatus concerned.
It will also be understood that the terms “telephone exchange” and “telephone exchange unit” do not refer only to a telephone exchange or a telephone station or switching centre, but also to private branch exchanges, switchboards, private manual branch exchanges and so on.
Although the present invention can be expected to obtain particular application in respect of so-called “taxi telephone exchanges”, i.e. a particular telephone exchange unit that is adapted for taxi vehicles where a telephone operator is able to receive calls and provides information regarding the transportation needs of the customer, etc., and where each customer is able to call one single telephone number for a group of taxi cabs, suitably an easily memorized telephone number, it will be understood that the present invention can also be applied to other telephone exchange units and for other purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
With regard to the significant features of the present invention and other features relating thereto, it can be mentioned that there are known to the art different types of telephone exchanges which fulfil the aforesaid basic requirements regarding the function of the present invention.
The call transfer function required by the invention is known to the art and is included in many telephone exchanges, such as operator-manned subscriber exchanges. One such function is based on a facility which, during an on going call between a calling person, a first person, and a called person, a second person, such as a telephone operator, enables the second person to call a third person and transfer the call to this latter person so as to establish a call connection between the first person and the third person called by the second person without the second person being involved in a subsequent call exchange. This call transfer function is initiated by the calling person, the second person, by actuating the keypad of the telephone apparatus in a manner applicable to the telephone exchange concerned.
The second person is then released from the call connection established by the call transfer function directly between the first and the third person.
The AXE subscriber switching network retailed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, under the designation “AXE-station” is one example of a telephone exchange that incorporates a call transfer facility.
With regard to the present state of techniques, particular reference can be made to the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,840, in which there is described and illustrated a method and an arrangement for selective connection of a permanent subscriber apparatus to nearby mobile subscriber apparatus with the aid of exchange switching functions.
The reader is referred to this American patent publication for a more basic understanding of the present invention and related known techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problems
When considering the state of the prior art as described above, it will be seen that a technical problem with telecommunications systems of the kind described in the introduction, and where the geographical locations of the mobile subscriber apparatus are structured within defined geographical areas, resides in the provision of conditions such that a mobile subscriber apparatus automatically can indicate when it leaves a delimited geographical area and enters an other limited geographical area, an adjacent geographical area.
There is also a technical problem in realizing the advantages that are obtained as the automatic indication is limited to such mobile subscriber apparatus that are stationed in cars, available for an immediate assignment.
It is also a technical problem to, with simple means and measures, be able to provide conditions such that selected delimited geographical areas are given well adapted and suitable borders, such as the
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Maung Nay
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