U.S. patent number 7,171,221 [Application Number 09/467,712] was granted by the patent office on 2007-01-30 for system and method for automatically transferring a call from a first telephone to a designated telephone in close proximity.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Cingular Wirelesss II, LLC. Invention is credited to Umesh J. Amin, Glenn Blumstein, David William Holmes, Ketan Kamdar, Hitesh Shah.
United States Patent |
7,171,221 |
Amin , et al. |
January 30, 2007 |
System and method for automatically transferring a call from a
first telephone to a designated telephone in close proximity
Abstract
A system and method of automatically transferring a call between
telephones based on the distance between the two telephones is
provided. First the proximity of a first telephone to a second
telephone is determined. If the proximity is within a predetermined
limit or threshold, calls directed to the first telephone are
transferred to the second telephone. Security of the transfer may
be ensured to prevent fraudulent use of the subscription of either
telephone. Procedures are provided which permit any the
above-mentioned steps to be performed either at the level of the
individual telephones involved in the transfer, or by an element of
the network, such as an MSC or HLR.
Inventors: |
Amin; Umesh J. (Redmond,
WA), Blumstein; Glenn (Mercer Island, WA), Holmes; David
William (Redmond, WA), Shah; Hitesh (Seattle, WA),
Kamdar; Ketan (Redmond, WA) |
Assignee: |
Cingular Wirelesss II, LLC
(Atlanta, GA)
|
Family
ID: |
37681974 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/467,712 |
Filed: |
December 20, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/462; 455/445;
455/428; 455/417; 455/414.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
3/58 (20130101); H04W 4/029 (20180201); H04W
4/16 (20130101); H04W 4/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04B
1/40 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/917,151.2,235.1,234,231.4,12.1,13.2,456,458,459,460,417,456.1,231.1,151,461,41.2,522.1,553.1,556.1,428,455,414.1
;379/229.1,211.02,212.01 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Author unknown,
http://www.bluetooth.com/document/default.asp?page=overview, date
unknown, pp. 1-4, Bluetooth--Document Page, Technology Overview.
cited by other .
Decker, Peter, Bluetooth SIG Automotive workgroup MRD, Bluetooth
Doc. No. 8.C.999/0.8xxxxx, Dec. 3, 1999, pp. 1-16. cited by
other.
|
Primary Examiner: Tran; CongVan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Parks Knowlton LLC Herndon, Esq.;
J. Perry Evora; Robert
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; and receiving the
calls on the second telephone; wherein, the communications network
includes a positioning node (PN) and in which determining includes
the PN collecting positional data to track the proximity of the
first telephone to the second telephone, and the communication
network includes a plurality of base stations and in which
determining includes determining the proximity of the first
telephone to the second telephone through time-of-arrival
measurements made on communications received by the base stations
from the first telephone.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first telephone includes a
wireless location receiver, and in determining includes determining
the proximity of the first telephone to the second telephone using
wireless location receiver data.
3. The method of claim 2 in which the wireless location receiver is
selected from the group consisting of global positioning satellite
(GPS) and short-range positioning beacon receiver.
4. The method of claim 3 in which the first telephone having a
wireless location receiver, and in which determining includes the
first telephone collecting positional data to determine its
proximity to the second telephone.
5. The method of claim 1 in which determining includes the
time-of-arrival proximity tracking being performed by the first
telephone, in response to measurements made by the base
stations.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications network
includes a positioning node (PN) and in which determining includes
the PN performing time-of-arrival calculations, in response to
measurements made by the base station.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications network
includes a mobile switching center (MSC), and initiating includes
the MSC paging the first telephone.
8. The method of claim 7 in which initiating includes the first
telephone acknowledging the page, and the MSC automatically
initiating the call transfer.
9. The method of claim 7 in which initiating includes the first
telephone acknowledging the MSC page, and the first telephone
initiating the call transfer.
10. The method of claim 1 in which initiating includes the first
telephone initiating the call transfer using a star feature
code.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the second telephone is
selectably enabled, in which initiating includes initiating the
call transfer through enabling the second telephone, and in which
determining includes determining the proximity of the first
telephone to the second telephone after enablement of the second
telephone.
12. The method of claim 1 including a further step, following
receiving; nullifying the received call.
13. The method of claim 1 including authorizing the call transfer
prior to receiving.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first telephone has a user
interface, in which authorizing includes entering a private code
into the first telephone user interface to authorize the call
transfer.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the first telephone includes a
presentation mechanism, and in which authorization includes
presenting the results of the call transfer authorization process
to the user of the first telephone.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first telephone is a wireless
telephone and the second telephone is a automobile mounted wireless
telephone, in which determining includes determining that the
proximity of the portable telephone to the auto-mounted telephone
meets a predetermine threshold.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the portable telephone includes
an embedded wireless location receiver, wherein the auto-mounted
telephone includes a port to accept positional data, wherein the
automobile includes a wireless location receiver with a port to
provide position location data, and in which determining includes
the portable telephone collecting positioning data through the
embedded wireless location receiver and the auto-mounted telephone
accepting position location data from the port of the auto-mounted
wireless location receiver.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the first telephone is a portable
mobile telephone and the second telephone has a predetermined fixed
position, in which determining includes determining that the
proximity of the portable telephone to the fixed position of the
second telephone.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first telephone has a
predetermined fixed position and the second telephone is a wireless
telephone, in which determining includes determining that the
proximity of the portable telephone to the fixed position of the
first telephone.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the second telephone is a
portable mobile telephone and the first telephone is an automobile
mounted wireless telephone, in which determining includes
determining that the proximity of the portable telephone to the
auto-mounted telephone meets a predetermined threshold.
21. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; and receiving the
calls on the second telephone, the communications network including
(SIM) cards to identify the user of a telephone, and in which
initiating includes initiating the transfer of calls by moving a
SIM card from the first telephone to the second telephone, and in
which receiving includes transferring a preexisting call from the
first telephone to the second telephone.
22. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; receiving the calls
on the second telephone; and nullifying the received call, the
first and second telephones having power supplies, and in which
nullifying includes nullifying the call transfer in response to a
one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of: 1)
the elapse of a predetermined amount of time; 2) the termination of
a call; 3) the power supply status of the second telephone; 4) the
power supply status of the first telephone; 5) the radio frequency
(RF) coverage enjoyed by the second telephone; and 6) the RF
coverage enjoyed by the first telephone.
23. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; authorizing the
transfer of calls; and receiving the calls on the second telephone,
each telephone having a non-transferable identification number, and
the communications network including an identification number
cross-referenced database of permitted call transfers, and in which
authorizing includes authorizing the transfer of calls in response
to checking whether the identification number of the first
telephone is cross referenced to the identification number of the
second telephone.
24. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; authorizing the
transfer of calls; and receiving the calls on the second telephone,
the first and second telephones having power supplies, in which
authorizing includes authorizing the transfer of calls in response
to one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of: 1)
the status of the second telephone power supply; 2) the status of
the first telephone power supply; 3) the RF coverage of the second
telephone; 4) the RF coverage of the first telephone; and 5) the
wireless cellular capacity.
25. In a communications network connecting telephones, a method for
transferring telephone calls comprising the steps of: determining
the proximity of a first telephone to a second telephone;
initiating a transfer of calls from the first telephone to the
second telephone in response to the proximity; receiving the calls
on the second telephone, a plurality of wireless telephones being
provided, in which determining includes determining the proximity
of the plurality of wireless telephones to the first telephone, and
preceding initiating: establishing a call transfer priority among
the plurality of mobile telephones; and in which initiating
includes initiating the transfer of calls to the wireless telephone
among the plurality of wireless telephones with the highest call
transfer priority.
26. In a communications network connecting telephones, a system for
transferring telephone calls comprising: a first telephone
connected to the communications network; a second telephone
connected to the communications network; a network positioning node
(PN) having a port to the communications network to receive
information regarding the positions of said first and second
telephones; a call transfer mechanism for transferring telephone
calls from the first telephone to the second telephone in response
to proximity of the first telephone to the second telephone; and a
plurality of base stations connected to said first telephone
through a wireless communications link, said plurality of base
stations timing the arrival of communications from said first
telephone and supplying time-of-arrival data to said PN; wherein
said PN performs the proximity determination using the
time-of-arrival data.
27. The system of claim 26 in which said first telephone is a
wireless telephone with a wireless location receiver selected from
the group consisting of global positioning satellite (GPS) and
short-range positioning beacon receivers; in which said first
telephone supplies wireless receiver location data to said PN; and
in which said PN perform the proximity determination in response
the received wireless location data.
28. The system of claim 26 in which said first telephone collects
information regarding the position of itself with respect to said
second telephone, and in which said first telephone performs the
proximity determination based on the collected position
information.
29. The system of claim 28 in which said first telephone is a
wireless telephone, wherein: the communications network includes a
plurality of base stations connected to said first telephone
through a wireless band communications link, said plurality of base
stations timing the arrival of communications from said first
telephone and supplying the time-of-arrival data as position
information to said first telephone; and in which said first
telephone performs the proximity determination with the
time-of-arrival data.
30. The system of claim 28 in which said first telephone is a
wireless telephone, said first telephone further including a
wireless location receiver selected from the group consisting of
global positioning satellite (GPS) systems and short-range
positioning beacon receivers; and in which said first telephone
performs the proximity determination in response the location data
from said wireless receivers.
31. The system of claim 28 in which said first and second
telephones each further include a short-range transceiver selected
from the group consisting of Bluetooth, infra-red, Home RF,
wireless LAN, a wireless radio transceivers; and in which said
first telephone performs the proximity determination in response to
short-range transceiver communications between said first and
second telephones.
32. The system of claim 26 further comprising: the communications
network includes a mobile switching center (MSC) to accept the
proximity determination, said MSC initiating a call transfer from
said second telephone, to said first telephone, in response to the
proximity determination.
33. The system of claim 32 in which said first and second
telephones are wireless telephones having power supplies, said
first and second telephones reporting the condition of said power
supplies to the communications network; in which said MSC receives
reports on the condition of said first and second telephone power
supplies, and in which said MSC includes means to nullify the call
transfer, from said second to said first telephone, in response to
one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of said
first telephone power supply condition, said second telephone power
supply condition, the clapse of time since the call transfer was
completed, the termination of a transferred call to said first
telephone, and radio frequency (RF) coverage of said first and
second telephones.
34. The system of claim 32 in which said first and second
telephones have non-transferable identification numbers, wherein:
the communications network includes a database of cross-referenced
identification numbers to provide cross-referencing reports; and in
which said MSC accepts cross-referenced identification numbers from
said database, said MSC including means to authorize the initiation
of the call transfer in response to the cross-referencing
reports.
35. The system of claim 34 wherein: the communications network
includes a network node server; and in which said identification
number database is housed in elements selected from the group
consisting of said first telephone, said second telephone, and said
network node server.
36. The system of claim 32 in which said first and second
telephones are wireless telephones having power supplies, said
first and second telephone including means for reporting the status
of said power supplies to the network; and in which said MSC
includes means for authorizing the initiation of the call transfer
in response to one or more conditions selected from the group
consisting of the condition of said first telephone power supply
status, said second telephone power supply status, the capacity of
the wireless cellular, the RF coverage enjoyed by said first
telephone, and the RF coverage enjoyed by said second wireless
telephone.
37. The system of claim 26 in which said first telephone further
includes a logic module to accept the proximity determination, said
first telephone logic module initiating a call transfer from said
second telephone to said first telephone in response to the
proximity determination.
38. The system of claim 37 in which said first and second telephone
are wireless telephones having power supplies, said first and
second telephones including means for monitoring the condition of
said power supplies; in which said first telephone includes means
to nullify the call transfer, from said second to said first
telephone, in response to one or more conditions selected from the
group consisting of said first telephone power supply condition,
said second telephone power supply condition, the clapse of time
since the call transfer was completed, the termination of a
transferred call to said first telephone, the RF coverage enjoyed
by said first telephone, and the RF coverage enjoyed by said second
telephone.
39. The system of claim 37 in which said first and second
telephones have non-transferable identification numbers, wherein:
the communications network including a database of cross-referenced
identification numbers to provide cross-referencing reports; and in
which said first telephone accepts cross-referenced identification
numbers from said database, said first telephone includes means for
authorizing the initiation of the call transfer in response to the
cross-referencing reports.
40. The system of claim 39, in which the communications network
includes a network node server; and in which said identification
number database is housed in elements selected from the group
consisting of said first telephone, said second telephone, and said
network node server.
41. The system of claim 37 in which said first and second
telephones are wireless telephones having power supplies, said
first and second telephones including means for monitoring the
status of said power supplies, said first telephone including means
for authorizing the initiation of the call transfer in response to
one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of the
condition of said first telephone power supply, the condition of
said second telephone power supply, the RF coverage enjoyed by said
first telephone, the RF coverage enjoyed by said second telephone,
and the capacity of the wireless cellular.
42. The system of claim 37 in which said first telephone, following
the proximity determination, initiates the call transfer by
registering a star feature code with the network.
43. The system of claim 37 wherein: the communications network
includes a SIM card to identify the user of a telephone; and in
which said first telephone includes means to initiate the call in
response to transfer of the SIM card, from said second telephone,
to said first telephone.
44. The system of claim 37 in which said first telephone includes a
switch to selectably enable said first telephone, and in which said
first telephone includes means for initiating the call transfer in
response to enabling said switch.
45. The system as in claim 37 in which said first telephone
includes means for authorizing the initiation of the call transfer
by registering a private code with the network.
46. The system of claim 26 in which said first telephone includes a
presentation mechanism; and in which said presentation mechanism
presents the results of the call initiation process to the user of
the telephone.
47. The system of claim 26 further comprising: a mobile platform;
in which said first telephone is a wireless telephone mounted on
said mobile platform; and in which said second telephone is a
portable wireless telephone.
48. The system of claim 47 in which said mobile platform includes a
wireless location receiver having an output port to supply position
data; in which said first telephone has a port connected to said
mobile platform wireless location receiver port to accept the
position data from said automobile wireless location receiver; and
in which said second telephone includes a wireless location
receiver.
49. The system of claim 26 in which said first telephone is a
portable wireless telephone; and in which said second telephone has
a predetermined fixed location.
50. The system of claim 26 further comprising: a mobile platform;
in which said second telephone is a wireless telephone mounted on
said mobile platform; and in which said first telephone is a
portable wireless telephone.
51. The system of claim 26 in which said second telephone is a
portable wireless telephone; and in which said first telephone has
a predetermined fixed location.
52. The system of claim 26 further comprising: a plurality of
telephones each having a proximity to said second telephone; a
database including a hierarchical transfer priority established
between said plurality of telephones; and in which a call transfer
is initiated to a telephone, among said plurality of telephones,
with the higher transfer priority.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to telecommunications and, more
particularly, to a system and method of automatically transferring
a call from a first telephone to a second telephone when the second
telephone is in the proximity of the first telephone.
Call forwarding is a common feature in both landline and wireless
telephone systems. Conventionally, a user programs a telephone to
ring at another telephone, either unconditionally, or in the event
that there is no answer at the programmed telephone. Typically, a
user must take the time to program the feature every time call
forwarding is desired.
Many telephone users have multiple telephones with separate
telephone numbers. Users may have landline telephones at work and
home. Users may also have portable telephones, which are carried on
or near a user's person, and may have mobile telephones mounted in
automobiles. Typically, in such circumstances a user has a
preference as to which telephone they would rather use. Some users
might prefer to take cellular calls on a landline telephone,
because of the cost savings, when they are near their landline
telephones. Other users might prefer to take all their calls on a
cellular telephone for convenience. Some users might prefer to take
calls to their portable telephone on a mobile telephone, when in an
automobile, because of the higher performance associated with
mobile telephones.
However, it is difficult for a communication network to determine a
user's preferences, especially when the preferences are dependent
on the user's location and personal circumstances. It is also
difficult for a user to remember to consistently enter call
transferring instructions. Further, the process of constantly
changing the call transferring program can be tiresome.
It would be advantageous if telephone calls could be automatically
transferred from a first telephone to a designated telephone, when
the first telephone is near the designated telephone. Further, it
would be advantageous if such automatic transfer from the first
telephone could be automatically nullified when the first telephone
is no longer near the designated telephone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a method for automatically transferring telephone
calls between telephones in communication through one or more
networks has have been provided. According to the method proximity
of a first telephone to a designated telephone is determined,
transfer of a call from the first telephone through the one or more
networks to the designated telephone is initiated in response to
the proximity, the transfer is authorized, and the call is accepted
on the designated telephone.
"Proximity" is used broadly in this summary and in the description
to follow. Telephones are "proximate" when they are near or
adjacent to each other. Nearness may mean a measurement of distance
between a moving telephone and a fixed one, or it may entail
measurement of distance between two moving telephones. The term
proximity can also signify the intersection of areas or volumes
that contain the telephones.
Further, transfer of calls from the first to the preferred
telephone is by means of a network that may be a single net or two
or more nets in communications. Accordingly, the telephones are in
communication, or are enabled to communicate by means of one or
more networks.
Proximity of the two telephones can be determined in a number of
ways. In one aspect of the invention proximity may be determined
using wireless location receivers, such a global positioning
satellite (GPS) receivers. In another aspect, wireless network
elements may determine the telephone locations from position
triangulation. When one of the telephones has a fixed location, the
position of a portable or mobile telephone can be compared to the
fixed position for determining proximity. Alternatively, two
wireless telephones may have short-range wireless transceivers,
such as those based on Bluetooth technology, which may give an
indication of proximity as a relative measure not referenced to a
fixed location. Then, the exact location of the telephones need not
be determined, it must just be determined that the telephones are
near each other.
Telephone proximity is determined through data collected by the
telephones themselves or by other means in communication with the
telephones, such as a network, or by a combination of the two.
Before initialization of call transfer commences, an analysis must
be made of position and/or proximity data. The decision that
telephones are close enough to begin the transfer can be made by
the designated telephone, by the first telephone, by a process
involving both telephones, or by the telephones in combination with
the network. In some aspects of the invention, the network may
establish a positioning node at a mobile switching center (MSC) to
calculate proximity between telephones.
Call transfer is initiated after it is determined that the
telephones are in proximity. The decision to transfer the call can
be made by logic embedded in the designated telephone, in the first
telephone, or in a process involving both telephones. In some
aspects of the invention the decision to transfer the call is made
by the network (MSC), or a decision process involving both the
telephones and a network element.
In some aspects of the invention the initiation of the call
transfer is made by either the first telephone or the designated
telephone, with the entering of a code after a determination has
been made that the telephones are in close proximity. Alternately,
the call transfer is enabled by simply turning on the designated
telephone, or turning off the first telephone.
The call transfer can also be automatically nullified in response
to predetermined conditions such as the elapse of a predetermined
amount of time, the termination of a call, low power battery in the
designated telephone, or poor RF coverage of the designated
telephone.
In some aspects of the invention security features may be added,
with authorization being precedent to call transfer. Such
authorization can involve the matching of telephone serial numbers
in a database of permitted transfers. The database can be
maintained by the network or in a telephone. Alternately, the
telephone user can enter a personal identification number (PIN)
into the first telephone, the designated telephone, or into both
telephones. Further, the authorization may be dependent on factors
such as the power supply or radio frequency (RF) coverage of the
transferring telephones.
A typical scenario might include the transfer of calls to a
portable telephone from a mobile telephone mounted in an
automobile, when the portable telephone is in, or near, the
automobile. Likewise, calls can automatically be transferred to a
portable telephone when the user is in close proximity to a known
fixed site. Calls can be automatically transferred from a portable
telephone to a mobile telephone, or landline telephone, when the
user is in an automobile, or at the site of a landline
telephone.
A system for transferring calls between telephones is also
provided. The system comprises at least a first telephone and a
designated telephone in a communication with the first telephone.
When the first telephone has a determined proximity to the
designated telephone, calls received at the first telephone are
transferred to the designated telephone, in response to such
proximity.
In some aspects of the invention a network positioning node (PN)
receives information regarding telephone proximity and supplies the
proximity determination. Proximity information can also be
collected by either the telephones themselves using location
receivers, or by using time of arrival measurements. Such tracking
of the telephone may be as necessary for a proximity determination
can be performed by the telephones themselves, or by a network.
Likewise the decision on whether the telephones are in proximity
can be made by the network MSC or by one, or both, of the
telephones.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system according to this
invention for transferring calls.
FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram schematic of a first
telephone in the system of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3 5 are charts illustrating an exemplary series of network
communications where elements in the network participate in the
call transfer process of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a chart illustrating an exemplary series of network
communications for determining proximity between telephones.
FIG. 7 illustrates a call transfer according to this invention
using a SIM card.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating steps in the present invention
method for transferring telephone calls.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The essence of this invention is to transfer a call, or other
communication, from a first telephone, to a designated telephone in
proximity to the first telephone. Such a transfer requires
determination of the proximity of the first and designated
telephones and also requires means to effect and transfer the
communication.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates an embodiment
of the present invention system for transferring calls. This
example is for illustration purposes only and is not meant to limit
the scope of the invention. A wireless communications network 10 is
shown comprising a first telephone 12 connected to the
communications network 10. A second telephone 14 is connected to
the communications network and has a proximity to the first
telephone 12. The proximity between the first telephone 12 and the
second telephone 14 is represented by an arrow or vector 16. The
second telephone 14 selectively receives calls, transferred from
the first telephone 12, in response to the proximity of the first
and second telephones 12 and 14.
For illustration, at least one of the telephones 12 and 14 is a
wireless telephone. In some aspects of the invention, the first
telephone 12 is a wireless telephone mounted on a mobile platform,
such as automobile 18, and the second telephone 14 is a portable
wireless telephone. This is the configuration shown in FIG. 1.
Alternately, but not shown, the second telephone is mounted in
automobile 18, and the first telephone is portable telephone
12.
In another application of the invention, the first telephone 12 may
be a portable wireless telephone, and the second telephone 20 may
have a predetermined fixed location such as the telephone 20, which
may be a conventional landline telephone in a home or an office.
Alternately, the landline telephone 20 may be the first telephone
and the second telephone may be the portable telephone 12. The
position of the landline telephone 20 can be entered into telephone
logic or stored in a network database so that the proximity of
telephone 12 to telephone 20 can be determined by tracking
telephone 12.
The invention contemplates a number of mechanisms to track the
position of mobile telephones. The network 10 includes a plurality
of base stations connected to the first and second telephones 12
and 14 through wireless communications links 22. Base stations 24
and 26 are specifically shown in FIG. 1. The network also includes
a mobile switching center (MSC) 28. In some aspects of the
invention, the network 10 includes a home location register (HLR)
29 and network positioning node (PN) 30 having a port connected to
the communications network 10 to receive information regarding the
position of the first and second telephones 12 and 14. The PN 30
analyzes the position information and supplies a proximity
determination. The landline telephone 20 is connected to network 10
through public switched telephone network (PSTN) 31.
The determination of proximity between telephones may be embodied
in a threshold distance measurement that is based on several
features including the potential accuracy of the information that
is available on a position of both the mobile telephone 12 and the
portable telephone 14, and other network factors, such as
congestion in the cellular to be served. That is, even if
telephones 12 and 14 are physically close, service may be limited
due to lack of network capacity to effect the transfer.
The proximity determination may also involve the plurality of base
stations, including stations 24 and 26, and arrival times of
communications from the first and second telephones 12 and 14. The
base stations 24 and 26 may supply the time-of-arrival data through
a network connection to PN 30. In this case, PN 30 performs the
proximity determination using the time-of-arrival data.
Alternately, the telephones 12 and 14 may make time-of-arrival
(TOA) measurements on each other, and on communicating base
stations 24 and 26. Further, all the communicating elements 12, 14,
24, and 26 may make TOA measurements with which a proximity
determination may be performed.
FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram schematic of the second
telephone 14 of FIG. 1. The second telephone 14 is depicted as a
wireless telephone with a wireless band transceiver 40 for
communications with the network 10. As is well understood in the
art, communications with the network 10 involve in-band
communications, which are the voice or data information transfers
that are the purpose of telephone calls, and out-of-band control
signals which monitor and maintain network links between individual
telephones and the network. One purpose of the present invention is
to transfer in-band messages between telephones. The mechanics of
communicating with the telephones and network to effect the
transfers are typically carried out using the control channels.
However, in some aspects of the invention the call transfer process
concerns transferring the out-of-band control signals of a first
telephone to a second telephone. A "call" can be defined to include
the registration of the telephones 12 and 14 with the network,
typically with a home location register (HLR). In other words, the
communication which is actually transferred is the normal location
tracking, or the normal subscription tracking that is performed by
the network 10.
Assuming that the proximity determination returns a judgment that
threshold conditions have been satisfied, MSC 28, or PN 30
initiates network commands to perform a transfer of a call directed
to the first telephone 12 to the second telephone 14. In this
regard, a message is sent, such as a page from the MSC 28 to the
portable unit 14, which will cause the mobile unit 12 to ring and
then, either automatically or as a result of intervention by the
user, the call is answered. A traffic channel is set up between the
portable telephone 14 and MSC 28, and communications are now
directed to telephone 14, instead of mobile telephone 12. The MSC
28 then sends a message to the mobile telephone 12 instructing it
to clear the traffic channel and terminate the call or other
communication.
The second telephone 14 depicted in FIG. 2 includes a wireless
location receiver 42 selected from the group consisting of global
positioning satellite (GPS) systems and short-range positioning
beacon systems, or similar navigational systems. FM radio and LORAN
position systems are examples of short-range positioning beacon
systems. The wireless receiver 42 permits the second telephone 14
to establish its position independently of communications with the
network 10. However, when the second telephone 14 uses CA code GPS
receiver, the MSC 28, or some other element in the network, may
send differential correction data to improve the accuracy of the
position measurements. The second telephone 14 supplies wireless
receiver location data to the PN 30, and the PN 30 makes the
proximity determination in response to the received wireless
location data. Likewise, but not shown, the first telephone 12 has
a wireless location receiver and sends position data to PN 30.
Returning to FIG. 1, in some aspects of the invention the mobile
platform 18 includes a wireless location receiver 44 having an
output port to supply position data. In this aspect, the second
telephone 14 has a port to accept the position data from the
automobile wireless location receiver 44 on line 46.
The system of the present invention need not use PN 30 to perform
the proximity determination. In some aspects of the invention the
second telephone 14 collects information regarding the position of
itself to the first telephone 12, and the second telephone 14
performs the proximity determination based on the collected
position information. This proximity determination is performed by
the second telephone 14 using the time-of-arrival data measured by
base stations 24 and 26, and/or the telephones 12 and 14. Likewise,
in some aspects of the invention the first telephone 12 accepts the
time-of-arrival data and performs a proximity determination either
independently, or in concert with the second telephone 14.
Alternately, the second telephone 14 (and/or first telephone 12)
makes a proximity determination from embedded wireless location
receivers such as receivers 42 (see FIG. 2) and 44. In some aspects
of the invention, telephones 12 and 14 work in concert with PN 30
or MSC 28 to make a determination at proximity.
In another aspect of the invention the absolute position of neither
the first telephone 12 nor the second telephone 14 need be known.
First and second telephones 12 and 14 may establish contact with
each other outside of the communication network 10 in order to make
the proximity determination. For this purpose, short-range
transceivers 50 and 52, using Bluetooth, infra-red, Home RF,
wireless LAN technologies, or even a second wireless transceiver,
permit communications when the telephones 12 and 14 are in close
proximity. Then the second telephone 14 makes the proximity
determination in response to short-range transceiver communications
54 between the first and second telephones. In this aspect of the
invention, the proximity determination is based on the clarity or
signal strength of the short-range communications link.
Alternately, the proximity determination may be made by first
telephone 12, or made mutually by the two telephones 12 and 14.
Moreover, the short-range transceivers 50 and 52 can also be used
to communicate absolute positions between the telephones 12 and 14,
where the telephones 12 and 14 are equipped with wireless
navigation receivers, or are otherwise supplied with positional
data, independent from the network 10. Then, the proximity
determination is made based on position, not merely the relative
distance between the two telephones 12 and 14. For example, the
second telephone 14 may collect the GPS position of the first
telephone 12 through the use of short-range transceivers 50 and
52.
Just as the proximity determination can be made by either the
telephones, the network, or both, the call transfer process can be
effected at a number of different levels or locations in the
network 10. Returning to FIG. 1, in one aspect of the invention the
MSC 28 is connected to the communications network 10 to accept the
proximity determination. The MSC 28 initiates a call transfer from
the first telephone 12 to the second telephone 14 in response to
the proximity determination.
Returning briefly to FIG. 2, the second telephone 14 has a power
supply or battery 56 to enable portable telephone operation. The
second telephone 14 reports the condition of the power supply 56 to
the network 10. Likewise, but not shown, the first telephone 12 can
have a battery power supply which is monitored and reported. The
MSC 28 receives reports on the condition of telephone power
supplies, such as the radio frequency (RF) coverage currently
enjoyed by first and second telephones 12 and 14. The MSC 28
nullifies the call transfer, from first telephone 12 to the second
telephone 14, in response to a stimulus selected from the group
consisting of the condition of the first telephone power supply 56,
based on a concern that a low power supply voltage may cause
communications to the second telephone to fail. Nullification of
the call transfer means that calls addressed to the first telephone
12 are sent by the network 10 to the first telephone 12. Further,
the transfer can be nullified based on the elapse of time since the
call transfer was completed, the termination of a specific
transferred call to the second telephone, the condition of the
first telephone power supply, or the RF coverage of the first and
second telephones 12 and 14. Once again, a determination may be
made to nullify a transfer based on the concern that the RF
communication link to the second telephone 14 is poor, while the RF
coverage of the first telephone 12 is good.
In addition to nullifying an existing call transfer, the MSC 28 has
the authority to initially establish a call transfer in response to
conditions such as the status of the second telephone power supply
56, and/or the status of the first telephone power supply (not
shown). For example, when the first telephone 12 is mounted in the
automobile 18, the call transfer process may be triggered by the
detection of the automobile being shut off, of the detection of a
weak automobile battery. As with nullification, the call transfer
process is initially established in consideration of factors such
as the RF coverage of first and second telephones 12 and 14, and
the wireless cellular capacity, in some aspects of the
invention.
In some aspects of the invention the first and second telephones 12
and 14 may have non-transferable identification numbers, or serial
numbers. A database of cross-referenced identification numbers may
be maintained by the communications network 10 to provide
cross-referencing reports. The MSC 28 accepts cross-referenced
identification numbers from this database, and authorizes the
initiation of the call transfer in response to the
cross-referencing reports. Returning to FIG. 1, a network node
server 60 is shown connected to network 10. The identification
number database is potentially housed in a variety of elements
including memory modules 62 embedded in the second telephone 14
(see FIG. 2), the first telephone 12 (not shown), or the network
node server 60.
The decision to initiate a call transfer can also come from a
telephone participating in the call transfer process. Returning to
FIG. 2, the second telephone 14 further includes a logic module 63
to accept the proximity determination and other factors in
consideration of a call transfer. The second telephone logic module
63 initiates a call transfer from the first telephone to the second
telephone in response to the proximity determination. Likewise, the
first telephone 12 includes a logic module (not shown) to initiate
a call transfer in some aspects of the invention. In some aspects
of the invention, that call transfer is initiated after an
agreement is reached between the first telephone 12 and the second
telephone 14. In another alternative, the decision process involves
the telephones 12 and 14, along with MSC 28.
In a simple aspect of the invention, the second telephone 14
initiates the call transfer by registering a star feature code with
the network, following a proximity determination. The positional
information, proximity determination, and decision to initiate the
call transfer process can be performed through any of the
above-described methods.
Likewise, the first telephone 12, or both telephones 12 and 14 may
enter star codes to initialize the call transfer in come aspects.
This feature permits a call already in progress to be transferred
by the generation of a message such as the common call transfer
message using a star feature code. This message would also include
the mobile telephone 12 identification as used by the system 10,
such as a dialable number, IMSI or TSMI etc. to identify the
portable telephone 14.
Returning briefly to FIG. 2, in some aspects of the invention a SIM
card 70 may be implemented to identify the user of a telephone, and
the second telephone 14 initiates the call by transfer to the SIM
card 70, from the first telephone 12, to the second telephone 14.
The SIM card subscription identification module 70, which is used
in global system mobile (GSM) telephones is commonly transferred
between various telephones. Indeed, it was the original intent of
the design of the SIM card that the subscription and communication
or a mobile to home location register of a mobile would be enabled
from one physical transceiver to another by movement of the SIM
card. The unique aspect of the use of the SIM card 70 is the
ability to the present invention system to transfer a pre-existing
call from one telephone to another. Naturally, in this particular
circumstance a threshold proximity determination is presumed since
the first telephone 12 will not operate indefinitely before the SIM
card 70 is inserted into another telephone. Insertion of the SIM
card 70 causes the registration of that telephone with the network
10, typically with the HLR. On seeing the new registration, the
home location register generates a new paging message by the
serving MSC 28. In some aspects of the invention the call in
progress to the first telephone 12 is put on hold as the SIM card
is inserted into the second telephone 14, and the second telephone
14 registers with the system.
In some aspects of the invention, the second telephone 14 includes
a switch 72 to selectably enable the second telephone 14, and the
second telephone 14 initiates the call transfer in response to
enabling the switch 72. Alternately, the second telephone 14
includes a keypad 74, as shown, or a key reading mechanism (not
shown). Then, the second telephone 14, or first telephone 12 (or
both) authorizes the initiation of the call transfer by registering
a private code with the network 10.
As with the MSC 28, the second telephone 14 can nullify a call
transfer in response to a stimulus selected from the group
consisting of condition of the first telephone power supply 56, the
elapse of time since the call transfer was completed, the
termination of a transferred call to said first telephone, and the
RF coverage enjoyed by the telephones 12 and 14, and the power
supply status of the telephone 12. Likewise, the first telephone
12, or the telephones 12 and 14 working in concert, can be
configured to nullify call transfers. As with the MSC 28, the
second telephone 14 can accept cross-referenced identification
numbers from said database in the network, or stored on the
telephone 12 or the telephone 14, to authorize the initiation of
the call transfer in response to the cross-referencing reports.
Likewise, the first telephone 12 can also be so enabled.
An initiated transfer can be withheld until some means of
authenticating the user is provided. For example, the entry of a
personal identification number or PIN onto one or both of the
transferring telephones 12 and 14. This authentication of the user
using the PIN could be performed either autonomously by the logic
within the transceivers, the PIN being prestored therein but not
readable. Alternatively, and obviously in the case of network based
transfers, the PIN can be stored by the network 10. Such a
PIN-based transfer verification would also require that either unit
12 or 14 be given the option to approve or disapprove the
transfer.
In some aspects of the invention the first telephone 12, the second
telephone 14, or both telephones 12 and 14, authorize the
initiation of the call transfer in response to factors such as the
condition of the second telephone power supply 56, the status the
power supply of the first telephone 12, the RF coverage of
telephones 12 and 14, and the capacity of the wireless
cellular.
In some aspects of the invention the second telephone 14, or first
telephone 12 may include a presentation mechanism 76, such as a
display, as shown, or an audio speaker or tactile interface (not
shown). The presentation mechanism 76 presents the results of the
call initiation process to the user of the telephone. Likewise, the
first telephone 12 may be equipped with a display, or the like, to
signal the successful initiation of the call transfer.
Returning to FIG. 1, in some aspects of the invention a plurality
of telephones in addition to the telephones 12 and 14 are included,
such as the telephones 80 and 82, each having a proximity to the
first telephone 12. A hierarchical transfer priority is
established, either in the telephone logic, or with the network HLR
or PN 30, between the plurality of telephones 14, 80, and 82. A
hierarchy represents a list of telephones to which calls may be
transferred in order of preference. Then, a call transfer is
initiated to a telephone among the group 14, 80 and 82, which is in
the proximity, with the higher transfer priority. For example, the
mobile telephone 12 could contain a list of numbers of the mobile
station identifications (MSID)s or dialable numbers of the hand
held units 14, 80, and 82, and would progressively work through a
list by trying to make transfers to each one of the portable units
in turn. Only on completion of successful transfer indication would
the sequence of transfer attempts cease.
It should be noted that for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the
above-mention system has generally described the transfer of a call
from the first telephone 12, to the second telephone 14. However,
processes and system elements of the present invention also operate
to transfer calls from the second telephone 14, to the first
telephone 12, in a similar manner.
FIGS. 3 5 are charts illustrating an exemplary series of network
communications where elements in the network initiate the call
transfer process of the present invention. In lines 101 and 103,
positional or proximity information is sent from telephones 14 and
12, respectively, to network elements PN 30 and HLR 29. This
information may be sent at any time while telephones 12 and 14 are
registered with network 10. The frequency of position updates is
typically dependent on the rate of position change. In lines 102
and 104 the network sends acknowledgment signals of the position
updates.
In FIG. 4, lines 105 and 106 illustrate a request by network nodes
for positional information from the telephones 14 and 12,
respectively. The requests are delivered through base station 24.
Alternately, the request is originated by base station 24. Position
information is shown being returned in lines 106 and 108. Any kind
of message interchange can be used to determine the positions of
telephones 12 and 14.
In FIG. 5, either an in-band or out-of-band call, including an
ongoing registration process with HLR 29, is in progress on line
110. After a determination that telephone 14 is in proximity to
telephone 12, an instruction is sent to initiate the call transfer
in line 112. On line 114, the MSC 28 pages telephone 14, and
receives an acknowledgement at line 116. A traffic channel is
assigned to telephone 14 in lines 118 and 120. The call is
transferred to telephone 14 in line 122, while the call is cleared
to the first telephone in lines 124 and 126.
FIG. 6 is a chart illustrating an exemplary series of network
communications where the telephones 12 and 14 determine proximity.
Lines 130 through 136 depict mobile telephones 14 and 12 requesting
position updates. In line 138 a call is in progress between mobile
telephone 12 and landline telephone 20. In line 140, the mobile
telephone 12 has determined that the portable telephone 14 is close
enough to transfer calls to it. In line 142 a normal call transfer
series of messages are portrayed where the mobile telephone 12
supplies a star code, and the telephone number of telephone 14. At
lines 144 through 150, the MSC 28 sets up the call to portable
telephone 14. At line 152 the call is transferred to telephone 14,
and in line 156 the path and call to telephone 14 is cleared.
FIG. 7 illustrates a call transfer of the present invention using a
SIM card. At line 160 a connection to PSTN 31 is established with
mobile telephone 12. Line 162 represent the removal of the SIM card
from telephone 12, and insertion into the telephone 14. At line 162
the telephone 12 signals the SIM card removal. The MSC 28 puts the
call on hold. At line 166 the telephone 14 registers with the HLR
29. Lines 168 and 170 represent the clearing of the line between
mobile telephone 12 and the MSC 28. If required, MSID information
may have timed-out in the mobile clearing the call. At line 172 the
portable telephone 14 receives registration acknowledgement and
authenticates the transfer process. In lines 174 through 182 the
MSC 28 recognizes call on hold for MSID. The MSC 28 sets up the
call to portable telephone 14 through standard procedures.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating steps in the present invention
method for transferring telephone calls. In step 200 a
communications network includes connections between a plurality of
telephones. Step 202 determines the proximity of a first telephone
to a second telephone. Step 204 initiates the transfer of calls
from the first telephone to the second telephone. In step 206 calls
to the first telephone are accepted on the second telephone.
Generally, FIG. 8 describes the transfer of calls from the first
telephone to the second telephone, but the process of the present
invention applies equally well to the transfer of calls from the
second telephone to the first telephone.
With respect to the system illustrated in FIG. 1, in an exemplary
application of FIG. 8, step 200 provides a connection between a
first telephone having a wireless location receiver and a second
telephone. Step 202 includes determining the proximity of the first
telephone to the second telephone using a wireless location
receiver selected from the group consisting of GPS and short-range
positioning beacon systems. In some aspects of the communications
network may provide a positioning node (PN). Then, in step 202, the
PN collects positional data for tracking the proximity of the first
telephone to the second telephone. Alternately, step 202 can
include the first telephone collecting positional data for tracking
its proximity to the second telephone. Obviously, step 202 can also
include the second telephone tracking the proximity of the first
telephone.
In some aspects of the invention, in step 200, the communications
network may include a plurality of base stations. Then step 202
includes the tracking the proximity of the first telephone to the
second telephone through time-of-arrival measurements made on
communications received by the base stations from the first
telephone. Alternately, the telephones can make time-of-arrival
measurements. In some aspects of the invention step 202 includes
the time of arrival proximity tracking being performed by the first
telephone (and/or second telephone), in response to measurements
made by the base stations. Alternately, step 202 includes the PN
performing time-of-arrival proximity tracking.
In some aspects of the invention the first and second telephones
may be provided with short-range transceivers. Then, step 202
includes collecting positional data for tracking the proximity of
the first telephone to the second telephone through communications
between the first and second telephones using the short-range
transceivers. The short-range transceivers being selected from the
group consisting of Bluetooth, infra-red, wireless LAN, Home RF,
and wireless transceiver technologies.
In some aspects of the invention the communications network may
include a mobile switching center (MSC). In this case, step 202
includes the PN tracking the proximity of the first telephone to
the second telephone, and step 204 includes the MSC paging the
first telephone, to signal network permission for a call transfer.
In step 204 the first telephone acknowledges the page, and includes
the MSC automatically initiating the call transfer. Alternately,
step 204 includes the first telephone acknowledging the MSC page,
and includes the first telephone initiating the call transfer.
In some aspects of the invention step 202 includes the first
telephone determining the proximity of itself to the second
telephone, and step 204 includes the first telephone initiating the
call transfer using a star feature code.
In some aspects of the communications network may include SIM cards
to identify the user of a telephone. Step 204 includes initiating
the call transfer by removing a SIM card from the first telephone
and inserting the SIM card in the second telephone. Step 206
includes transferring a preexisting call from the first telephone
to the second telephone.
In some aspects of the invention the communications network may
selectably enable first and second telephones. Step 204 includes
initiating the call transfer through enabling the second telephone,
and step 202 includes determining the proximity of the first
telephone to the second telephone after enablement of the second
telephone. Alternately, step 204 includes initiating the call
transfer by disabling the first telephone.
In some aspects of the invention a further step may follow step
206. Step 208 nullifies the call transfer established in step 206
and includes nullifying the call transfer in response to a stimulus
selected from the group consisting of the elapse of a predetermined
amount of time, the termination of a call, low power condition in
the second telephone (and/or the first telephone), and poor RF
coverage of the first or second telephone.
In some aspects of the invention a further step may precede step
206. Step 204a authorizes the call transfer. In this case, the
communications network may provide each telephone with a
non-transferable identification number, and the communications
network provides an identification number cross-referenced database
of permitted call transfers. Then, step 204a includes authorizing a
call transfer in response checking whether the identification
number of the first telephone is cross-referenced to the
identification number of the second telephone. The database can be
maintained in the individual telephones or by the network.
Alternately, the network may provide a first telephone user
interface and step 204a may include entering a private code into
the first telephone user interface to authorize the call transfer.
A code can also be entered into the second telephone or both
telephones. In another alternative, step 204a includes authorizing
the call transfer in response to factors such as the power supply
status of the first and second telephones, the RF coverage of the
first and second telephones, and the capacity of the wireless
cellular in which the first and second telephones are operating.
Typically, the network may include, for each telephone, a
presentation interface, such as a display, and step 204a includes
presenting the results of the call transfer authorization process
to the user of the first telephone.
Presume that the first telephone is an automobile mounted wireless
telephone and the second telephone is a portable telephone. Then,
step 202 includes determining that the proximity of the portable
telephone to the auto-mounted telephone meets a predetermined
threshold. Alternatively the portable telephone may include an
embedded wireless location receiver, while the auto-mounted
telephone may include a port to accept positional data. In this
case, the automobile may have a wireless location receiver and a
port to provide position location data. Then, step 202 includes the
portable telephone collecting positioning data through the embedded
wireless location receiver, and the auto-mounted telephone
collecting positional data from the port of the auto-mounted
wireless location receiver. Alternately, the second telephone may
be a portable mobile telephone and the first telephone may be an
automobile mounted wireless telephone, and step 202 would include
determining that the proximity of the portable telephone and the
auto-mounted telephone meet a predetermined threshold.
In some aspects of the invention, the first telephone may be a
portable mobile telephone and the second telephone may have a
predetermined fixed position. Then, step 202 includes determining
that the proximity of the portable telephone to the fixed position
of the second telephone. Alternately, the first telephone may have
a predetermined fixed position and the second telephone may have a
wireless telephone, and step 202 includes determining that the
proximity of the portable telephone to the fixed position of the
first telephone.
In some aspects of the invention the network may interconnect a
plurality of wireless telephones. Then, step 202 includes
determining the proximity of the plurality of wireless telephones
to the first telephone. A further step then precedes step 204. Step
202a (not shown) establishes a call transfer priority among the
plurality of wireless telephones. Then, step 204 includes
initiating the call transfer to the wireless telephone among the
plurality of wireless telephones with the highest call transfer
priority.
A system and method of automatically initiating a call transfer
between telephones, based on the proximity of the telephones has
been provided. Location information reselecting the telephone may
be collected by the telephones or by the network. Likewise
proximity determination and the decision to initiate the call
transfer can be made at the level of the individual telephones or
by the network. Finally, security procedures can be implemented at
the telephone level or at the network level. Other embodiments and
variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the
art.
* * * * *
References