Patents Examined by G. J. Oehling
  • Patent number: 5442684
    Abstract: A method and arrangement of locating cordless units in a wide area cordless telephone system is disclosed. A service area is previously divided into a plurality of small service zones and, a plurality of cordless units are provided for establishing communications with a system controller via a plurality of access stations. The system controller locates the cordless units and stores therein location data thereof. Each of the cordless units also stores the location data thereof applied from the system controller. A cordless unit issues a request signal which includes cordless unit location data. The request signal is received at an access station which in turn checks to determine if the request signal applied thereto is issued from a cordless unit whose location data indicates a service zone belonging to a predetermined service zone group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Hashimoto, Ryoji Hara, Yasuhiro Fujimura
  • Patent number: 5438611
    Abstract: A system for transmitting originated information from one of a plurality of originating processors in an electronic mail system to at least one of a plurality of destination processors in an electronic mail system in accordance with the invention includes a RF information transmission network for transmitting the originated information to at least one RF receiver which transfers the originated information to the at least one of the plurality of destination processors; at least one interface switch, the at least one interface switch being coupled to the electronic mail system containing the plurality of originating processors and the RF information transmission network and transmitting the originated information received from the electronic mail system containing the plurality of originating processors to the RF information transmission network; and at least one additional processor with each additional processor being coupled to at least one interface switch and transmitting other originated information to th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: NTP Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas J. Campana, Jr., Michael P. Ponschke, Gary F. Thelen
  • Patent number: 5436954
    Abstract: A portable radio telephone set provided with a display section includes a rotary selector which turns to select various functions. A menu displayed on the display section is selected by the rotary selector during a non-conversation time, and the sound volume can be adjusted during the conversation time. The adjusting operation can be performed from both the front and the rear sides of the telephone set. The rotary selector and button keys are arranged within the operation range of the thumb, and ordinary dial functions performed by operating these rotary selector and button keys are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanori Nishiyama, Kazunori Yanagisawa, Sakae Itakura
  • Patent number: 5430790
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for enabling RT subscribers (15, 25 and 35), in radio service areas (1, 2 and 3) serviced by a radio telephone control system (11, 21 and 31) (RTCS), to receive calls originally presented to non-servicing RTCSs (11, 21 or 31). In this effort the RTCS (11) currently serving the RT subscriber (15) receives information and a callback number indicating that a call, placed to the RT subscriber (15), is in progress at a remote RTCS (21 or 31). In response, the currently serving RTCS (11) pages the RT subscriber (15). Thereafter, upon receipt of the RT subscriber's page response, the currently serving RTCS (11) calls the callback number so as to connect the RT subscriber (15) to the call in progress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1995
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: James M. Williams
  • Patent number: 5428663
    Abstract: A communications signal-transmitting device carried by a communications system user indicates the location of that user relative to other wired or wireless communications devices connected to a communications system. This location indication is utilized by the communications system to forward incoming voice and/or data communications for that user to the other communications device so that the user can receive such communications. As a result, the location of any potential system user is provided and call forwarding for that user is accomplished without the prior art problems associated with activation and deactivation. In the disclosed embodiments which pertain to the forwarding of voice communications in a PBX environment, the communications device is a pager which communicates with the wired or wireless telephone sets connected to the line side of the PBX to provide the PBX with the location of the system user relative to these telephone sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Gary J. Grimes, Lawrence J. Haas
  • Patent number: 5426689
    Abstract: A wireless headset telephone whose base station interconnects to a standard electronic telephone station set via the speaker phone port of the standard electronic station set. The user of the wireless headset telephone is able to answer incoming telephone calls having been alerted by an audible signal and can originate calls by utilizing the dialing pad associated with the headset. The wireless headset telephone comprises a headset with a microphone and a mobile unit with an associated key pad. The mobile unit is designed so that it may be worn by the user of the headset in a manner similar to the well known Walkman radio sets. The mobile unit includes all of the communication circuits required to maintain a radio frequency link with a base station which is connected to the electronic telephone set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Gary L. Griffith, Norman W. Petty
  • Patent number: 5422930
    Abstract: A radio frequency communication system is coupled to a telephone network (130) having automatic number identification (ANI) capabilities for communication thereover. The radio frequency communication system includes at least one relocateable base station (115) which shares a radio frequency channel with stationary communication devices (105) for communicating over predetermined geographic areas (110). The radio frequency communication system further includes a service center (125) which, in response to a call from a base station (115), receives from the telephone network (130) information indicative of at least a portion of a telephone number from which the base station (115) is calling. The service center (125) determines therefrom whether the base station (115) is located within any of the predetermined geographic areas (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: James A. McDonald, Ross Ruthenberg
  • Patent number: 5418840
    Abstract: A specific module of a communications network comprises (i) first and second telephone interface mechanisms respectively connected to telephone channels, (ii) interconnection mechanisms between these first and second interfaces, and (iii) a processing mechanism. In response to a request for a telephone call from a telephone set calling a call (dialing) number assigned to a portable handset, the call request being received at one of the first interfaces, an attempt is made to establish, in addition to the first telephone connection from the calling set to said first telephone interface, a second telephone connection from the portable handset to one of the second telephone interfaces in accordance with predetermined conditions, and the interconnection of the first and second interfaces concerned is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1995
    Assignee: Dassault Electronique
    Inventor: Jean Le Bastard
  • Patent number: 5406614
    Abstract: In a service area of a mobile telephone system, there are plural base radio stations. A mobile radio station in the service area broadcasts a request signal of zone registration. All the base stations in the service area receive this request signal, measure the field intensity of the signal, and transmit the value of the measured intensity to the mobile radio station. The mobile radio station transmits a response signal to a base radio station where the field intensity is the highest. This response signal is reported to a radio channel control unit where the contents of the zone register is revised in accordance with the reported response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Toshihiro Hara
  • Patent number: 5404392
    Abstract: A Cellular Data Network (CDN) identifies, collects and utilizes otherwise unused or unusable air time, in an existing Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMPS). A Digital Cellular Overlay Network (DCON) is provided for performing CDN utilizing an underlying AMPS, where the DCON is transparent, with respect to the AMPS, and takes full advantage of existing AMPS equipment to keep the cost of performing CDN to a minimum. The resulting digital network may be used for high speed non-interfering data communications, i.e., data communications that do not degrade the underlying system's capacity and capability (qualitatively) to handle voice traffic. Expanded use of well-known radio control signals, in particular "busy bits" and "dotting sequences," provides a DCON capable of performing CDN in both a reliable and flexible manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Robert V. Miller, Victor S. Moore, Thomas K. Pate
  • Patent number: 5400391
    Abstract: A cellular mobile communication system in which each of one or more cells is provided with a base radio station, and mobile terminals communicate with the base radio stations. Base radio stations (21, 22 and 23) are connected to a central base station (100) by optical fibers. The central base station is connected to a mobile switching center (50). Each of the base radio stations is provided with an O/E converter (201) and E/O converter (207). The O/E converter converts a optical signal containing speech signals and a call connection control signal into RF signals. The E/O converter (207) converts RF signals, received from a mobile terminal (11) via an antenna (204), into optical signals and transmits the optical signals to the central base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Katsumi Emura, Makoto Shibutani, Junji Namiki, Toshihito Kanai
  • Patent number: 5396537
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reliably delivering messages (200) from a central terminal (102) to a communication receiver (130) in a communication system (100), such as an electronic mail system. The central terminal (102) transmits messages (1300) to the communication receiver (130) and the communication receiver (130) receives transmitted messages (1300) over a first communication medium (122). The communication receiver (130) reconciles messages that it failed to receive over the first communication medium (122) with the central terminal (102) over a second communication medium (152). The reconciliation process between the communication receiver (130) and the central terminal (102) utilizes cyclic redundancy codes (CRCs) transmitted with the messages (1300) to identify the messages (1300) being reconciled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert J. Schwendeman
  • Patent number: 5386455
    Abstract: A system and method for the automatic remote activation of the cellular telephone with the carrier, includes a central processing unit containing and operating in accord with a control program. The central processing unit has, in a memory, a plurality of hardware and firmware drivers having, respectively, the operating circuitry and commands necessary for controlling a selected cellular telephone. The control program operates to select a desired one pair of hardware and firmware drivers for activation programming of the cellular telephone. An input device is connected to the central processing unit, for manually entering data thereinto. A cable connects the central processing unit to the Input/Output data interface bus port of the cellular telephone unit for transferring data therebetween. A modem connects the central processing unit with the authorizing computer of the selected carrier for transferring data therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Assignee: Alliance Research Corporation
    Inventor: Gershon N. Cooper
  • Patent number: 5384827
    Abstract: In a cordless telephone system, several speech channels are periodically scanned by a base station during a standby mode to detect idle channels from the scanned channels. In response to receipt of a call request from a cordless station or an incoming call from a switched telephone network, the base station transmits a channel indicating signal to the cordless station over a control channel indicating that the detected idle channels can be used as possible candidate channels, switches to a first candidate channel and waits for an end-of-switching signal from the cordless station until a prescribed period of time expires. On receiving the channel indicating signal, the cordless station switches to the first candidate channel and makes a channel check on it and transmits an end-of-switching signal if it determines that the first candidate channel is idle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hiromi Orikasa
  • Patent number: 5371782
    Abstract: In a public cordless telephone system, a cordless telephone handset unit requests and establishes a communications link with a public base unit served by a desired local service provider whenever possible. By generating a service request containing a specific carrier request code, the handset unit selectively identifies an available public base unit served by the desired local service provider and then establishes a communications link with this base unit. In response to receiving the service request from the handset unit, all public base units operated by the chosen service provider respond by providing a first acknowledgment signal. All other public base units respond by providing a second acknowledgment signal. When both such signals are received, the handset unit responds only to the first acknowledgment signal and establishes a communications link with the first base unit providing this signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: William J. Casey, III, George P. Cotsonas, Dale E. Lynn, Edwin A. Muth
  • Patent number: 5357558
    Abstract: A radio communication apparatus includes a main telephone connected to a digital line network and a plurality of sub telephones each being capable of performing a radio communication to the main telephone. The main telephone includes a memory for storing a subaddress and a direct dial-in number of each of the plurality of sub telephones, and an unit for, upon receiving an incoming signal transmitted from the digital line network, detecting a subaddress or a direct dial-in number included in the incoming signal, discriminating a sub telephone associated with the detected subaddress or direct dial-in number in accordance with the data stored in the memory, and transmitting the incoming signal to the discriminated sub telephone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1994
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Munehiro Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 5345499
    Abstract: A method for enabling the service of mobilies by a microcell, in a two tier cellular system, involves identifying a microcell coverage area and offsetting microcell signal strength for a time sufficient to allow a fast moving vehicle, desiring service and having entered the microcell serving area, to exit the microcell coverage area before the call is set up or handed off forcing the controlling macrocell to handle the call setup or hand-off. Hence, only the mobile radiotelephones of stationary and relatively slow moving vehicles are served by the microcell. There is a substantially offset-coverage overlap period between the locations where a mobile may be found during the offset interval or duration of the apparent reduced signal strength of the microcell and the microcell coverage area. Calls that could be serviced by the microcell are instead serviced by the macrocell because the mobile radiotelephone responds to the strongest signal. This loss in capacity is solved by reducing the offset-coverage overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: AT&T Bell Laboratories
    Inventor: Mathilde Benveniste
  • Patent number: 5341410
    Abstract: A mobile data terminal which is located proximate to a cellular telephone unit is used to provide customer location information from a foreign cellular telephone service region to the cellular telephone service region in which the customer is a cellular telephone service subscriber. The mobile data terminal provides identification data to a mobile data base radio station located in the foreign cellular telephone service region. The cellular telephone network control center of the cellular telephone service region in which the customer is a subscriber is informed of the foreign cellular telephone service region in which the customer is currently located, possibly through the use of a national clearing house. In this manner, the customer can be reached on the cellular telephone unit in the foreign cellular telephone service region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: RAM Mobile Data USA Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Carl R. Aron, James L. Troe
  • Patent number: 5327482
    Abstract: A public cordless telephone system which comprises abase unit and a branch unit connected to the base unit through a radio link to be used by many unspecified persons. The public cordless telephone system comprises a base unit connected to a public line network, a charger provided integrally with the base unit or separately therefrom, and at least one branch unit connected with the base unit through the radio link and having a battery as a power source, and removably mounted to the charger for charging the battery when mounted on the charger. The system detects the charge in the battery of the branch unit when the branch unit is mounted to the charger, and inhibits use of the branch unit when the remaining charge is insufficient to make a call. The system further includes a theft detection function that continuously transmits a theft signal from the branch unit until the battery of the branch unit is exhausted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kazuo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5321738
    Abstract: A switch apparatus of a portable cordless telephone for easily performing call incoming and originating functions by using an antenna. A push bar is formed at an edge of an antenna positioned inside a handset, and a push switch formed in the telephone receiver side of the handset has a contact part and a coupling part. The contact part has one protrusion end and another end coupled to the coupling part installed on a printed circuit board. Thus, when drawing the antenna to the exterior of the handset, the call incoming and the call originating functions are capable of being performed without an additional switch operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: SamSung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang-Wook Ha