Abstract: An information terminal, interconnected through a radio-communication network, including a position acquisition unit for acquiring position fixing information that fixes the present position of own information terminal, a transmitting unit for transmitting through the radio-communication network on demand the position fixing information of own terminal acquired through the position acquisition unit and for transmitting through the radio-communication network a request command for requesting position-related information about each information terminal belonging to a group identified by a predetermined password number, a receiving unit for receiving from a user management table of an information providing apparatus through the radio-communication network the position-related information about each information terminal belonging to the group, and a display unit for displaying the information-related information of each information terminal received by the receiving unit.

Abstract: A radiotelephone system (100) includes a radiotelephone (102) and a central device (104) that communicate via radio frequency (RF) signals. The radiotelephone (102) includes a user interface (114) which permits the user to request a channel change by the central device. A signal is communicated to the user if a channel change is denied. A channel scan can be conducted by the radiotelephone to identify a new channel.

Abstract: A special telephone instrument has a cordless hand-piece and one or more base-stations. Each base-station is hard-wire-connected with the ordinary telephone utility system and may include a built-in cellular transceiver. The hand-piece, which is powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, is--within its maximum cordless range (e.g., 500 feet)--connected with its nearest base-station via two-way radio transmission. When not in use, the hand-piece is at times resting in a cradle at its nearest base-station, thereby getting its battery recharged. When in use, the hand-piece is removed from its cradle. When so removed, the hand-piece may--while located within cordless range--be used for receiving and/or placing phone-calls via any one of the base-stations.

Abstract: A communications system includes at least one low earth orbit first satellite (10), at least one second satellite (11) in other than a low earth orbit, and a ground segment (12) that includes a plurality of user transceivers (78, 80, 82, 84) and at least one gateway (76) coupled to a publicly-accessible terrestrial communications system, such as a PSTN and/or a fiber optic network. The first satellite includes a first transceiver for communication with the at least one gateway, a second transceiver for communication with at least one user transceiver, and a third transceiver for communication with the at least one second satellite. The first, second and third transceivers are switchably coupled together on-board the first satellite by on-board processors, and a switching matrix for relaying a user communication between the at least one gateway and the at least one user transceiver via the at least one second satellite.

Abstract: When receiving voice mail data from a server 11, a terminal 13 or 14 stores the voice mail data in a memory. Subsequently, the data is read, converted to a voice and outputted. Furthermore, when inputting a voice mail during the output of the voice, the terminal 13 or 14 generates a signal including a voice mail data reading position of the memory at the time of input, data of the inputted voice mail and a self terminal identification number as a mail editing signal to transmit the signal to the server 11. When receiving the mail editing signal, the server 11 inserts or attaches and re-accumulates the voice mail data in the mail editing signal to a position indicated by the mail editing signal of a memory region of a memory 15 allocated to a transmitting-end terminal.

Abstract: A portable radio telephone handset operates as a data transfer terminal as well as an analog cellular telephone subscriber station. Two modes of operation, an analog cellular communication mode and a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) mode, are available in the handset. The handset distinguishes between paging signals indicating CDPD mode communications and those indicating analog cellular communications. The handset also automatically preempts CDPD communications in favor of analog cellular communications such as those carried out in an AMPS configuration. The handset maintains an active status on a CDPD communication channel during a "sleep mode", when the handset can carry out AMPS activity.

Abstract: A display for a mobile radio telephone apparatus includes a single 7, 8 segment LED display for displaying alphanumeric characters one at a time in sequence as dialed, and which also displays indications of various operating parameters of the telephone apparatus, such as a roaming function or in use status, by using predetermined ones of the same segments that are used to display the alphanumeric characters. In this way, a single seven segment display plus an eighth display indicator segment is all that is required to display any character, digit or indication of operational status of the mobile radio telephone apparatus.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for allowing a Gateway Mobile Positioning Center (GMPC) to route positioning requests to the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) where the subscriber is currently located without the need for storing the subscriber's serving Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) address in the Home Location Register (HLR). When an external Requesting Application (RA) wants to locate a particular Mobile Station (MS), the RA contacts the GMPC, and provides the directory number of the subscriber that needs to be located. The GMPC then sends a request for routing information, e.g., the address of the serving Mobile Switching Center (MSC), to the subscriber's HLR. The HLR then returns the routing information to the GMPC, which can then send the positioning request to the serving MSC, using the MSC address. The serving MSC can then route the positioning request to the serving Mobile Positioning Center.

Abstract: A communications system permits a personal mobile telecommunications device user, such as a cellular telephone subscriber, to complete a connection to a calling party that has attempted to reach the subscriber using the subscriber's assigned telephone number, even when the subscriber is roaming outside of his or her home area. The system includes a messaging and bridging complex having an associated database, which receives a call placed to the subscriber. If the subscriber is out of his or her home area so that the call cannot be completed, information stored in the database is used to initiate transmission of a paging signal to the subscriber. The connection to the calling party is held in the complex for a predetermined period after the paging signal is transmitted. The mobile telephone user, upon receiving the paging signal, may initiate a call from their personal mobile telecommunications device to the messaging and bridging complex, which bridges the subscriber and the calling party together.

Abstract: A system (100) that is capable of transmitting a displayable message to a short message entity (102, 104 or 105) in more than one data package over a conveying network. The system (100) uses a capacity determiner (206) to determine a capacity of the conveying network for transmitting data. Based on this capacity of the conveying network, a fragmenter (204) divides the displayable message into fragments at an application protocol layer. The size of a fragment does not exceed the capacity of the conveying network. Finally, a packager (208) packages the fragments into data packages. The data packages are operable to be separately transmitted by a short message service over the conveying network. The data packages may include a reference parameter corresponding to the position of the fragment in the displayable message. Further, a reference parameter may indicate the total size of the displayable message being fragmented and packaged.

Abstract: A cellular cordless telephone (10) operates with both a cordless base station (180) and a cellular base station (190) and cellular control terminal (196). In one embodiment (FIG. 2), a cellular cordless telephone (100) includes a cellular transceiver (120), antenna (128), keyboard (140), a display (180), handset (160), and microcomputer (130) together with a cordless transceiver (110) and antenna (118), all of which may be in a single housing. In another embodiment (FIG. 3), a cellular cordless telephone (200) includes a cellular telephone (220) and a cordless telephone transceiver (210) which may be a plugable module. Whenever cellular cordless telephone (10) is within range of cordless base station (180), telephone calls may be made over the cordless radio channel or transferred from the cellular radio channels to the cordless radio channel.

Abstract: A method and system for providing support of local control functionality in a mobile telecommunications system independently of mobile station roaming status is provided. In the invention, upon receiving a registration access message a visited system accesses a database and determines whether the registering mobile station supports local control features supported by the system. If the mobile station and system support common local control features the system returns a local control registration confirmation message in place of the normal system registration confirmation message. The local control registration confirmation message confirms registration and also serves as an indication to the mobile station that the mobile station and system support common local control features. The mobile station and system may now function accordingly to allow use of the common local control features.

Abstract: There is provided a cordless telephone which can be connected to any one of digital exchanges of different protocols. A main unit of the cordless telephone is provided with a memory for storing a table for collating control data (first control data) defined by the protocol of a digital exchange to be connected and control data (second control data) inherent to the cordless telephone. The main unit also includes a protocol converting circuit 4 for conversion between the first control data and the second control data. If the cordless telephone is to be connected to another digital exchange structured in a different protocol, a protocol circuit 4 corresponding to the protocol of the digital exchange is used. Transfer of conversation between the cordless telephone and a fixed telephone can also be realized by providing a data distributing and combining circuit.

Abstract: In those instances wherein inter-exchange handoff of a cellular call occurs, and a mobile station desires to activate an in-call service change with respect to that cellular call among and between a plurality of supported voice and data services, a change of service request message is initiated by a serving mobile switching center and transmitted to an anchor mobile switching center. The request is processed by each switching node to confirm availability of the necessary facilities to support the requested service (on either the existing call circuit or a new call circuit). Once confirmed, the anchor mobile switching center initiates a change of service request reply for transmission back to the serving mobile switching center. These messages could be relayed through one or more intermediate tandem mobile switching centers if necessary. Reconfiguration of the facilities is also performed to support the requested service change.

Abstract: A cellular digital packet data (CDPD) system includes a mobile data base station (MDBS) configured to interface easily with an advanced mobile phone system (AMPS). The elements of the MDBS are arranged on modules and the functionality of the MDBS is divided among the modules to facilitate flexibility, compactness and quick expansion of the MDBS. To further facilitate compactness, the MDBS includes a transceiver/modem board which uses a single chip to carry out delta-sigma modulation. In order to maintain the integrity of CDPD transmission, a channel hopping scheme is used based upon avoidance of AMPS channel use. A distinctive protocol is used to encapsulate control/query/response data for transmission throughout the CDPD system. This protocol also facilitates easy control of each MDBS throughout the system.

Abstract: A cellular radiotelephone or MS (100) includes an international mobile station identification including a mobile country code MCC, a mobile network code MNC, an area code MIN2 and a local number MIN1, all of which are stored in the EEPROM memory (124) of the MS. In the IMSI signaling system, a unique MIN1 coded number in the IMSIQ field of access and order messages is used to identify an IMSI access message from an IMSI MS or an IMSI order message from an IMSI base station or BS. In receiving order messages, an IMSI MS first looks for its MIN1, and if not found, then looks for unique MIN1 coded number in the IMSIQ field. If the unique MIN1 coded number is detected, the IMSI MS then looks for MIN1 in the last word of the message.

Abstract: The system for automated determination of handoff neighbor list uses the data collected from mobile subscriber units to automatically update the handoff neighbor list. The mobile subscriber unit produces Pilot Strength Measurement (PSM) data that is indicative of the relative signal strength measured at the mobile subscriber unit from a plurality of pilot channels. The mobile subscriber unit transmits this data, along with a list of viable pilot channel candidates as determined by the mobile subscriber unit, to the base station serving the existing call. The system for automated determination of handoff neighbor list maintains a data structure that stores data indicative of the number of instances that a pilot channel is recommended, the sum of power levels that were measured by the various mobile subscriber units for these instances.

Abstract: Charging criteria in a mobile telephone network may be improved by choosing one cell or a group of several cells of the mobile telephone network as a group of special cells. The cells of the group may be located in the areas of different MSC's. When a call is being established, a service control point SCP located in an intelligent network analyses whether the location cell of a calling subscriber and that of a called subscriber belong to the group of special cells. Subscriber numbers of the subscribers may also be taken into account. The service control point SCP then applies a special charging criterion determined for the group.

Abstract: A nonreusable cellular telephone includes a programmable timer for providing a predetermined period of calling time during which the cellular phone may be used for cellular communications. The amount of remaining calling time is monitored and the phone is disabled when the calling time has expired rending the phone inoperative so that it may be disposed of.

Abstract: The system and method of the present invention facilitates an improved Home Location Register (HLR) that includes a fraud protection mediation module for use in a mobile telephone system. The fraud protection mediation module operates in any one of the following situations: (1) a registration notice (REGNOT) is received by the HLR from a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) currently serving a subscriber in a roaming area; (2) a qualification request (QUALREQ) is received by the HLR from a serving MSC for obtaining a subscriber's profile; and (3) the HLR sends a qualification directive to a serving MSC, with the updated or modified profile of the subscriber. By using the improved HLR of the present invention, a carrier may have the HLR bypass the fraud protection processing in areas that support authentication processing to provide convenience to the subscribers so that they do not have to enter their PINs to use their cellular phones.