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AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation
InventorsAlex Gernert, Sarosh N. Vesuna
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for interfacing a wireless local area network with a wide area, cellular or public switched telephone network including the function of a wireless LAN base station or access point, and a gateway. The interface may contain one or more different types of gateways, including a PSTN voice gateway, an analog modem gateway, and others. The apparatus may also include a well designed to receive the handset or mobile computer device to recharge the battery as well as to automatically transfer data when the phone or device is secured in the well.
A data communications network including a plurality of stationary access points and a plurality of remote mobile units, the mobile units being capable of wirelessly communicating with at least two of the access points when located within a predetermined range therefrom and being normally associated with and in communications with a single one of such access points, a mobile unit having a single network address that is selectable from a set of network addresses and is utilized by the mobile unit only while such mobile unit is active, comprising:
A telecommunications network comprising a wireless local area network including a plurality of stationary access points connected in a wired network and a plurality of mobile units, each mobile unit being capable of communicating with an access point at a predetermined range therefrom in the form of data packets including a destination network address and a circuit switched network;
A wireless desk telephone capable of communicating with a stationary base station located on a wired communications network comprising
A telecommunications base station and mobile unit for use in a wireless local area network comprising in combination:
A method for handling an outgoing call in a network from a handset in a wireless communications local area network, comprising the steps of;
A method of handling an incoming call in a wireless local area network including mobile IP phones comprising the steps of:
A method of operating a data communications network including a plurality of sets of stationary access points and a gateway connected to the access points, and a plurality of remote mobile units, the mobile units being capable of wirelessly communicating with at least two of the access points when located within a predetermined range therefrom and being normally associated with and in communications with a single one of such access points, each mobile unit having a single network address that is selectable from a set of network addresses and is utilized by the mobile unit only while such mobile unit is active, comprising the steps of:
A method of operating a data communications network including a plurality of sets of stationary access points and a gateway connected to the access points, and a plurality or remote mobile units, the mobile units being capable of wirelessly communicating with at least two of the access points when located within a predetermined range therefrom and being normally associated with and in communications with a single one of such access points, each mobile unit having a single network address that is selectable from a set of network addresses and is utilized by the mobile unit only while such mobile unit is active, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Interfaces specially adapted for wireless communication networks: inter-networking arrangements
Telephone sets using digital voice transmission: adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network (Voice over Internet…
Details of access arrangements to the networks: comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity: authentication
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of voice communications over different types of communications networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus which interfaces a wireless IP network and a wide area network or public switched telephone network (PSTN) for voice communications.
2. The Background Art
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless local area network in which the present invention may be implemented.
FIG. 2 is a timing diagram showing RF transmission versus time for a data transmission sequence.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for interfacing a wireless local area network and a wide area network or public switched telephone network in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.
Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a data communications network in which the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. A first local area network 100 is illustrated, including a host processor 10 is connected by a wired communications link 11 to a number of stationery access points or base stations 12,13; other base stations 14 can be coupled to the host through the base stations or by an RF link. Each one of the base stations 12,13,14 is coupled by an RF link to a number of remote mobile units 15 In one embodiment, the remote mobile units 15 are hand-held, battery-operated data terminals portable digital assistants or voice communication handsets such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,183; Ser. Nos. 08/794,782 filed Feb. 3, 1997, and 09/008,710, filed Jan. 16, 1998, all assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc., and incorporated herein by reference.
Various other types of remote terminals may be advantageously employed in a system having features of the invention; these remote terminals ordinarily would include data entry facilities such as a magnetic card reader or the like, as well as a display (or printer) for indicating or providing to a user information detected, transmitted and/or received by the terminal. In this embodiment used as an illustrative example, there may be from one up to sixty-four of the base stations (three stations being shown in the Figure) and up to several hundred of the remote units; of course, the network may be expanded by merely changing the size of address fields and the like in the digital system, as will appear, but a limiting factor is the RF traffic and attendant delays in waiting for a quiet channel.
The first LAN 100 may be coupled to additional LANs 200,300,400 etc. through controllers such as bridges 50, 60, etc. or routers 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, etc. This communications network as seen in FIG. 1 would ordinarily be used in a manufacturing facility, office building complex, warehouse, retail establishment, or like commercial facility or combination of these facilities, where the data-gathering terminals would be used for inventory control in stockroom or receiving/shipping facilities, at checkout (point of sale) counters, for reading forms or invoices of the like, for personnel security checking at gates or other checkpoints, at time clocks, for manufacturing or process flow control, and many other such uses.