Radio telephone having a cordless or cellular only mode and a cordless/cellular mode

A combined cellular and cordless telephone device operable in (i) a cordless mode of operation for placing and receiving telephone calls through a telephone network by establishing radio communications with a dedicated local low power cordless base station and (ii) a cellular mode of operation for placing and receiving telephone calls through said telephone network by establishing radio communications with a remote cellular communications site, said telephone device comprising:

• a selector for selectively operating said telephone device in an operating mode selected from:
• (i) a cordless only mode, (ii) a cellular only mode, and (iii) an automatic mode of operation;
• call initiation means for supplying a communications start signal;
• cordless availability detector means for detecting an answer signal from the cordless base station and, in response supplying a cordless detection signal indicating presence and absence of the answer signal;
• and
• control means responsive to said operating mode, said cordless detection signal and said communications start signal for:
• (i) initiating establishment of communications with the cordless base station in response to said communications start signal when said telephone device is in said cordless only mode of operation,
• (ii) initiating establishment of communications with the cellular communications site in response to said communications start signal when said telephone device is in said cellular only mode of operation, and
• (iii) when said telephone device is in said automatic mode,
• (a) initiating establishment of communications with the cordless base station in response to said communications start signal and subsequently, in response to an indication by said cordless detection signal of absence of the answer signal,
• (b) automatically initiating establishment of communications with the cellular communications site.

A combined cellular and cordless telephone device for selectively establishing radio communications with a (i) dedicated, single user, local cordless base station and (ii) a remote cellular communications site, said telephone device comprising:

• cordless radio transmitter and receiver means responsive to a first control signal for initiating radio communications with the dedicated, single user, cordless base station;
• cellular radio transmitter and receiver means responsive to a second control signal for initiating radio communications with the remote cellular communications site;
• a selector for selectively operating said telephone device in an operating mode selected from:
• (i) a cordless only mode, (ii) a cellular only mode, and (iii) an automatic mode of operation;
• call initiation means for supplying a communications start signal;
• cordless availability detector means for detecting an answer signal from the cordless base station and, in response supplying a cordless detection signal indicating presence and absence of the answer signal;
• and
• control means responsive to said operating mode, said cordless detection signal and said communications start signal for:
• (i) supplying said first control signal for initiating establishment of radio communications with the cordless base station in response to said communications start signal when said telephone device is in said cordless only mode of operation,
• (ii) supplying said second control signal for initiating establishment of radio communications with the cellular communications site in response to said communications start signal when said telephone device is in said cellular only mode of operation, and
• (iii) when said telephone device is in said automatic mode, supplying said first control signal for initiating establishment of radio communications with the cordless base station in response to said communications start signal and, subsequently, in response to an indication by said cordless detection signal of absence of the answer signal, supplying said second control signal for automatically initiating establishment of communications with the cellular communications site.