US 5,513,248 A · Cordless telephone micro-cellular system

Abstract

A cordless telephone system is arranged for extending the operating range of a cordless telephone portable unit within such system. The cordless telephone system comprises a plurality of cordless telephone stations that plug into any available wall telephone jack and may share the intrapremises telephone wire-pair with one or more existing corded telephone stations without interference. Each cordless telephone station consists of a cordless telephone base unit and its associated cordless telephone portable unit. Although each of the portable units is associated with a particular base unit, all of the portable units are able to operate with any of the base units in the system. As a user of a portable unit with a call in progress roams about a premises, all base units monitor the quality of the radio frequency signal received from the portable unit. If the signal quality of a base unit actively communicating with the portable unit deteriorates to below an acceptable level, control apparatus in the system identifies another base unit and executes a hand-off of the communication link with the portable unit to this base unit that is then receiving the signal from the handset unit with an acceptable signal quality. Operational control for the base units is provided through a time division multiple access arrangement wherein a communications channel is imposed on the existing premises telephone wire-pair above the audio frequency band used for standard telephone service.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A cordless telephone system comprising:

at least one handset unit;
at least two base units for communicating with the handset unit over a communication channel, the base units being dispersible so as to divide a location of the telephone system into reception areas for telephone service with the handset unit;
means for commonly connecting the base units to a telephone line for communicating with a telephone line switching system;
and
control means for determining when said handset unit is within reception range of at least one of the base units, said control means being operable in conjunction with the base units for receiving information data for each handset unit from each of the base units for switching the telephone service for the handset unit between the base units, the control means including communication means for both receiving said information data from each base unit and providing control switching signals for each base unit over a channel imposed on the telephone line above an audio frequency band used in the telephone line for telephone service, the audio frequency band containing voice signals that are provided between the base units and the telephone line switching system.

2 more elements

A cordless telephone system including a plurality of handset units and a plurality of base units for communicating over a radio frequency channel with each one of the handset units, the telephone system comprising:

means for commonly connecting the plurality of base units to a telephone line, the base units being dispersible so as to divide a location of the telephone system into a number of reception areas for providing telephone service with the handset units;
and
control means for determining when each handset unit is within reception range of at least one of the plurality of base units, said control means being operable in conjunction with the plurality of base units for receiving information data for each handset unit from each of the plurality of base units for switching the telephone service for each handset unit among the plurality of base units, the control means including communication means for both receiving said information data from each base unit and providing control switching signals for each base unit over a channel imposed on the telephone line above an audio frequency band used in the telephone line for telephone service, the audio frequency band containing voice signals that are provided between the base units and the telephone line switching system.

A method of extending the operating range of a cordless telephone having a plurality of handset units and a plurality of base units for communicating with the handset units over a communication channel, the base units being dispersible so as to divide a location of the telephone system into a number of reception areas for providing telephone service with the handset units, the method comprising the steps of:

commonly connecting the plurality of base units to a telephone line for communicating with a telephone line switching system;
and
receiving information data for each handset unit from each of the plurality of base units, said information data from the plurality of base units being received over the telephone line;
determining when each handset unit is within reception range of at least one of the plurality of base units;
providing control switching signals to each one of the plurality of base units, the control switching signals switching the telephone service for each handset unit among the plurality of base units;
and
providing over a channel imposed on the telephone line above an audio frequency band of the telephone line both the information data received from each base unit and the control switching signals provided to each base unit, the audio frequency band containing voice signals that are provided between the base units and the telephone line switching system.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Cordless telephone micro-cellular system

Life of this patent

Cordless telephone micro-cellular system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30