US 8,509,686 B2 · Auxiliary cellular phone module

Abstract

An auxiliary cellular phone module assists in making a local call while a coupled master cellular phone is roaming, wherein the auxiliary cellular phone module consists of processing unit, communication interface, cellular telephony interface, user interfaces and memory. A full-fledged auxiliary cellular phone module consists of a plurality of features that includes user interfaces consisting display, full-fledged keypad, wired and/or wireless interfaces, earpiece and microphones. A simpler version may have simplified or none at all of any of the user interfaces mentioned above. A full-fledged auxiliary cellular phone module may have many additional functionalities that helps a roaming service provider to cut costs of the local calls placed while roaming, that includes audio/visual advertisements, directions as well as many other audio/visual informational data displays. Moreover, many other features that are helpful to the roaming client may also be provided within the auxiliary cellular phone module that includes local phone book facilities, prepaid credit information and other informal data displays.

Claims38

Dependent claims

An auxiliary cellular phone module operable to work in conjunction with a master cellular phone, the auxiliary cellular phone module comprising:

a cellular telephony interface operable to support communications with a cellular network;
a communications interface operable to support communications with the master cellular phone;
a System Interface Module (SIM);
processing circuitry coupled to the cellular telephony interface, to the SIM, and to the communications interface, the processing circuitry operable to:
interface with the master cellular phone to determine a roaming status of the master cellular phone;
when the master cellular phone is roaming, initiate a non-roaming cellular call on behalf of the master cellular phone via the cellular telephony interface;
and
service the cellular call on behalf of the master cellular phone, wherein in servicing the cellular call, communications pass between the master cellular phone, the communications interface, and the cellular telephony interface.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Auxiliary cellular phone module

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Auxiliary cellular phone module

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims38