Dual-mode device for voice communication
AssigneeSkype
InventorsTaavet Hinrikus, Gareth O'Loughlin, Liz Rice, Max Melchior
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A terminal for use in a voice communications system includes a base station and at least one handset arranged to communicate wirelessly with the base station. The base station includes a first interface to a packet data network and a second interface to a public switched telephone network, the base station being arranged to selectively establish a packet data call from the first interface and a public switched telephone call from the second interface.
Claims17
A method for establishing a communication session, the method comprising:
- establishing, at a base station, a wireless connection with a handset;
- receiving, at the base station, a request, from the handset, to initiate the communication session with a selected contact;
- accessing a set of user preferences mapping two or more groups of particular types of contacts to one of a packet data network or a public switched telephone network;
- and
- selectively establishing the communication session between the base station and the selected contact over one of the packet data network or the public switched telephone network, the selectively establishing further comprising establishing the communication session over the packet data network or the public telephone network based on whether the selected contact comprises the particular type of contact mapped to the packet data network or the particular type of contact mapped to the public switched telephone network.
A handset comprising:
- a display;
- and at least a memory and a processor configured to implement operations comprising:
- establishing a wireless connection with a base station;
- rendering, on the display of the handset, a user interface for selecting contacts;
- receiving a selection of a contact via the user interface;
- and communicating the selected contact to the base station effective to cause the base station to establish a communication session with the selected contact over one of a packet data network or a public switched telephone network based at least in part on user preferences mapping two or more groups of particular types of contacts to one of a packet data network or a public switched telephone network, the packet data network or the public switched telephone network selected based on whether the selected contact comprises the particular type of contact mapped to the packet data network or the particular type of contact mapped to the public switched telephone network.
A method for establishing a communication session, the method comprising:
- establishing, at a handset, a wireless connection with a base station;
- rendering, at the handset, a user interface for selecting contacts;
- receiving a selection of a contact via the user interface;
- and communicating the selected contact to the base station effective to cause the base station to establish the communication session with the selected contact over one of a packet data network or a public switched telephone network based at least in part on user preferences mapping two or more groups of particular types of contacts to one of a packet data network or a public switched telephone network, the packet data network or the public switched telephone network selected based on whether the selected contact comprises the particular type of contact mapped to the packet data network or the particular type of contact mapped to the public switched telephone network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.