초록 ▼

A wireless communication system (WCS) comprises a plurality of portable communication units (PCUs) (109) each PCU having a telephone number for receiving incoming calls. The WCS is coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (106), and has a plurality of locations (102) defined by radio

A wireless communication system (WCS) comprises a plurality of portable communication units (PCUs) (109) each PCU having a telephone number for receiving incoming calls. The WCS is coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (106), and has a plurality of locations (102) defined by radio coverage of a plurality of fixed communication units (FCUs) (108) at each location. The FCUs (108) are coupled to the PSTN, each FCU having at least one transceiver channel, and each transceiver channel having a telephone access number. The WCS further comprises a routing controller (RC) (104) for routing (514) incoming calls for PCUs, a location database (116) for storing (408) information used in the routing, and a plurality of location controllers (LCs) (110) each assigned an identification. One LC is at each location and is coupled to the FCUs thereat. The LCs communicate (304, 602, 604) with the RC and control (610, 612) the FCUs in response to messages (410, 412, 510) from the RC.

대표청구항 ▼

In a wireless communication system having a plurality of portable communication units (PCUs) each PCU having a PCU identification code and each PCU assigned a PCU telephone number for receiving incoming calls, the wireless communication system coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) fo

In a wireless communication system having a plurality of portable communication units (PCUs) each PCU having a PCU identification code and each PCU assigned a PCU telephone number for receiving incoming calls, the wireless communication system coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) for transporting calls to and from the PCUs, and having a plurality of locations, each location having a plurality of fixed communication units (FCUs), each location having a location controller (LC) for controlling the plurality of FCUs, each FCU being coupled to the PSTN, each FCU having at least one transceiver channel, and each transceiver channel having a telephone access number, a method of using the LC for establishing communications with a routing controller (RC) and controlling each of the plurality of FCUs at a location in response to an access request message generated by the RC, wherein the LC has an LC identification code, the method comprising in the RC the steps of: (a) registering the location of a PCU in a location database in response to a registration communication from one of the LCs, comprising the steps of: (b) receiving an LC registration request message from the LC for requesting registration of the PCU at the location of the LC, comprising the steps of: (c) receiving the PCU identification code of the PCU; and (d) receiving therewith an LC identification code that identifies the LC sending the LC registration request message for the PCU; (e) accessing the location database in response to step (b) to find a pre-programmed entry for the PCU identification code; (f) storing the LC identification code in a manner that couples the LC identification code to the pre-programmed entry for the PCU identification code in response to finding the pre-programmed entry for the PCU identification code; (g) sending an LC registration acknowledge message to the LC to acknowledge successful completion of the registration in response to completing step (f); and (h) sending an LC registration failure message to the LC to indicate failure of the registration in response to being unable to find a pre-programmed entry for the PCU identification code; (i) receiving a call routing request from the PSTN in response to an incoming call for a PCU, the call routing request comprising the PCU telephone number assigned to the PCU having received the incoming call; (j) accessing the location database in response to step (i) to determine registration status of the PCU; (k) providing call routing information in response to determining in step (j) that the PCU is registered with an LC, step (k) comprising the steps of: (l) sending an access request message to the LC; (m) receiving a telephone access number of a selected available FCU from the LC in response to step (l); and (n) sending the telephone access number of the selected FCU received in step (m) to the PSTN in further response to the call routing request received in step (i); and (o) providing a call routing failure message to the PSTN in response to determining in step (j) that the PCU is not registered; and in the LC the steps of: (p) handling communications for registrations of the locations of PCUs in response to registration requests from the PCUs, comprising the steps of: (q) receiving a PCU registration request message from a PCU requesting registration of the PCU, the PCU registration request message comprising the PCU identification code of the PCU; (r) sending an LC registration request message to the RC in response to step (q) comprising the steps of: (s) sending the PCU identification code of the PCU; and (t) sending therewith the LC identification code that identifies the LC; (u) receiving the LC registration acknowledge message from the RC in response to a successful completion of the registration by the RC; (v) receiving the LC registration failure message from the RC in response to an unsuccessful completion of the registration by the RC; (w) sending a PCU registration acknowledge message to the PCU in response to step (u); and (x) sending a PCU registration failure message to the PCU in response to step (v); (y) receiving at the LC the access request message from the RC, the access request message being generated in response to an incoming call for a PCU determined to be registered with the LC, comprising receiving the PCU identification code of the PCU being called; (z) selecting an available FCU at the location of the LC for receiving the incoming call in response to step (y); (aa) sending the telephone access number of the selected FCU to the RC in response to step (z); (bb) controlling activities of the FCU during a period between the selection of the FCU in step (z) and an expected delivery of the incoming call to the FCU by the PSTN, comprising the steps of: (cc) temporarily preventing the selected FCU from being used for outgoing calls; and (dd) controlling answer supervision of the selected FCU in response to delivery of the incoming call; and (ee) controlling establishment of a wireless communication link between the selected FCU and the PCU being called in response to completion of the delivery of the incoming call, comprising sending the PCU identification code of the PCU being called over the wireless communication link in response to the completion of the delivery of the incoming call.