Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DEVICE SWITCHING THROUGH A SERVER
RESERVATION OF COPYRIGHT
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material
which is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile
reproduction by any one of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it
appears in the Patent
and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all
copyrights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0002] It has become relatively common for individuals to possess a number of
different
devices through which they communicate. For example, a person may have a home
telephone, a
wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and an office
telephone to name a few.
As the population becomes increasingly mobile, more and more conversations and
data
transactions are occurring on mobile devices such as PDAs and cellular
telephones and the like.
[0003] Mobile devices are generally battery operated. Today's mobile devices
have
visual and/or audible indicators alerting a user of the amount of battery
power available. Battery
indicators allow a user to become aware of a low battery condition and the
need for charging the
battery. Despite these indicators, it is very common for mobile device
batteries to become
depleted during a conversation or data transaction, causing the device to
power-down during the
conversation/transaction. This unintentional interruption is inconvenient,
possibly disruptive to
the purpose of the conversation/transaction, and highly undesirable. For
example, if a mobile
device were to power-down during a 911 telephone call, emergency services may
never arrive,
which could be disastrous. Accordingly, there is a need and desire to switch
from one mobile
device to another device, possibly another mobile device, when the user
detects a low battery
condition.
[0004] There are many other situations in which a user of a mobile device may
find it
necessary to switch devices during an active conversation. For example, if the
user enters into
an area where the wireless service provider does not have a good signal and/or
the quality of
service drops, the user may find it necessary to switch to another device
using a different
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wireless carrier or possibly even a landline telephone. Regardless of the
reason, the switching of
devices should be done seamlessly, without interrupting or dropping the
conversation, etc. and
without the other party or parties being aware of the switch. This is
something that cannot be
accomplished with today's devices.
[0005] It is also desirable for a user of a landline telephone to switch an
existing
conversation over to a mobile device. This would be beneficial for a user who
needs to leave his
office or home while on an existing conversation. The switching from the
landline telephone to
a mobile device should also be done seamlessly, without interrupting or
dropping the
conversation and without the other party or parties being aware of the switch.
This is also
something that cannot be accomplished with prior art systems and devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Specific embodiments and applications related to the following
description
include, but are not limited to, a method of switching from a first telephony
device to a second
telephony device during a call between the first telephony device and a third
telephony device.
The method includes the steps of inputting a device switch request from the
first telephony
device, initiating a call with the second telephony device, and conferencing
the call to the second
telephony device to the call between the first and third telephony devices.
Once the calls are
conferenced, the first telephony device can be dropped from the conference.
[0007] An additional embodiment includes a method of switching from a first
telephony
device to a second telephony device during a first call between the first
telephony device and a
third telephony device. The method includes the steps of receiving a second
call from the
second telephony device, authenticating a user of the second telephony device,
inputting from
the second telephony device a request to join the first call, and conferencing
the second call to
the first call. Once the calls are conferenced, the first telephony device can
be dropped from the
conference.
[0008] In another embodiment, a method of switching from a first telephony
device to a
second telephony device during a call between the first telephony device and a
third telephony
device is provided. The method includes the steps of determining that a
characteristic of the first
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call has fallen below a predetermined threshold, outputting a device switch
request from the first
telephony device, and disconnecting the call once it is determined that a
second call between the
second telephony device and the third telephony device has been established.
[0009] In yet another embodiment, a telecommunications server is provided. The
server
is configured to maintain a call between first and second telephony devices,
input a device
switch request from the first telephony device, initiate a new call to a third
telephony device, and
conference the new call to the third telephony device to the call between the
first and second
telephony devices.
[0010] In another embodiment, another telecommunications server is provided.
The
server is configured to maintain a first call between first and second
telephony devices, receive a
second call from a third telephony device, authenticate a user of the third
telephony device, input
a request from the third telephony device to join the first call, and
conference the second call to
the first call.
[0011 ] In another embodiment, a telecommunications system is provided. The
system
comprises a server that is configured to maintain a call between first and
second telephony
devices, input a device switch request from the first telephony device,
initiate a new call to a
third telephony device, and conference the new call to the third telephony
device to the call
between the first and second telephony devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. I illustrates an example of a telecommunication system constructed
in
accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a server in accordance with an embodiment disclosed
herein.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a server in accordance with another embodiment
disclosed
herein.
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[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a processor module in accordance with an embodiment
disclosed herein.
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates another telecommunication system constructed in
accordance
with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0017] FIGS. 6A-6F are flow diagrams illustrating communication and processing
in
accordance with embodiments disclosed herein.
[0018] FIGS. 7A-7F illustrate example display and menu items for a mobile
device
operating in accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example mobile device constructed in
accordance
with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example communication subsystem
component of
the mobile device in accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0021 ] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example node of a wireless network in
accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0022] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components of a host system in
one
exemplary configuration for use with the wireless network of FIG. 10 and the
mobile device of
FIG. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Example embodiments and applications will now be described. Other
embodiments may be realized and structural or logical changes may be made to
the disclosed
embodiments. Although the embodiments disclosed herein have been particularly
described as
applied to a business or office environment, it should be readily apparent
that the embodiments
may be embodied for any use or application having the same or similar
problems.
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[0024] A first example embodiment is discussed and illustrated with reference
to its
implementation within an office building, multiple office buildings or other
enterprise
establishment. In an office building, for example, personnel are assigned to
offices (or cubicles)
with each office having an associated telephone. The office devices such as
telephones are
typically connected to a PBX, exchange, or other call processing
infrastructure one example
being, but not limited to, a virtual PBX (also known as Hosted Enterprise
Services or HES: a
next generation network (NGN) application whereby the NGN hosts all
originating and/or
terminating business communication capabilities for enterprise users that are
directly attached to
the NGN and have an IMS service subscription for this application in the NGN)
hosted on a
3GPP IMS system or TISPAN NGN (e.g., specifications TR/91 and TR/92). PBXes
allow each
office telephone to have one or more telephone extensions and a direct inward
dial (DID)
telephone number. As known in the art, a telephone extension is typically a
three, four or five
digit telephone number (i.e., a Private Numbering Plan (PNP)) where station-to-
station (i.e.,
office-to-office) calls can be placed by dialing the three, four or five digit
extension. This is
commonly referred to as direct extension dialing. As also known in the art, a
DID telephone
number allows external calls (i.e., calls initiated outside of the office PBX)
to be placed directly
to the office telephone.
[0025] The embodiments disclosed are not to be limited to any particular
environment or
communications network. The embodiments may be implemented, for example, in a
hotel,
boarding house, dormitory, apartment, or other commercial or residential
establishment, where
individuals are assigned to a unique extension, DID telephone number or other
identifier. Other
embodiments can be based on other environments where a network is maintained.
The term
"office" as used herein encompasses a singular room or space within a
business, other enterprise,
hotel room or similar facility. The term "user" as used herein encompasses
office personnel,
hotel guests or other individuals associated with a telephone extension and
DID telephone
number.
[0026] The embodiments disclosed, moreover, are not to be limited to any
particular type
of communications. A person of skill in the art would understand that a
communications
network can accommodate one or more types of communications including
telephony, multi
media telephony, messaging based on data such as text, video clips, pictures,
documents and
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others. Moreover, depending on the type of devices and communications used, it
would be
apparent to those skilled in the art that the users may be assigned to
identifiers in addition to
extensions and DID telephone numbers, such as URIs, including SIP URIs, email
URIs, IM
URIs, CPRI, GRUU.
[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunication system 10 constructed in
accordance with
an embodiment disclosed herein. As will be discussed below, the system 10
provides for a full
integration of remote telephony devices, such as a remote device 70 (shown in
this example as a
personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless voice and data communications
(also referred to
herein as a mobile device)), into an office, enterprise or hotel PBX or other
communications
network. The remote device 70 may be any suitable wirelessly enabled handheld
remote device.
The remote device 70 may operate over multiple types of radio communications
technology such
as GSM, UMTS, CDMA, WiFi, and/or WIMAX and support multiple protocol suites
for data
and voice communications associated with the various radio technology. The
remote device
may support (implement) more than one radio technology and offer both data and
voice
communication capabilities, simultaneously using two radio services (i.e.,
WiFi, GSM, etc.)
and/or types (e.g., circuit or packet switched transmissions), for example a
Blackberry
supporting GSM/GPRS and WiFi . The or single mode communication device,
personal digital
assistant, etc. such as the device 800 described in further detail below in
relation to FIG. 8 is an
example of a remote device. Such devices include BlackberryTM devices by
Research In Motion
Limited of Ontario, Canada, or Palm TreoTM devices by Palm, Inc. of
California, U.S.A. to
name a few. In addition, the remote device 70 may be a cellular telephone, or
data only
handheld which only supports Vol?.
[0028] The system 10 can selectively establish communications with one of a
plurality of
devices, including one or more remote devices 70, associated with a particular
telephone
extension or DID telephone number. Moreover, the system 10 will allow remote
devices 70
such as a mobile device (described below in more detail) to perform functions
of a standard
office telephone 12a, 12b for both inbound and outbound communications. That
is, a remote
device 70 will be able to use features of the office network (e.g., direct
extension dialing,
corporate dialing plan, enterprise voicemail etc.) even though the device is
not within the
confines of the office or not directly connected to the office network (such
as an office PBX).
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The system 10 also allows the remote device 70 to operate as an independent
PDA, wireless
telephone, etc., if so desired. That is, the remote device 70 may receive
calls placed to its (non-
office) DID telephone number even though the system 10 also routes PBX calls
to the device 70.
In addition, the system 10 essentially implements all or part of call
management or other
signaling protocol functions typically available on a device that is part of
an office, enterprise or
hotel PBX/IP-PBX or other communications network. Some of these features are
discussed in
detail below.
[0029] The system 10 as particularly illustrated herein includes a
conventional office
PBX network 11. The PBX network 11 may include a plurality of standard
telephones 12a, 12b
respectively connected to a conventional PBX/IP-PBX 14 via communication lines
18a, 18b.
Although PBX network 11 may use a PBX or IP-PBX 14, the following disclosure
will simply
refer to PBX 14 for convenience purposes. The PBX 14 is connected to a calling
network such
as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 16 by a primary rate interface
(PRI) connection
20 or other suitable communication line or medium. The standard telephones
12a, 12b can be
any digital or analog telephone or other communication device known in the
art. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, the first telephone 12a is a digital telephone while the second
telephone 12b is an
analog telephone. For clarity purposes only, two telephones 12a, 12b are
illustrated in FIG. 1,
but it should be appreciated that any number or combination of telephones or
other
communication devices can be supported by the system 10. Moreover, although it
is desirable to
use digital telephones, the embodiments are not to be limited to the
particular type of telephone
used in the system 10.
[0030] The PBX 14 is coupled to a server 30 constructed in accordance with an
embodiment discussed in more detail below. The server 30 is connected to the
PBX 14 in this
embodiment by a PRI connection 22, VoIP connection 24 (e.g., SIP, RTP and
other proprietary
protocols) (if PBX 14 is an IP-PBX), or other suitable communication medium
(e.g., WiFi
connection). The server 30 is also connected to a PSTN 54 by a PRI connection
or other suitable
digital communication medium. The illustrated PRI connection between the
server 30 and the
PSTN 54 includes a first PRI connection 32, a channel service unit (CSU) 34,
and a second PRI
connection 36. As known in the art, a CSU is a mechanism for connecting a
computer (or other
device) to a digital medium that allows a customer to utilize their own
equipment to retime and
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regenerate incoming signals. It should be appreciated that the illustrated
connection between the
server 30 and the PSTN 54 is one of many suitable connections. Accordingly,
the embodiments
disclosed should not be limited to the illustrated connection. The server 30
is one of the
mechanisms that allows the integration of remote devices (e.g., mobile device
70) into the PBX
network 11 and its operation will be described below in more detail. Moreover
the server 30
maintains control over inbound, outgoing and in-progress calls and
communications.
[0031] The server 30 is preferably connected to a local area network (LAN) 40
by an
appropriate communication medium 38. Although a LAN 40 is illustrated, it
should be
appreciated that any other network, be it wired or wireless or a combination
thereof, could be
used. A plurality of computers (e.g., 42a, 42b) may be respectively connected
to the LAN 40 by
any appropriate communication lines 44a, 44b. The computers 42a, 42b can be
used by network
administrators or others to maintain server 30 and other portions of the
system 10. The LAN 40
may also be connected to the Internet 50 by a suitable communication medium
48. A firewall 46
may be used for security purposes. In accordance with an embodiment, Internet
50 can be used
to allow a remote administration device 52 (e.g., a personal computer) to
perform remote
administration of server 30 by office personnel or other authorized users of
the system 10.
Remote administration will allow office personnel to set user preferences for
particular
telephone extensions. Thus, each office telephone extension and associated
remote device is
individually configurable.
[0032] PSTN 54 is connected in this embodiment to a commercial wireless
carrier (or
other carrier not co-located with the system 10) by a wireless switch 58 or
other wireless carrier
equipment by an appropriate communication medium 56. The wireless switch 58 is
connected
to at least one antenna 60 (by an appropriate communication medium 62) for
transmitting signals
64 to a wireless remote device 70. The wireless remote device 70 could also be
a wireless
telephone, cellular telephone, or other wireless communication device. It may
be desirable for
the remote device 70 to be capable of handling both (or either) digital and
analog
communication signals. It should be noted that any type of wireless
communication protocol (or
a combination of different protocols), such as TDMA, CDMA, GSM, AMPS, MSR,
iDEN,
WAP, WiFi, etc., could be used.
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[0033] It should be appreciated that the server 30 may be connected to a
wireless carrier
through a PSTN 54 and/or data network (e.g., WLAN) and not by unique hardware
or an in-
office cellular network. As a result, server 30 only has to interface with
conventional
components, such as the PBX 14 and PSTN 54. Thus, the system 10 can be
substantially
technology independent. Moreover, special wireless devices are not required,
which allows the
remote device 70 to function in its conventional manner (e.g., as a separate
mobile device) and
as part of the PBX network 11 (if so desired). The PSTN 54 e.g., will send
calls placed to the
DID phone numbers associated with the PBX extensions to the server 30 where
the server 30
resolves the called number and performs the call processing described below.
[0034] The server 30 and the PBX 14 may also be connected to an
accounting/billing
system 80. The billing system 80 may also be connected to the LAN 40 so that
system
administrators may access the contents of the billing system 80. By
incorporating a billing
system 80 into the system 10, it is possible to obtain immediate billing
information for calls
placed to/from the remote device 70 or other remote device. This immediate
billing feature is
not present in other communication networks such as office PBXs or enterprise
networks and is
particularly useful for corporate environments such as law firms and
government agencies, and
hotel environments, where up to date billing information is essential.
[0035] As noted above, the server 30 allows for the full integration of remote
devices
into the PBX network 11. In accordance with an embodiment, server 30 is a
processor-based
stand-alone unit capable of handling communications directed to the PBX
network 11. In a first
embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, server 30 comprises a plurality of receiving and
transmitting
modules 220a, 220b, 220c, first and second buses 275, 285, at least one
processor module (Obj)
250, a network interface card 240 and a memory module operable to comprise a
database 270
such as for example, a relational database management system (RDBMS). Further,
server 30
can include a web-based user interface (UI) processor module 265, a SIP proxy
server module
280 and a plurality of flop files 290a, 290b, 290c. The processor, UI and SIP
proxy server
modules 250, 265, 280 can be implemented, separately or together, as one or
more processor
cards (example hardware components of these cards are described below in more
detail with
reference to FIG. 4) containing source code, object modules, scripts, or other
programming to
perform the following functions.
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[0036] The SIP proxy server module 280 receives session initiation protocol
(SIP)
messages from user agents and acts on their behalf in forwarding or responding
to those
messages. In essence, the SIP proxy server module 280 is a gateway for IP-
based interfaces to
the server 30. The SIP proxy server module 280 also adds services, features
and scalability to
SIP networks. The SIP proxy server module 280 typically includes a
registration service and a
SIP location database, in addition to the SIP proxy function.
[0037] Server 30 can receive an incoming call 210 and/or place an outgoing
call 215
(described below in more detail). The processor module 250, among other
things, directs and
instructs the call processing of the server 30. The memory module comprising
database 270 is
used for storing user preferences and other pertinent information and may be a
separate card or
included within one of the other modules. The memory module may also be
located external to
the server 30, if desired, and connected to the server 30 by any wired or
wireless communication
medium.
[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates an example processor card 400, which may be used for
the
processor, UI and SIP proxy server modules 250, 265, 280. The card 400
includes a processor
460 for executing the processes of processor module 250 (or the other modules)
that
communicates with various other devices of the card 400 over a bus 450. These
devices may
include random access memory (RAM) 420, read-only memory (ROM) 430 and non-
volatile
memory 440. An input/output device (I/O) 410 provides communication into and
out of the card
400. While one input/output device 410 is shown, there may be multiple I/O
devices included
on the card as desired. Source code, or other programming, comprising
applications required by
or performed by the components of the server 30 may be stored on one of the
computer readable
storage media on the card 400 (e.g., ROM 430, non-volatile memory 440) and
executed by the
processor 460.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG 4, the processor module 250 executes
one or
more computer programs or applications (Obj) stored in one or more memory
units within (e.g.,
as shown in FIG. 4) or coupled to the processor module 250. Processor module
250 can include
one or more processes such as a modified VxML 260 call flow process, business
logic process
255, call service function (CSF) process 245, and a global application
processing interface (API)
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process 235. It should be appreciated that processor module 250 can include
one, all, or any
combination of the processes described. The processor module 250 may also
contain one or
more additional databases and/or other processing memory used during the
overall operation of
system 10.
[0040] In one embodiment, the business logic process 255 can be used for
determining
whether or not a calling party (incoming or outgoing) is a participant of the
server 30 network
and allows the server 30 to be flexibly configured by providing routing plans
and route
translations, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) prompting and announcements,
data
manipulation, management and control. In another embodiment, the business
logic 255 provides
an intelligent call routing function (described below in more detail). The UI
module 265
includes processes that provide an easy, but powerful, user interface to
administer, configure and
manage applications including the management of system, user, conference,
notification, IVR
and voicemail applications, to name a few.
[0041] The plurality of receiving and transmitting modules 220a, 220b, 220c
communicate with and handle incoming and outgoing telephone calls and are
connected along
bus 285. In one embodiment, bus 285 is an H100 or similar bus. The receiving
and transmitting
modules 220a, 220b, 220c may be telephonic cards such as e.g., Intel Dialogic
cards, that
communicate with processor module 250, database 270 and other components via
bus 275 (for
example, a PCI bus), which is bridged to bus 285 (bridge not shown), and are
employed to
receive and transmit information to the PBX 14 and PSTN 54 during call
processing. The
modules 220a, 220b, 220c also receive and transmit other information such as
administrative
information. In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the receiving and
transmitting modules
220a, 220b, 220c can also be implemented as a processor module 320 such as
e.g., a Host Media
Processing (HMP) processor having a memory 330 comprising a program that, when
executed,
causes the processor 320 to perform the desired telephony functions.
[0042] In one embodiment, the workload performed by the receiving and
transmitting
modules 220a, 220b, 220c, as well as some of the processing functions of
processor module 250,
are implemented using one or more conventional processor-based programmable
telephony
interface circuit cards (e.g., Intel Dialogic cards) used to interface server
30 with PBX 14 and the
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PSTN. The cards are programmed to perform the conventional telephony services
required to
place and receive calls, as well as being programmed to perform the unique
call processing
functions described below.
[0043] The server 30 preferably contains a database of office extension
numbers (also
referred to herein as PBX extensions) and DID telephone numbers associated
with each existing
PBX extension, the DID numbers being associated with one or more devices
including one or
more remote devices 70. The database will be stored on a computer readable
storage medium,
which may be part of (e.g., database 270) or connected to the server 30. The
database may also
contain a server-to-PBX extension (hereinafter referred to as a "SERVER-PBX
extension") and
one or more remote device telephone numbers associated with each PBX
extension. In the
illustrated embodiment, software running on the telephony modules 220a, 220b,
220c interfaces
with the database to perform the various call processing functions discussed
below.
[0044] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the PBX 14 contains a
coordinated
dialing plan (CDP) steering table. The CDP steering table will be stored and
retrieved from a
computer readable storage medium, which may be part of or connected to the PBX
14. The
CDP steering table directs the routing of some or all PBX extensions to the
server 30 over the
PRI 22 and Vol? 24 connections between the server 30 and the PBX 14. In
addition, the CDP
steering table of the PBX 14 directs the routing of all SERVER-PBX extensions
received from
the server 30 to the appropriate office telephone.
[0045] FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a telecommunication system 1 Oa
constructed in accordance with another embodiment. System 1 Oa comprises PBX
14, which is
connected to server 30, including processor module 250 and database 270, via a
PRI connection
230. As stated above, PBX 14 could also be an IP-PBX and thus, there can also
be a VoIP
connection between the server 30 and PBX 14. There can also be a wireless
connection (e.g.,
WiFi) if desired. Server 30 also includes components from FIGS. 2 or 3 as
desired, but the
components are not illustrated for convenience purposes. The server 30 is
connected to remote
device 70 via a host system 480, network 1024, a first wireless network (e.g.,
a wireless wide
area network or "WWAN") 850 and a second wireless network (e.g., a wireless
local area
network or "WLAN") 851 (all of which are described in more detail below with
respect to FIGS.
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and 11). A WWAN is typically a cellular telecommunications network such as
e.g., GSM
(Global System for Mobile communications)/GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).
A WLAN
is typically an 802.11-based wireless network that allows voice over Internet
Protocol (Vol?)
communications. It should be appreciated that the communications between the
server 30, host
system 480 and remote device 70 may be encrypted to render the information in
the
communications (i.e., telephone numbers, user login identifications, system
information and
settings, etc.) indecipherable to the public. Although the use of encryption
is desirable, the
decision of whether encryption is to be used may be left up to the end user or
system
administrator of the remote device 70, host system 480 and/or server 30. The
host system 480
can include a web services connection (i.e., for the Internet) to provide an
interface between the
server 30 and remote device 70. The host system 480 can also include a mobile
data server (e.g.,
server 1174 of FIG. 11) for facilitating data communications between the
server 30 and remote
device 70. A PSTN 54 is also in communication with the server 30 and remote
device 70 via
e.g., WWAN 850.
[0046] The processor module 250 of the server 30 executes one or more programs
stored
in its associated memory to process calls received through the PBX 14 or PSTN
54. The remote
device 70 will also contain a "client" application designed to communicate
with the server 30
and perform the following processing in accordance with embodiments described
herein. A
suitable application architecture for the remote device 70 is disclosed in
U.S. provisional
application no. 60/852,639. A summary of the application architecture is now
provided.
[0047] The remote device 70 may include a generic presentation layer, device
specific
presentation layer, application logic, generic device control and device
specific device control.
The generic presentation layer controls keypad and display functions. The
device specific
presentation layer controls features specific to the device 70. For example,
depending on the
remote device 70, the features could include interfacing with a track wheel,
thumbwheel, track
ball, or touch screen to name a few. The device 70 will have a screen with
reasonable resolution
and basic graphical capabilities. The device 70 will also have a basic user
input system such as
e.g., function keys, reduced or full-size keyboard, and/or a graphical input
capability (e.g., touch
screen). The device 70 will further include a data communications interface as
described below
with reference to FIGS. 8-11.
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[0048] The client application utilizes standard API's and built-in
capabilities of the e.g.,
Java ME (J2ME) environment for the management of data presentation and device
control.
These standard capabilities allow for a level of generic data presentation,
data input control and
data messaging such as e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, SMS, to name a few. The
application logic
manages the inputs and outputs to and from the device 70 and processes this
information to
provide the generic device client capabilities such as e.g., administration,
inbound call
management, outbound call management and mid-call (or call in-progress)
management.
[0049] Similar to system 10, system 1 Oa (FIG. 5) essentially implements all
or part of
call management functions typically available on a device that is part of an
office, enterprise or
hotel PBX or other communications network. Some of these features are
discussed in detail
below. Moreover, the server 30 maintains control over inbound, outgoing and in-
progress calls
and communications. Example call processing flows are also disclosed in U.S.
provisional
application no. 60/852,639, some of which are now summarized.
[0050] Initially a remote device 70 must log into server 30 by sending a
session request
login data signal to the server 30. This request may be performed
automatically (e.g., every time
the device 70 is powered-up, or periodically), it may happen manually when the
user selects a
predetermined device application, or it may happen automatically or manually
in response to a
request from the server 30. The data signal from the remote device 70 is sent
through system
480 by any of the various supported methods described below (e.g., web
services). In response,
the server 30 will either send a data signal accepting the login request or
rejecting the login
request. If the device 70 is accepted, the user gains access to server 30 and
the ability to process
calls in any of the methods described below. The remote device 70 and server
30 can
periodically or continuously request information from each other using data
signals/messages.
When remote device 70 sends information via a data signal/message, server 30
replies with an
acknowledgement data signal. Similarly, when the server 30 sends information
via a data signal
to the remote device 70, it is acknowledged by the device 70 in an
acknowledgement data.signal.
Information from the server 30 can include profile information, system
settings, messages, etc.
Information from the remote device 70 can include profile information, Do Not
Disturb
information (DND), user preferences, device configuration settings, etc.
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[0051 ] A user can accept an incoming call placed to the user's PBX extension
or DID
telephone number on the remote device 70 (even though the caller did not dial
the remote
device's 70 telephone number). This is because inbound DID calls are received
directly by the
server 30 from e.g., the PSTN 54. Server 30 receives an incoming voice call
for the user, holds
onto that call, and sends a call setup request data signal to the remote
device 70 inquiring
whether or not the user would like to accept the call. The server 30 may also
simultaneously
ring the user's office telephone or other telephone associated with the user's
PBX extension.
Alternatively, the server 30 may sequentially ring the user's other telephones
after a
predetermined period of time elapses. The decision of whether to
simultaneously or sequentially
ring the user's telephony devices is based on the user's preferences stored at
the server 30.
[0052] The call setup request data signal will cause an audible, visual and/or
vibrational
indication to occur on the remote device 70 (as set by a user or system
preference). The user
may answer the call by having the device 70 send an answer data signal to the
server 30. In
response, the server 30 will setup a voice call to the remote device 70 and
substantially
seamlessly connect the held calling party's incoming call to the remote device
70. The user may
also deflect the inbound call to voicemail by having the device 70 send a call
setup response
deflect data signal to the server 30. In this scenario, the server 30 will
setup a voice call to e.g.,
the voicemail box associated with the user's PBX extension or other voicemail
box setup by the
user and then connect the held calling party's incoming call to the voicemail
box.
[0053] The user is also capable of placing outgoing calls from the remote
device 70
through the server 30 (and thus, the PBX) in the following exemplary manner.
If a user wants to
place a call to party 1, the user has the remote device 70 send an out dial
request data signal to
server 30 requesting to place an outbound call through the server 30. Any
input mechanism
(e.g., keyboard, track wheel, stylus, etc.) may be used to send the out dial
request from the
remote device 70. Server 30 determines from the request whether the user
and/or remote device
70 has sufficient rights to place the outbound call. Server 30 will respond by
sending an out dial
response accept data signal accepting the user's request, or by sending an out
dial response reject
data signal rejecting the outbound call to remote device 70 depending on the
user's rights. If
server 30 accepts the outbound call request, the server 30 will place an
outbound voice call to the
remote device 70 and another voice call to the called party (e.g., party 1).
The server 30 then
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substantially seamlessly connects the two calls allowing voice communications
between the
called party and user of the remote device 70.
[0054] The system 10, 10a also provides additional call processing while a
call/connection is already in progress. That is, once a voice call between a
user of a remote
device 70 and another party ("party A") is in progress, the server 30 allows
e.g., the user to
conference in another party ("party B"), place party A on hold while accepting
a call from or
placing a call to party B, deflect a call from party B while continuing with
the party A call, to
name a few. All of these scenarios are possible because the server 30
maintains control over the
ongoing call. Therefore, if during a call, party B attempts to call the user,
server 30 will receive
the call communication from party B and send a call setup request data signal
to the remote
device 70 alerting the device 70 to the new call. At this point, the user can
send (via the remote
device 70) a data signal accepting, deflecting or conferencing in the party B
call. Based on the
response, the server 30 makes the necessary call connections. Likewise, if
during the call with
party A, the user decides to call party B, the user can send (via the remote
device 70) a data
signal requesting the server 30 to call party B. The server 30 initiates the
call to party B, and
based on the user's request, can place party A on hold, send party A to
voicemail, or join the
calls to form a conference call. It should be appreciated that DTMF tones can
also be used
instead of data signals, if desired.
[0055] It should be appreciated that the interaction between remote device 70
and server
30 can include any call processing telephony functions such as simultaneous
ring across multiple
devices, single voicemail box, universal voice mail notification, answer
acknowledgement,
making and receiving a call, abbreviating extension dialing, call hold and
retrieval, multiple call
appearance, direct inward/outward dialing, post digit dialing, flexible
dialing plans/international
dialing, caller ID (name, number), voicemail notification, auto reconnect,
callback, call
forwarding, call transfer, call hold, call waiting, call mute, call blocking,
call redial, call parking,
speed dial, operator assisted dialing, Do Not Disturb (DND) i.e., forward
calls to voicemail
instead of the user), DND Bypass List (i.e., a list of names/numbers allowed
to bypass the do not
disturb feature), and DND Ignore List (i.e., a list of names/numbers to always
divert to
voicemail).
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[0056] In accordance with an embodiment, the database of server 30 may also
contain
numerous system-defined user access rights and user modifiable preferences,
which can alter the
call processing described herein. Referring back to FIG. 1, an office
administrator may use the
network computers 42a, 42b or a remote administration device 52 to set user
access rights and
priorities. The user may use the remote administration device 52 or any device
to set numerous
user preferences. It is desirable that a Web-based or graphical user interface
be used so that the
user can easily access and set user preferences. The network computers 42a,
42b (or remote
device 52) may also be used by the user if so desired.
[0057] It should be appreciated that the server 30 and its system 10, 10a
provide one
contact number for each user, which has several advantages. The single contact
number could
be e.g., the user's physical office extension or DID telephone number. The
single contact
number could a virtual number assigned by the system administrator or other
office/enterprise
personnel. This number will not have to change even when the user changes his
devices. In
fact, if a system administrator or other personnel provides the user with a
new device (and the
number/numbers of the device are stored in the user's profile in the database
270), the user may
never know the actual numbers of the new device. The user only needs to
remember this single
contact number regardless of which device he/she is using (as long as the
device and its contact
number or numbers are stored in the database 270).
[0058] The user or system can publish this single contact number (as opposed
to the
multiple numbers associated with the many devices the user can associate with
his/her account
and extension) such as e.g., in business cards, user profile on a website,
telephone directories,
etc. This contact number can be placed into the ANI/DNIS information of placed
calls, which
helps mask the physical telephone number of the device from the other party on
the call. This
also means that people or organizations attempting to contact the user only
require the single
contact number, which is particularly advantageous.
[0059] For dual mode devices, there is often a telephone or contact number
associated
with the cellular mode of the device and a separate, different telephone or
contact number
associated with the data/WiFi mode of the device. When the user is registered
with the server 30
and/or its system 10, 10a, the user does not need to know either number. In
operation, the server
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30 and the system 10, 1 Oa essentially uses the cellular and Wifi modes of the
device as two
separate and individual phone lines, which provides many benefits as is
described herein.
[0060] As mentioned above, sometimes it is desirable for user on an active
voice call
using a first device (e.g., remote device 70) to switch the call to a
different device (e.g., a second
remote device 70, landline office telephone 12a, 12b). In these situations, it
is desirable to make
the switch without dropping the active voice call and without letting the
other party on the call
know that the switching has taken place. FIG. 6A illustrates a first scenario
100 in which a user
of "device A" is participating in a voice call with "party B." In this
scenario 100, the user of
device A decides that a switch to "device B," another user device, is
required. The reason for
the switch is irrelevant, but may include the detection of a low battery
condition, signal
degradation, poor quality of service, change in location and the like. For
purposes of the
illustrated example, it is presumed that device A is a "single mode" device
capable of
communicating using either cellular voice services or data services, but not
simultaneously.
Device A could be e.g., a class B GSM device, which can be connected to both
GPRS and GSM
services, but is only capable of using one service at a time. Device A could
therefore be a
remote device 70 capable of voice communications, a landline office telephone
12a, 12b or other
wireless or wired device. Likewise, device B may also be a single mode device
such as a remote
device 70 capable of voice communications, a landline office telephone 12a,
12b or other
wireless or wired device. In the illustrated embodiment, devices A and B are
single mode
remote devices 70 associated with the same user and a telephone extension
registered with the
server 30.
[0061 ] In scenario 100, the user is engaged in a voice communication with
party B. The
voice communication is split into two legs. A first voice communication path
between device A
and the server 30 (flow line 100a) and a second voice communication path
between the server 30
and party B (flow line 100b). This type of voice communication and the manner
in which it is
initiated was described above. In the illustrated example, at some point
during the voice
communication, the user determines that a switch to device B is required (flow
line 100c). That
is, the user detects a condition whereby it would be beneficial to switch to a
new device. The
user transmits a DTMF tone or sequence of tones to the server 30 to initiate a
device switch
(flow line 100d). The user of the remote device 70 can initiate the device
switch by pressing one
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or a series of keys on the device A keypad in accordance with a predefined
manner associated
with requesting a device switch. The instructions for initiating the device
switch should be
previously communicated to and generally available for the user (e.g., user
manual, enterprise
frequently asked questions (FAQ) menu, etc.). Regardless of how the user
manipulates device
A, the device will send an indication to the server 30 requesting the device
switch (flow line
100d). This indication can be e.g., a voice signal, a DTMF tone or an SMS
message. For
purposes of the example illustrated in FIG. 6A only, the device switch request
is illustrated as a
voice signal in flow line 100d. At this point, it may be preferable for the
server 30 to determine
if the user has rights to initiate a device switch system and/or preferences
can be used to
allow/prohibit particular users from requesting a device switch, if desired.
For purposes of the
illustrated example, it is presumed that the switch may occur.
[0062] The server 30 looks at the user's profile and retrieves another device
telephone
number associated with the user (or user's extension). The server 30 may be
configured by
default to retrieve the telephone number of another remote device 70 during
device switch
scenarios. Alternatively, or in addition to, the server 30 may be configured
to retrieve a special
device switch number set by the user in the associated user profile. In any
embodiment, the
retrieved number may be associated with another remote device, an office
telephone, home
telephone or other wired/wireless device. In the illustrated example, the
server 30 retrieves the
telephone number of device B from the user's user profile and initiates a
voice call to the
telephone number of device B (flow line 100e).
[0063] The call causes an audible (e.g., ring tone), vibrational and/or visual
alert at
device B. Once the user of device B answers the call from the server 30, a
voice communication
is established between device B and the server (flow line 1000. The server 30
conferences in
the device B call leg into the existing voice communication between device A
and party B (flow
line 100g). Once device B is conferenced in, the user can drop device A from
the conference
call (e.g., disconnect the call, turn off device A) (flow line 100h) and
continue the conversation
using device B (flow lines 100i and 100j). As can be seen, a device switch was
made
seamlessly, without dropping the active voice call or placing it on hold and
without letting party
B know that the switching has taken place.
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[0064] FIG. 6B illustrates another scenario 110 in which a user of device A is
participating in a voice call with party B and decides that a switch to device
B is required. As
with all embodiments described herein, the reason for the switch is
irrelevant. For purposes of
the illustrated example, it is presumed that device A is a single mode device
capable of
communicating using either cellular voice services or data services at one
time. Device A could
therefore be a remote device 70 capable of voice communications, a landline
office telephone
12a, 12b or other wired/wireless telephony device capable of voice
communications. Device B,
on the other hand, is a dual mode remote device 70 capable of simultaneous
voice and data
communications. In the illustrated embodiment, devices A and B are associated
with the same
user and a telephone extension registered with the server 30.
[0065] In scenario 110, the user is engaged in a voice communication with
party B. The
voice communication is split into two legs. A first voice communication path
between device A
and the server 30 (flow line 110a) and a second voice communication path
between the server 30
and party B (flow line 110b). At some point during the voice communication,
the user
determines that a switch to device B is required and transmits a DTMF tone or
sequence of tones
to the server 30 to initiate a device switch (flow line I I Oc). The user of
the remote device 70
can initiate the device switch by pressing one or a series of keys on the
device A keypad in
accordance with a predefined manner associated with requesting a device
switch. Regardless of
how the user manipulates device A, the device will send an indication to the
server 30 requesting
the device switch (flow line 110c). For purposes of the example illustrated in
FIG. 6B only, the
device switch request is illustrated as a voice signal in flow line I10C. At
this point, it may be
preferable for the server 30 to determine if the user has rights to initiate a
device switch as
described above. For purposes of the illustrated example, it is presumed that
the switch may
occur.
[0066] The server 30 looks at the user's profile and retrieves another device
telephone
number associated with the user (or user's extension). As with all embodiments
described
herein, the server 30 may be configured to initially retrieve the number of
another remote device
70 during device switch scenarios. Alternatively, or in addition to, the
server 30 may be
configured to retrieve a device switch number set by the user in the
associated user profile. As
set forth above, the retrieved number may be associated with another remote
device, an office
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telephone, home telephone or other wired/wireless device. In the illustrated
example, the server
30 retrieves the telephone number of device B from the user's user profile.
Since device B is a
remote device 70 capable of handling voice and data communications, the server
30 sends a call
setup request data signal/message to device B (flow line 11 Od).
[0067] The data message (flow line 11 Od) will cause an audible (e.g., ring
tone),
vibrational and/or visual alert to occur at device B. An example of a visual
alert is shown in
FIG. 7A. The visual alert 500 comprises a message 502 indicating that device B
has received an
incoming call from the server. When the user of device B presses the
appropriate key,
trackwheel or button on device 70, a menu 504 of options will appear on the
device 70. If the
user selects "accept", the remote device 70 will send a call setup response
data signal/message to
the server accepting the call (flow line 110e). It should be appreciated that,
although unlikely,
the user could choose not to accept the call or to park the call if desired.
Once the user of device
B accepts the call from the server 30 and the server 30 receives the call
setup response data
signal/message (110e), a voice communication is established between device B
and the server 30
(flow line 11 Of). The server 30 conferences in the device B call leg into the
existing voice
communication between device A and party B (flow line 11 Og). Once device B is
conferenced
in, the user can drop device A from the conference call (e.g., disconnect the
call, turn off device
A) (flow line 110h) and continue the conversation using device B (flow lines
110i and 110j). As
can be seen, a device switch was made seamlessly, without dropping or
interrupting the active
voice call and without letting party B know that the switching has taken
place.
[0068] FIG. 6C illustrates another scenario 120 in which a user of device A is
participating in a voice call with party B and decides that a switch to device
B is required. As
with the other embodiments disclosed herein the reason for the switch is
irrelevant. For
purposes of the illustrated example, it is presumed that device A is a dual
mode remote device 70
capable of simultaneous voice and data communications. Device B, for the
illustrated example,
is a single mode device capable of communicating using either cellular voice
services or data
services at one time. Device A could therefore be a remote device 70. capable
of voice
communications, a landline office telephone 12a, 12b or other telephony device
capable of voice
communications. As with the other embodiments disclosed herein, devices A and
B are
associated with the same user and a telephone extension registered with the
server 30.
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[0069] In scenario 120, the user of device A is engaged in a voice
communication with
party B. The voice communication is split into two legs. A first voice
communication path
between device A and the server 30 (flow line 120a) and a second voice
communication path
between the server 30 and party B (flow line 120b). At some point during the
voice
communication, the user determines that a switch to device B is required. In
this embodiment,
the user transmits a initiate device switch data message to the server 30 to
initiate the device
switch (flow line 120c). The user of the remote device 70 can initiate the
device switch by
pressing one or a series of keys on the device A keypad in accordance with a
predefined manner
associated with requesting a device switch. In a desired embodiment, however,
the user of
device A initiates the device switch using a menu selection from the graphical
user interface of
the device 70.
[0070] FIG. 7B illustrates one menu 510 in which the user may access during an
active
call. As can be seen, the user may select a "Device Swap" menu option 512 from
the menu 510.
The user can select "Device Swap" by any available method supported by the
device 70 (e.g.,
via the keypad, track ball, roller wheel, touch screen, etc.). Regardless of
how the user
manipulates device A, the device 70 will send the data signal/message to the
server 30
requesting the device switch (flow line 120c). As with all embodiments
described herein, it may
be preferable for the server 30 to determine if the user has rights to
initiate a device switch. For
purposes of the illustrated example, it is presumed that the switch may occur.
[0071 ] The server 30 looks at the user's profile and retrieves another device
telephone
number associated with the user (or user's extension). As with all embodiments
described
herein, the server 30 may be configured to initially retrieve the number of
another remote device
70 during device switch scenarios. Alternatively, or in addition to, the
server 30 may be
configured to retrieve a device switch number set by the user in the
associated user profile. As
set forth above, the retrieved number may be associated with another remote
device, an office
telephone, home telephone or other wired/wireless device. In the illustrated
example, the server
30 retrieves the telephone number of device B from the user's user profile.
Since device B is a
single mode device, the server 30 initiates a call to device B by dialing the
telephone number of
device B (flow line 120d).
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[0072] The call causes an audible (e.g., ring tone), vibrational and/or visual
alert at
device B. Once the user of device B answers the call from the server 30, a
voice communication
is established between device B and the server (flow line 120e). The server 30
conferences in
the device B call leg into the existing voice communication between device A
and party B (flow
line 120f). Once device B is conferenced in, the user can drop device A from
the conference call
(e.g., disconnect the call, turn off device A) (flow line 120g) and continue
the conversation using
device B (flow lines 120h and 120i). As with all embodiments described herein,
the device swap
was made seamlessly, without dropping or interrupting the active voice call
and without letting
party B know that the switching has taken place.
[0073] FIG. 6D illustrates another scenario 130 in which a user of device A is
participating in a voice call with party B and decides that a switch to device
B is required. As
with the other embodiments disclosed herein, the reason for the switch is
irrelevant. For
purposes of the illustrated example, it is presumed that both devices A and B
are dual mode
remote devices 70 capable of simultaneous voice and data communications. As
with the other
embodiments disclosed herein, devices A and B are associated with the same
user and a
telephone extension registered with the server 30.
[0074] In scenario 130, the user of device A is engaged in a voice
communication with
party B. The voice communication is split into a first voice communication
path between device
A and the server 30 (flow line 130a) and a second voice communication path
between the server
30 and party B (flow line 130b). At some point during the voice communication,
the user
determines that a switch to device B is required. In this embodiment, the user
transmits an
initiate device switch data message to the server 30 to initiate the device
switch (flow line 130c).
The user of the remote device 70 can initiate the device switch by any method
described above
with reference to FIGS. 6C and 7B. Regardless of how the user manipulates
device A, the
device 70 will send the data signal/message to the server 30 requesting the
device switch (flow
line 130c).
[0075] The server 30 looks at the user's profile and retrieves another device
telephone
number associated with the user (or user's extension). As with all embodiments
described
herein, the server 30 may be configured to always or initially retrieve the
number of another
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remote device 70 during device switch scenarios. Alternatively, or in addition
to, the server 30
may be configured to retrieve a device switch number set by the user in the
associated user
profile. As set forth above, the retrieved number may be associated with
another remote device,
an office telephone, home telephone or other wired/wireless device. In the
illustrated example,
the server 30 retrieves the telephone number of device B from the user's user
profile. Since
device B is a remote device 70 capable of handling voice and data
communications, the server
30 sends a call setup request data signal/message to device B (flow line
130d).
[0076] The data message (flow line 130d) will call causes an audible (e.g.,
ring tone),
vibrational and/or visual alert to occur at device B. An example of a visual
alert is shown in
FIG. 7A. The visual alert 500 comprises a message 502 indicating that device B
has received an
incoming call from the server. When the user of device B presses the
appropriate key,
trackwheel or button on device 70, a menu 504 of options will appear on the
device 70. If the
user selects "accept", the remote device 70 will send a call setup response
data signal/message to
the server accepting the call (flow line 130e). Once the user of device B
accepts the call from
the server 30 and the server 30 receives the call setup response data
signal/message, a voice
communication is established between device B and the server 30 (flow line
1300. The server
30 conferences in the device B call leg into the existing voice communication
between device A
and party B (flow line 130g). Once device B is conferenced in, the user can
drop device A from
the conference call (e.g., disconnect the call, turn off device A) (flow line
130h) and continue the
conversation using device B (flow lines 130i and 130j). As with all
embodiments described
herein, the device swap was made seamlessly, without dropping or, interrupting
the active voice
call and without letting party B know that the switching has taken place.
[0077] Scenarios 120 and 130 were described as being initiated by the user of
device A.
It should be appreciated that the device client operating on the remote device
70 could be
configured to automatically detect that a device swap would be beneficial
(e.g., low battery
conditions, poor signal strength or quality of service, etc.). As such, when
the predetermined
condition(s) arise(s), e.g., when the battery level, signal strength or
quality of service has
dropped below a predetermined threshold(s), the device client could alert the
user that a device
swap would be beneficial by initiating an audible, vibrational and/or visual
alert on the remote
device 70. One example alert 514 is shown on FIG. 7C. Of course the text of
the alert 514 is
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not limited to the "low battery" condition illustrated in FIG. 7C. The alert
could display a menu,
such as menu 510 (FIG. 7B) giving the user the chance to immediately request
the device swap.
In another embodiment, the device 70 could initiate the device switch
automatically, without
waiting for user interaction. In this embodiment, the device 70 would send the
initiate device
swap data signal/message to the server 30 (e.g., flow line 120c, flow line
130c) on its own
initiative. The remainder of the device switch scenario would then be the same
as scenarios 120,
130 from the point where the server 30 initiates the communication with device
B.
[0078] FIG. 6E illustrates a scenario 140 in which the user of device A is
participating in
a voice call with party B and decides that a switch to device B is required.
The type of
telephony device used as device A does not matter in the illustrated example.
Device A can be a
landline office or home telephone, it can be a wireless device or a remote
device 70. Device B
can be a single or dual mode remote device 70, other wireless device or even a
landline
telephone (e.g., office or home telephone). For purposes of the illustrated
example, device B is a
single mode remote device 70 associated with a user having a user profile
stored on the server
30. In the illustrated scenario 140, device A is also associated with the user
and is also
registered with the server 30.
[0079] In scenario 140, the user of device A is engaged in a voice
communication with
party B. The voice communication is split into a first voice communication
path between device
A and the server 30 (flow line 140a) and a second voice communication path
between the server
30 and party B (flow line 140b). In the illustrated example, at some point
during the voice
communication, the user determines that a switch to device B is required.
Unlike the prior
scenarios, the user initiates a telephone call to the server 30 using device B
(flow line 140c).
That is, device B dials a telephone number of the server 30. The server 30
receives the call, uses
the ANI/DNIS information to authenticate the user of device B (flow line
140d). That is, the
server 30 uses information from the inbound call to identify the telephony
device and determines
if the user of device B is registered with the server 30. Once the server 30
authenticates the user
of device B, device B is given access to the server 30 and the enterprise
network. The user of
the remote device 70 can then initiate the device switch by sending a join
conversation
voice/DTMF signal/message to the server 30 (flow line 140e) by pressing one or
a series of keys
on the device B keypad in accordance with a predefined manner associated with
requesting to
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join a conversation. At this point, it may be preferable for the server 30 to
determine if the user
has rights to join the existing conversation. For purposes of the illustrated
example, it is
presumed that the switch may occur.
[0080] The server 30 establishes a voice communication leg with device B (flow
line
140f) and then conferences the new leg with the existing voice communication
between device
A and party B (flow line 140g). Once device B is conferenced in, the user can
drop device A
from the conference call (flow line 140h) and continue the conversation using
device B (flow
lines 140i and 140j). As can be seen, a device switch was made seamlessly,
without dropping
the active voice call and without letting party B know that the switching has
taken place. The
illustrated scenario 140 is useful in the situations in which device A is an
office or home
telephone and the user must leave the office/home during the conversation. The
user can have
the call swapped to a remote device 70 and leave the office/home without
disrupting the call,
which is extremely beneficial.
[0081] FIG. 6F illustrates another scenario 150 in which the user of device A
initiates a
device swap from device B. As with scenario 140, the type of telephony device
used as device
A does not matter in the illustrated example. As such, device A can be a
landline office or home
telephone, it can be a wireless device or a remote device 70. Device B is a
telephony device
associated with the user registered with the server 30. Although device B can
be a single or dual
mode remote device 70, other wireless device or even a landline telephone
(e.g., office or home
telephone), for purposes of the illustrated example, device B is a dual mode
remote device 70
associated with the user having a user profile stored on the server 30. In the
illustrated scenario
150, device A is also associated with the user and is registered with the
server 30.
[0082] In scenario 150, the user of device A is engaged in a voice
communication with
party B. The voice communication is split into a first voice communication
path between device
A and the server 30 (flow line 150a) and a second voice communication path
between the server
30 and party B (flow line 150b). In the illustrated example, at some point
during the voice
communication, the user determines that a switch to device B is required. In
the illustrated
scenario 150, the user wishes to swap the call to his/her remote device 70. To
do so, the remote
device 70 must be currently logged into the server 30 (described above). If
the remote device 70
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is not currently logged into the server 30, the user of the remote device 70
must initiate the login
process.
[0083] As mentioned above, the login process may be performed automatically
when the
user selects an application on the remote device 70. One example application
522 is illustrated
on the display portion 520 of the remote device in FIG. 7D. In the FIG. 7D
example, if the user
selects the application 522, the login process will cause a session request
login data
signal/message (flow line 150c) to be sent to the server 30. The message will
contain a user id
and password or other means for identifying the user and the remote device 70.
If the server 30
can log the remote device 70 in, the server 30 responds with a session
response login accepted
data signal/message (flow line 150d). It should be noted that the login
process can occur
manually. For example, referring to FIGS. 7D and 7E, once the application 522
is selected, the
remote device 70 will display a menu 530 requesting that the user enter a user
id. Once the user
id is entered, the remote device 70 can display a second menu 532 asking the
user to enter a
password or personal identification number (PIN). This information is
transmitted in the session
request login data signal/message (flow line 150c). If the user id and
password are valid, the
server 30 will accept the login (flow line 150d).
[0084] Once the remote device 70 is logged into the server 30, it will have
access to the
server 30 and the enterprises network. Referring to FIG. 7F, the user can
access another menu
540 on the remote device 70 and request to join the device A conversation
using a menu
selection 542. The menu selection 542 will cause the remote device 70 to send
a join
conversation data signal/message to the server 30 (flow line 150e). The server
30 establishes a
voice communication leg with device B (flow line 1500 and then conferences the
new leg with
the existing voice communication between device A and party B (flow line
150g). Once device
B is conferenced in, the user can drop device A from the conference call (flow
line 150h) and
continue the conversation using device B (flow lines 150i and 150j). As with
all embodiments
described herein, a device switch was made seamlessly, without dropping the
active voice call
and without letting party B know that the switching has taken place.
[0085] In one embodiment, remote device 70 can be implemented as mobile device
800,
illustrated in FIG. 8. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile device 800 is
adapted to
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communicate via both WLANs and WWANs. In one embodiment, the mobile device 800
is a
wireless handset that operates in accordance with IEEE 802.11 standards and
cellular network
interface standards (e.g., GSM/GPRS). Mobile device 800 is a two-way
communication device
with advanced data communication capabilities including the capability to
communicate with
other mobile devices or computer systems through a network of transceiver
stations. The mobile
device has the capability to allow voice communications. Depending on the
functionality
provided by the mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging
device, a two-way
pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless
Internet appliance, or a
data communication device (with or without telephony capabilities).
[0086] The mobile device 800 is adapted to wirelessly communicate with
cellular
networks (i.e., WWANs) 850 via a first communication subsystem 804 and
wireless access
points of a WLAN (e.g., WLAN 851) via a second communication subsystem 805.
Although
the device 800 may have (and/or may be shown to have) separate and independent
subsystems
804, 805 for these purposes, it should be appreciated that at least some
portions or components
of these otherwise different subsystems 804, 805 maybe shared where possible.
To aid the
reader in understanding the structure, of the mobile device 800 and how it
communicates with
other devices and host systems, reference will now be made to FIGS. 8 through
11.
[0087] Referring to FIG. 8, shown therein is a block diagram of an exemplary
embodiment of a mobile device 800. The mobile device 800 includes a number of
components
such as a main processor 802 that controls the overall operation of the mobile
device 800.
Communication functions, including data and voice communications, are
performed through a
communication subsystem 804. The communication subsystem 804 receives messages
from and
sends messages to a first wireless network 850. In this exemplary embodiment
of the mobile
device 800, the communication subsystem 804 is configured in accordance with
the Global
System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS)
standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is used worldwide and it is expected
that these
standards will be superseded eventually by Enhanced Data GSM Environment
(EDGE) and
Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS). New standards are still
being defined,
but it is believed that they will have similarities to the network behavior
described herein, and it
will also be understood by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments
described herein are
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intended to use any other suitable standards that are developed in the future.
The wireless link
connecting the communication subsystem 804 with the wireless network 850
represents one or
more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according to defined
protocols
specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newer network protocols, these
channels are
capable of supporting both circuit switched voice communications and packet
switched data
communications.
[0088] Although the wireless network 850 associated with mobile device 800 is
a
GSM/GPRS wireless network in one exemplary implementation, other wireless
networks may
also be associated with the mobile device 800 in variant implementations. The
different types of
wireless networks that may be employed include, for example, data-centric
wireless networks,
voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can support both
voice and data
communications over the same physical base stations. Combined dual-mode
networks include,
but are not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000
networks,
GSM/GPRS networks (as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G)
networks like
EDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi
802.11,
MobitexTM and DataTACTM network communication systems. Examples of other voice-
centric
data networks include Personal Communication Systems (PCS) networks like GSM
and Time
Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems.
[0089] The main processor 802 also interacts with additional subsystems such
as a
Random Access Memory (RAM) 806, a flash memory 808, a display 810, an
auxiliary
input/output (I/O) subsystem 812, a data port 814, a keyboard 816, a speaker
818, a microphone
820, short-range communications 822 and other device subsystems 824.
[0090] Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 800 perform communication-
related
functions, whereas other subsystems may provide "resident" or on-device
functions. By way of
example, the display 810 and the keyboard 816 may be used for both
communication-related
functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over the network
850, and device-
resident functions such as a calculator or task list.
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[0091] The mobile device 800 can send and receive communication signals over
the
wireless network 850 after required network registration or activation
procedures have been
completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of the
mobile device 800. To
identify a subscriber, the mobile device 800 requires a SIM/RUIM card 826
(i.e. Subscriber
Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to be inserted into a
SIM/RUIM
interface 828 in order to communicate with a network. The SIM card or RUIM 826
is one type
of a conventional "smart card" that can be used to identify a subscriber of
the mobile device 800
and to personalize the mobile device 800, among other things. Without the SIM
card 826, the
mobile device 800 is not fully operational for communication with the wireless
network 850. By
inserting the SIM card/RUIM 826 into the SIM/RUIM interface 828, a subscriber
can access all
subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing and messaging such as
e-mail,
voicemail, Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Messaging Services
(MMS). More
advanced services may include: point of sale, field service and sales force
automation. The SIM
card/RUIM 826 includes a processor and memory for storing information. Once
the SIM
card/RUIM 826 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface 828, it is coupled to
the main processor
802. In order to identify the subscriber, the SIM card/RUIM 826 can include
some user
parameters such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An
advantage of using
the SIM card/RUIM 826 is that a subscriber is not necessarily bound by any
single physical
mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM 826 may store additional subscriber
information for a
mobile device as well, including datebook (or calendar) information and recent
call information.
Alternatively, user identification information can also be programmed into the
flash memory
808.
[0092] The mobile device 800 is a battery-powered device and includes a
battery
interface 832 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 830. In at
least some
embodiments, the battery 830 can be a smart battery with an embedded
microprocessor. The
battery interface 832 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the
battery 830 in
providing power V+ to the mobile device 800. Although current technology makes
use of a
battery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells may provide the power to
the mobile device
800.
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[0093] The mobile device 800 also includes an operating system 834 and
software
components 836 to 846 which are described in more detail below. The operating
system 834
and the software components 836 to 846 that are executed by the main processor
802 are
typically stored in a persistent store such as the flash memory 808, which may
alternatively be a
read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Those skilled
in the art will
appreciate that portions of the operating system 834 and the software
components 836 to 846,
such as specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily
loaded into a volatile
store such as the RAM 806. Other software components can also be included, as
is well known
to those skilled in the art.
[0094] The subset of software applications 836 that control basic device
operations,
including data and voice communication applications, will normally be
installed on the mobile
device 800 during its manufacture. Other software applications include a
message application
838 that can be any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile
device 800 to
send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives exist for the
message application 838
as is well known to those skilled in the art. Messages that have been sent or
received by the user
are typically stored in the flash memory 808 of the mobile device 800 or some
other suitable
storage element in the mobile device 800. In at least some embodiments, some
of the sent and
received messages may be stored remotely from the device 800 such as in a data
store of an
associated host system that the mobile device 800 communicates with.
[0095] The software applications can further include a device state module
840, a
Personal Information Manager (PIM) 842, and other suitable modules (not
shown). The device
state module 840 provides persistence, i.e. the device state module 840
ensures that important
device data is stored in persistent memory, such as the flash memory 808, so
that the data is not
lost when the mobile device 800 is turned off or loses power.
[0096] The PIM 842 includes functionality for organizing and managing data
items of
interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, contacts, calendar
events, voicemails,
appointments, and task items. A PIM application has the ability to send and
receive data items
via the wireless network 850. PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated,
synchronized, and
updated via the wireless network 850 with the mobile device subscriber's
corresponding data
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items stored and/or associated with a host computer system. This functionality
creates a
mirrored host computer on the mobile device 800 with respect to such items.
This can be
particularly advantageous when the host computer system is the mobile device
subscriber's
office computer system.
[0097] The mobile device 800 also includes a connect module 844, and an IT
policy
module 846. The connect module 844 implements the communication protocols that
are
required for the mobile device 800 to communicate with the wireless
infrastructure and any host
system, such as an enterprise system, that the mobile device 800 is authorized
to interface with.
Examples of a wireless infrastructure and an enterprise system are given in
FIGS. 10 and 11,
which are described in more detail below.
[0098] The connect module 844 includes a set of APIs that can be integrated
with the
mobile device 800 to allow the mobile device 800 to use any number of services
associated with
the enterprise system. The connect module 844 allows the mobile device 800 to
establish an
end-to-end secure, authenticated communication pipe with the host system. A
subset of
applications for which access is provided by the connect module 844 can be
used to pass IT
policy commands from the host system to the mobile device 800. This can be
done in a wireless
or wired manner. These instructions can then be passed to the IT policy module
846 to modify
the configuration of the device 800. Alternatively, in some cases, the IT
policy update can also
be done over a wired connection.
[0099] The IT policy module 846 receives IT policy data that encodes the IT
policy. The
IT policy module 846 then ensures that the IT policy data is authenticated by
the mobile device
800. The IT policy data can then be stored in the flash memory 806 in its
native form. After the
IT policy data is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policy
module 846 to all of
the applications residing on the mobile device 800. Applications for which the
IT policy may be
applicable then respond by reading the IT policy data to look for IT policy
rules that are
applicable.
[00100] The IT policy module 846 can include a parser (not shown), which can
be
used by the applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases, another
module or application
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can provide the parser. Grouped IT policy rules, described in more detail
below, are retrieved as
byte streams, which are then sent (recursively, in a sense) into the parser to
determine the values
of each IT policy rule defined within the grouped IT policy rule. In at least
some embodiments,
the IT policy module 846 can determine which applications are affected by the
IT policy data
and send a notification to only those applications. In either of these cases,
for applications that
aren't running at the time of the notification, the applications can call the
parser or the IT policy
module 846 when they are executed to determine if there are any relevant IT
policy rules in the
newly received IT policy data.
[00101] All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to know
the
type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the "WEP User
Name" IT policy
rule is known to be a string; therefore the value in the IT policy data that
corresponds to this rule
is interpreted as a string. As another example, the setting for the "Set
Maximum Password
Attempts" IT policy rule is known to be an integer, and therefore the value in
the IT policy data
that corresponds to this rule is interpreted as such.
[00102] After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicable
applications
or configuration files, the IT policy module 846 sends an acknowledgement back
to the host
system to indicate that the IT policy data was received and successfully
applied.
[00103] Other types of software applications can also be installed on the
mobile
device 800. These software applications can be third party applications, which
are added after
the manufacture of the mobile device 800. Examples of third party applications
include games,
calculators, utilities, etc.
[00104] The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device 800
through at least one of the wireless network 850, the auxiliary I/O subsystem
812, the data port
814, the short-range communications subsystem 822, or any other suitable
device subsystem
824. This flexibility in application installation increases the functionality
of the mobile device
800 and may provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related
functions, or both.
For example, secure communication applications may enable electronic commerce
functions and
other such financial transactions to be performed using the mobile device 800.
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[00105] The data port 814 enables a subscriber to set preferences through an
external device or software application and extends the capabilities of the
mobile device 800 by
providing for information or software downloads to the mobile device 800 other
than through a
wireless communication network. The alternate download path may, for example,
be used to
load an encryption key onto the mobile device 800 through a direct and thus
reliable and trusted
connection to provide secure device communication.
[00106] The data port 814 can be any suitable port that enables data
communication between the mobile device 800 and another computing device. The
data port
814 can be a serial or a parallel port. In some instances, the data port 814
can be a USB port that
includes data lines for data transfer and a supply line that can provide a
charging current to
charge the battery 830 of the mobile device 800.
[00107] The short-range communications subsystem 822 provides for
communication between the mobile device 800 and different systems or devices,
without the use
of the wireless network 850. For example, the subsystem 822 may include an
infrared device
and associated circuits and components for short-range communication. Examples
of short-range
communication standards include standards developed by the Infrared Data
Association (IrDA),
Bluetooth, and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.
[00108] In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message,
or
web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 804 and
input to the
main processor 802. The main processor 802 will then process the received
signal for output to
the display 810 or alternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 812. A
subscriber may also
compose data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, using the keyboard
816 in
conjunction with the display 810 and possibly the auxiliary I/O subsystem 812.
The auxiliary
subsystem 812 may include devices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball,
infrared
fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing
capability. The keyboard
816 is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard and/or telephone-type keypad.
However, other
types of keyboards may also be used. A composed item may be transmitted over
the wireless
network 850 through the communication subsystem 804.
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[00109] For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device
800
is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output to the
speaker 818, and signals
for transmission are generated by the microphone 820. Alternative voice or
audio I/O
subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, can also be
implemented on the
mobile device 800. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished
primarily through the
speaker 818, the display 810 can also be used to provide additional
information such as the
identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or other voice call
related information.
[00110] Referring to FIG. 9, an exemplary block diagram of the communication
subsystem component 804 is shown. The communication subsystem 804 includes a
receiver
950, a transmitter 952, as well as associated components such as one or more
embedded or
internal antenna elements 954 and 956, Local Oscillators (LOs) 958, and a
processing module
such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 960. The particular design of the
communication
subsystem 804 is dependent upon the communication network 850 with which the
mobile device
800 is intended to operate. Thus, it should be understood that the design
illustrated in FIG. 9
serves only as one example.
[00111] Signals received by the antenna 954 through the wireless network 850
are
input to the receiver 950, which may perform such common receiver functions as
signal
amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, and
analog-to-digital
(A/D) conversion. A/D conversion of a received signal allows more complex
communication
functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP 960. In
a similar
manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including modulation and
encoding, by the DSP
960. These DSP-processed signals are input to the transmitter 952 for digital-
to-analog (D/A)
conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission
over the wireless
network 850 via the antenna 956. The DSP 960 not only processes communication
signals, but
also provides for receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains
applied to
communication signals in the receiver 950 and the transmitter 952 may be
adaptively controlled
through automatic gain control algorithms implemented in the DSP 960.
[00112] The wireless link between the mobile device 800 and the wireless
network
850 can contain one or more different channels, typically different RF
channels, and associated
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protocols used between the mobile device 800 and the wireless network 850. An
RF channel is
a limited resource that must be conserved, typically due to limits in overall
bandwidth and
limited battery power of the mobile device 800.
[00113] When the mobile device 800 is fully operational, the transmitter 952
is
typically keyed or turned on only when it is transmitting to the wireless
network 850 and is
otherwise turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, the receiver 950 is
periodically turned off
to conserve power until it is needed to receive signals or information (if at
all) during designated
time periods.
[00114] The second subsystem 805, which is utilized for wireless
communications
via wireless access points of a WLAN 851, is structurally similar to that
shown and described for
the first subsystem 804. However, a baseband and media access control (MAC)
processing
module replaces the DSP 960. As stated previously, in one embodiment, the
second subsystem
805 is adapted to operate in accordance with well-known IEEE 802.11 standards.
[00115] Referring to FIG. 10, a block diagram of an exemplary implementation
of
a node 1002 of the wireless network 850 is shown. In practice, the wireless
network 850
comprises one or more nodes 1002. In conjunction with the connect module 844,
the mobile
device 800 can communicate with the node 1002 within the wireless network 850.
In the
exemplary implementation of FIG. 10, the node 1002 is configured in accordance
with General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies.
The node
1002 includes a base station controller (BSC) 1004 with an associated tower
station 1006, a
Packet Control Unit (PCU) 1008 added for GPRS support in GSM, a Mobile
Switching Center
(MSC) 1010, a Home Location Register (HLR) 1012, a Visitor Location Registry
(VLR) 1014, a
Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 1016, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)
1018, and
a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 1020. This list of components is
not meant to
be an exhaustive list of the components of every node 1002 within a GSM/GPRS
network, but
rather a list of components that are commonly used in communications through
the network 850.
[00116] In a GSM network, the MSC 1010 is coupled to the BSC 1004 and to a
landline network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 1022 to
satisfy circuit
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switched requirements. The connection through the PCU 1008, the SGSN 1016 and
the GGSN
1018 to a public or private network (Internet) 1024 (also referred to herein
generally as a shared
network infrastructure) represents the data path for GPRS capable mobile
devices. In a GSM
network extended with GPRS capabilities, the BSC 1004 also contains the Packet
Control Unit
(PCU) 1008 that connects to the SGSN 1016 to control segmentation, radio
channel allocation
and to satisfy packet switched requirements. To track the location of the
mobile device 800 and
availability for both circuit switched and packet switched management, the HLR
1012 is shared
between the MSC 1010 and the SGSN 1016. Access to the VLR 1014 is controlled
by the MSC
1010.
[00117] The station 1006 is a fixed transceiver station and together with the
BSC
1004 form fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiver equipment
provides wireless
network coverage for a particular coverage area commonly referred to as a
"cell". The fixed
transceiver equipment transmits communication signals to and receives
communication signals
from mobile devices within its cell via the station 1006. The fixed
transceiver equipment
normally performs such functions as modulation and possibly encoding and/or
encryption of
signals to be transmitted to the mobile device 800 in accordance with
particular, usually
predetermined, communication protocols and parameters, under control of its
controller. The
fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and
decrypts, if
necessary, any communication signals received from the mobile device 800
within its cell.
Communication protocols and parameters may vary between different nodes. For
example, one
node may employ a different modulation scheme and operate at different
frequencies than other
nodes.
[00118] For all mobile devices 800 registered with a specific network,
permanent
configuration data such as a user profile is stored in the HLR 1012. The HLR
1012 also contains
location information for each registered mobile device and can be queried to
determine the
current location of a mobile device. The MSC 1010 is responsible for a group
of location areas
and stores the data of the mobile devices currently in its area of
responsibility in the VLR 1014.
Further, the VLR 1014 also contains information on mobile devices that are
visiting other
networks. The information in the VLR 1014 includes part of the permanent
mobile device data
transmitted from the HLR 1012 to the VLR 1014 for faster access. By moving
additional
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information from a remote HLR 1012 node to the VLR 1014, the amount of traffic
between
these nodes can be reduced so that voice and data services can be provided
with faster response
times and at the same time requiring less use of computing resources.
[00119] The SGSN 1016 and the GGSN 1018 are elements added for GPRS
support; namely packet switched data support, within GSM. The SGSN 1016 and
the MSC
1010 have similar responsibilities within the wireless network 850 by keeping
track of the
location of each mobile device 800. The SGSN 1016 also performs security
functions and
access control for data traffic on the wireless network 800. The GGSN 1018
provides
internetworking connections with external packet switched networks and
connects to one or
more SGSN's 1016 via an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone network operated
within the network
850. During normal operations, a given mobile device 800 must perform a "GPRS
Attach" to
acquire an IP address and to access data services. This requirement is not
present in circuit
switched voice channels as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
addresses are used for
routing incoming and outgoing calls. Currently, all GPRS capable networks use
private,
dynamically assigned IP addresses, thus requiring the DHCP server 1020
connected to the
GGSN 1018. There are many mechanisms for dynamic IP assignment, including
using a
combination of a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server
and a DHCP
server. Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a logical connection is established
from a mobile
device 800, through the PCU 1008, and the SGSN 1016 to an Access Point Node
(APN) within
the GGSN 1018. The APN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel that can
either access direct
Internet compatible services or private network connections. The APN also
represents a security
mechanism for the network 850, insofar as each mobile device 800 must be
assigned to one or
more APNs and mobile devices 800 cannot exchange data without first performing
a GPRS
Attach to an APN that it has been authorized to use. The APN may be considered
to be similar
to an Internet domain name such as "myconnection.wireless.com".
[00120] Once the GPRS Attach operation is complete, a tunnel is created and
all
traffic is exchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol that can be
supported in IP
packets. This includes tunneling methods such as IP over IP as in the case
with some IPSecurity
(IPsec) connections used with Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels
are also referred
to as Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number of
these available in
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the network 850. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts, the network 800 will run
an idle timer
for each PDP Context to determine if there is a lack of activity. When a
mobile device 800 is
not using its PDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP
address returned to
the IP address pool managed by the DHCP server 1020.
[00121] Referring to FIG. 11, shown therein is a block diagram illustrating
components of an exemplary configuration of a host system 480 that the mobile
device 800 can
communicate with in conjunction with the connect module 844. The host system
480 will
typically be a corporate enterprise or other local area network (LAN), but may
also be a home
office computer or some other private system, for example, in variant
implementations. In this
example shown in FIG. 11, the host system 480 is depicted as a LAN of an
organization to
which a user of the mobile device 800 belongs. Typically, a plurality of
mobile devices can
communicate wirelessly with the host system 480 through one or more nodes 1002
of the
wireless network 850.
[00122] The host system 480 comprises a number of network components
connected to each other by a network 1160. For instance, a user's desktop
computer 1162a with
an accompanying cradle 1164 for the user's mobile device 800 is situated on a
LAN connection.
The cradle 1164 for the mobile device 800 can be coupled to the computer 1162a
by a serial or a
Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, for example. Other user computers 1162b-
1162n are
also situated on the network 1160, and each may or may not be equipped with an
accompanying
cradle 1164. The cradle 1164 facilitates the loading of information (e.g. PIM
data, private
symmetric encryption keys to facilitate secure communications) from the user
computer 1162a
to the mobile device 800, and may be particularly useful for bulk information
updates often
performed in initializing the mobile device 800 for use. The information
downloaded to the
mobile device 800 may include certificates used in the exchange of messages.
[00123] It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the user
computers
1162a-1162n will typically also be connected to other peripheral devices, such
as printers, etc.
which are not explicitly shown in FIG. 11. Furthermore, only a subset of
network components
of the host system 480 are shown in FIG. 11 for ease of exposition, and it
will be understood by
persons skilled in the art that the host system 480 will comprise additional
components that are
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not explicitly shown in FIG. 11 for this exemplary configuration. More
generally, the host
system 480 may represent a smaller part of a larger network (not shown) of the
organization, and
may comprise different components and/or be arranged in different topologies
than that shown
in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11.
[00124] To facilitate the operation of the mobile device 800 and the wireless
communication of messages and message-related data between the mobile device
800 and
components of the host system 480, a number of wireless communication support
components
1170 can be provided. In some implementations, the wireless communication
support
components 1170 can include a message management server 1172, a mobile data
server 1174, a
contact server 1176, and a device manager module 1178. The device manager
module 1178
includes an IT Policy editor 1180 and an IT user property editor 1182, as well
as other software
components for allowing an IT administrator to configure the mobile devices
800. In an
alternative embodiment, there may be one editor that provides the
functionality of both the IT
policy editor 1180 and the IT user property editor 1182. The support
components 1170 also
include a data store 1184, and an IT policy server 1186. The IT policy server
286 includes a
processor 1188, a network interface 1190 and a memory unit 1192. The processor
1188 controls
the operation of the IT policy server 1186 and executes functions related to
the standardized IT
policy as described below. The network interface 1190 allows the IT policy
server 1186 to
communicate with the various components of the host system 480 and the mobile
devices 800.
The memory unit 1192 can store functions used in implementing the IT policy as
well as related
data. Those skilled in the art know how to implement these various components.
Other
components may also be included as is well known to those skilled in the art.
Further, in some
implementations, the data store 1184 can be part of any one of the servers.
[00125] In this exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 800 communicates with
the host system 480 through node 1002 of the wireless network 850 and a shared
network
infrastructure 1124 such as a service provider network or the public Internet.
Access to the host
system 480 may be provided through one or more routers (not shown), and
computing devices of
the host system 480 may operate from behind a firewall or proxy server 1166.
The proxy server
1166 provides a secure node and a wireless internet gateway for the host
system 480. The proxy
server 1166 intelligently routes data to the correct destination,server within
the host system 480.
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[00126] In some implementations, the host system 480 can include a wireless
VPN
router (not shown) to facilitate data exchange between the host system 480 and
the mobile
device 800. The wireless VPN router allows a VPN connection to be established
directly
through a specific wireless network to the mobile device 800. The wireless VPN
router can be
used with the Internet Protocol (IP) Version 6 (IPV6) and IP-based wireless
networks. This
protocol can provide enough IP addresses so that each mobile device has a
dedicated IP address,
making it possible to push information to a mobile device at any time. An
advantage of using a
wireless VPN router is that it can be an off-the-shelf VPN component, and does
not require a
separate wireless gateway and separate wireless infrastructure. A VPN
connection can
preferably be a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP or User Datagram
Protocol (UDP)/IP
connection for delivering the messages directly to the mobile device 800 in
this alternative
implementation.
[00127] Messages intended for a user of the mobile device 800 are initially
received by a message server 1168 of the host system 480. Such messages may
originate from
any number of sources. For instance, a message may have been sent by a sender
from the
computer 1162b within the host system 480, from a different mobile device (not
shown)
connected to the wireless network 850 or a different wireless network, or from
a different
computing device, or other device capable of sending messages, via the shared
network
infrastructure 1124, possibly through an application service provider (ASP) or
Internet service
provider (ISP), for example.
[00128] The message server 1168 typically acts as the primary interface for
the
exchange of messages, particularly e-mail messages, within the organization
and over the shared
network infrastructure 1124. Each user in the organization that has been set
up to send and
receive messages is typically associated with a user account managed by the
message server
1168. Some exemplary implementations of the message server 1168 include a
Microsoft
Exchange TM server, a Lotus Domino TM server, a Novell GroupwiseTM server, or
another suitable
mail server installed in a corporate environment. In some implementations, the
host system 480
may comprise multiple message servers 1168. The message server 1168 may also
be adapted to
provide additional functions beyond message management, including the
management of data
associated with calendars and task lists, for example.
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[00129] When messages are received by the message server 1168, they are
typically stored in a data store associated with the message server 1168. In
at least some
embodiments, the data store may be a separate hardware unit, such as data
store 1184, that the
message server 1168 communicates with. Messages can be subsequently retrieved
and delivered
to users by accessing the message server 1168. For instance, an e-mail client
application
operating on a user's computer 1162a may request the e-mail messages
associated with that
user's account stored on the data store associated with the message server
1168. These messages
are then retrieved from the data store and stored locally on the computer
1162a. The data store
associated with the message server 1168 can store copies of each message that
is locally stored
on the mobile device 800. Alternatively, the data store associated with the
message server 1168
can store all of the messages for the user of the mobile device 800 and only a
smaller number of
messages can be stored on the mobile device 800 to conserve memory. For
instance, the most
recent messages (i.e., those received in the past two to three months for
example) can be stored
on the mobile device 800.
[00130] When operating the mobile device 800, the user may wish to have e-mail
messages retrieved for delivery to the mobile device 800. The message
application 838
operating on the mobile device 800 may also request messages associated with
the user's
account from the message server 1168. The message application 838 may be
configured (either
by the user or by an administrator, possibly in accordance with an
organization's information
technology (IT) policy) to make this request at the direction of the user, at
some pre-defined time
interval, or upon the occurrence of some pre-defined event. In some
implementations, the
mobile device 800 is assigned its own e-mail address, and messages addressed
specifically to the
mobile device 800 are automatically redirected to the mobile device 800 as
they are received by
the message server 1168.
[00131] The message management server 1172 can be used to specifically provide
support for the management of messages, such as e-mail messages, that are to
be handled by
mobile devices. Generally, while messages are still stored on the message
server 1168, the
message management server 1172 can be used to control when, if, and how
messages are sent to
the mobile device 800. The message management server 1172 also facilitates the
handling of
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messages composed on the mobile device 800, which are sent to the message
server 1168 for
subsequent delivery.
[00132] For example, the message management server 1172 may monitor the
user's "mailbox" (e.g. the message store associated with the user's account on
the message
server 1168) for new e-mail messages, and apply user-definable filters to new
messages to
determine if and how the messages are relayed to the user's mobile device 800.
The message
management server 1172 may also compress and encrypt new messages (e.g. using
an
encryption technique such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, or
Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES)) and push them to the mobile device 800 via the
shared network
infrastructure 1124 and the wireless network 850. The message management
server 1172 may
also receive messages composed on the mobile device 800 (e.g. encrypted using
Triple DES),
decrypt and decompress the composed messages, re-format the composed messages
if desired so
that they will appear to have originated from the user's computer 1162a, and
re-route the
composed messages to the message server 1168 for delivery.
[00133] Certain properties or restrictions associated with messages that are
to be
sent from and/or received by the mobile device 800 can be defined (e.g. by an
administrator in
accordance with IT policy) and enforced by the message management server 1172.
These may
include whether the mobile device 800 may receive encrypted and/or signed
messages,
minimum encryption key sizes, whether outgoing messages must be encrypted
and/or signed,
and whether copies of all secure messages sent from the mobile device 800 are
to be sent to a
pre-defined copy address, for example.
[00134] The message management server 1172 may also be adapted to provide
other control functions, such as only pushing certain message information or
pre-defined
portions (e.g. "blocks") of a message stored on the message server 1168 to the
mobile device
800. For example, in some cases, when a message is initially retrieved by the
mobile device 800
from the message server 1168, the message management server 1172 may push only
the first
part of a message to the mobile device 800, with the part being of a pre-
defined size (e.g. 2 KB).
The user can then request that more of the message be delivered in similar-
sized blocks by the
message management server 1172 to the mobile device 800, possibly up to a
maximum pre-
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defined message size. Accordingly, the message management server 1172
facilitates better
control over the type of data and the amount of data that is communicated to
the mobile device
800, and can help to minimize potential waste of bandwidth or other resources.
[00135] The mobile data server 1174 encompasses any other server that stores
information that is relevant to the corporation. The mobile data server 1174
may include, but is
not limited to, databases, online data document repositories, customer
relationship management
(CRM) systems, or enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.
[00136] The contact server 1176 can provide information for a list of contacts
for
the user in a similar fashion as the address book on the mobile device 800.
Accordingly, for a
given contact, the contact server 1176 can include the name, phone number,
work address and e-
mail address of the contact, among other information. The contact server 1176
can also provide
a global address list that contains the contact information for all of the
contacts associated with
the host system 480.
[00137] It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the message
management server 1172, the mobile data server 1174, the contact server 1176,
the device
manager module 1178, the data store 1184 and the IT policy server 1186 do not
need to be
implemented on separate physical servers within the host system 480. For
example, some or all
of the functions associated with the message management server 1172 may be
integrated with
the message server 1168, or some other server in the host system 480.
Alternatively, the host
system 840 may comprise multiple message management servers 1172, particularly
in variant
implementations where a large number of mobile devices need to be supported.
[00138] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the IT policy server 1186 can
provide the IT policy editor 1180, the IT user property editor 1182 and the
data store 1184. In
some cases, the IT policy server 1186 can also provide the device manager
module 1178. The
processor 1188 can execute the editors 1180 and 1182. In some cases, the
functionality of the
editors 1180 and 1182 can be provided by a single editor. In some cases, the
memory unit 1192
can provide the data store 1184.
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[00139] The device manager module 1178 provides an IT administrator with a
graphical user interface with which the IT administrator interacts to
configure various settings
for the mobile devices 800. As mentioned, the IT administrator can use IT
policy rules to define
behaviors of certain applications on the mobile device 800 that are permitted
such as phone, web
browser or Instant Messenger use. The IT policy rules can also be used to set
specific values for
configuration settings that an organization requires on the mobile devices 800
such as auto
signature text, WLAN/VoIP/VPN configuration, security requirements (e.g.
encryption
algorithms, password rules, etc.), specifying themes or applications that are
allowed to run on the
mobile device 800, and the like.
[00140] While preferred embodiments have been specifically described and
illustrated herein, it should be apparent that many modifications to the
embodiments can be
made. For example, while the preferred embodiments illustrated herein have
been limited to the
processing of voice (packet or circuit switched) calls, it should be readily
apparent that any form
of call (e.g., audio, video, data) may be processed through server 30 to any
communication
device (e.g., cellular phone, pager, office/residential landline telephone,
computer terminal,
personal digital assistant (PDA), RIM device, etc.). The individual method
steps of the
exemplary operational flows illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6F may be interchanged in
order,
combined, replaced or even added. Any number of different operations not
illustrated herein
may be performed. Moreover, the method steps may be performed by hardware,
software,
firmware or any combinations of hardware, software, firmware or logic
elements.
[00141] In addition, while the illustrated embodiments have demonstrated
implementations using PBX-based communication systems, it should be readily
apparent that
the server module may be connected (directly, indirectly, co-located, or
remotely) with any other
network switching device or communication system used to process calls such as
a central
switching office, centrex system, or Internet server for telephone calls made
over the public
switched telephone network, private telephone networks, or even Internet
Protocol (IP)
telephony networks made over the Internet. It should be understood by those
skilled in the art
that the embodiments disclosed do not need a PBX to operate or to perform any
of the
processing described above. All that is required is a properly programmed
server 30.
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[00142] It should be apparent that, while only PRI lines (e.g., between PBX 14
and
server 30, between PBX 14 and PSTN 16) have been illustrated in discussing the
preferred
embodiments, these communication lines (as well as any other communication
lines or media
discussed herein) may be of any form, format, or medium (e.g., PRI, Ti, OC3,
electrical, optical,
wired, wireless, digital, analog, etc.). Moreover, although PSTN 16, 54 are
depicted as separate
networks for illustration purposes, it should be readily apparent that a
single PSTN network
alone may be used in practice. It should be noted that the server 30 could
trunk back to the PBX
14 instead of being directly connected to the PSTN 54. The use of a commercial
wireless carrier
network (represented by wireless switch 58 and antenna 60) as described herein
may be
implemented using one or more commercial carriers using the same or different
signaling
protocols (e.g., Sprint/Nextel, etc.) depending on the communication devices
registered with the
system.
[00143] The modules described herein such as the modules making up server 30,
as well as server 30 and PBX 14 themselves, may be one or more hardware,
software, or hybrid
components residing in (or distributed among) one or more local or remote
systems. It should be
readily apparent that the modules may be combined (e.g., server 30 and PBX 14)
or further
separated into a variety of different components, sharing different resources
(including
processing units, memory, clock devices, software routines, etc.) as required
for the particular
implementation of the embodiments disclosed herein. Indeed, even a single
general purpose
computer executing a computer program stored on a recording medium to produce
the
functionality and any other memory devices referred to herein may be utilized
to implement the
illustrated embodiments. User interface devices utilized by in or in
conjunction with server 30
may be any device used to input and/or output information. The interface
devices may be
implemented as a graphical user interface (GUI) containing a display or the
like, or may be a
link to other user input/output devices known in the art.
[00144] Furthermore, memory units employed by the system may be any one or
more of the known storage devices (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only
Memory
(ROM), hard disk drive (HDD), floppy drive, zip drive, compact disk-ROM, DVD,
bubble
memory, etc.), and may also be one or more memory devices embedded within a
CPU, or shared
with one or more of the other components.
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