Bellsouth Corporation

At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation

Daniel P Norman

Gregory Clyde Griffith

Richard Allen Guidotti

David A Saitta

Charles Martin Link, Ii

Alan Wayne Rinderknecht

Charles Martin Link

An apparatus for activating a cellular telephone within a cellular telecommunications network. A PCMCIA card interacts with a controller to display required programming information and questions. A user of the cellular telephone inputs responses to questions on a display. The user responses are transmitted to a system administrator at a customer activation center via a mobile telephone switching office in the cellular telecommunications network. The system administrator provides any necessary information for activating the cellular telephone. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a personal computer is connected to cellular telephone and the PCMCIA card is connected to the personal computer. Information for the user may be shown on either the display of the cellular telephone or on a display of the personal computer. The user may input information and responses to questions via a user input device provided as part of the display or as part of the personal computer. User input is provided to the cellular telephone to activate and program the cellular telephone for operation on the cellular telecommunications network.

Memory device for a cellular telephone

A memory device for use with a cellular telephone capable of communicating with a customer activation center (CAC) via a cellular telephone network. The memory device includes a dummy mobile identification number (MIN). An instruction can cause the cellular telephone to use the dummy MIN to gain access to the cellular telephone network and to use a radio frequency (RF) transmitter of the cellular telephone to send the dummy MIN to the CAC. Another instruction can cause the cellular telephone to use an RF receiver of the cellular telephone to receive a valid MIN from the CAC over the cellular telephone network. A further instruction can cause the cellular telephone to store the valid MIN in the cellular telephone. The memory device can be implemented as a personal computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) card.

An enclosure with an adjacent auxiliary fold-out room is useful as a utility building for cellular telephone equipment. The auxiliary fold-out room is selectively positionable in a collapsed configuration and alternatively positionable in a expanded configuration. In the collapsed configuration the auxiliary fold-out room lies against the enclosure and in the expanded configuration, panels of the auxiliary fold-out room define an enclosed space adjacent an access opening of the enclosure and provide cover for maintenance personnel while servicing equipment within the enclosure.

Auxiliary fold-out room

According to one aspect, a portable radiotelephone comprising a housing a cover slidably engaged with the housing and selectively reciprocable relative to the housing between a first position, wherein the portable radiotelephone is in an on-hook condition and, alternatively, a second position, wherein the portable radiotelephone is in an off-hook condition. According to another aspect, the portable radiotelephone comprises a housing, a cover slidably engaged with the housing and selectively reciprocable relative to the housing between a first position and, alternatively, a second position, wherein at least a portion of the cover extends outwardly beyond the housing, and an antenna fixed to and extending along the cover, at least a portion of the antenna extending outwardly beyond the housing when the cover is in the second position. The portable radiotelephone alleviates inadvertent key depression and inadvertent phone call disconnect upon answering and more easily enables maximum cellular telephone performance during phone calls.

Portable radiotelephone with sliding cover and automatic antenna

An apparatus for activating a cellular telephone (10) within a cellular telecommunications network. A PCMCIA card (62) interacts with a controller (50) to display required programming information and questions. A user of the cellular telephone (10) inputs responses to questions on a display (90). The user responses are transmitted to a system administrator at a customer activation center via a mobile telephone switching office in the cellular telecommunications network. The system administrator provides any necessary information for activating the cellular telephone (10). In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a personal computer is connected to cellular telephone (10) and the PCMCIA card (62) is connected to the personal computer. Information for the user may be shown on either the display (90) of the cellular telephone (10) or on a display of the personal computer. The user may input information and responses to questions via a user input device provided as part of the display (90) or as part of the personal computer. User input is provided to the cellular telephone (10) to activate and program the cellular telephone for operation on the cellular telecommunications network.

Growing community of inventors

Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Daniel P Norman