Lucent Technologies Inc.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

Other

Dupage Children's Museum, Inc.

Richard Grant Sparber

Paul Raymond Sand

Akhtar Akhteruzzaman

Akhter Akhteruzzaman

Phillip Michael Sands

Paul E Maass

Claudis L Young

Richard James Brockman

Kenneth Leon Habegger

Karen Louise Moeller

Mark Roman Sosinski

Ronald Keith Poole

Jaime E Salazar

James L Neigh

A method of preserving or gracefully concluding wireless calls that are dropped when service is interrupted in a wireless communication system () (e.g., due to poor RF coverage). When a mobile unit () encounters a service interruption during a call, an announcement () is played inviting remaining participating unit(s) to hold. After a predetermined waiting time (), if service is not re-established to the mobile unit, the remaining unit(s) are invited () to leave a message (e.g., voice mail) for the mobile unit and connected () to a messaging system (). After message(s) are concluded, the call is ended () or optionally, lo continued () if there is more than one remaining unit. If service is recovered before the waiting time expires, a service recovery announcement is provided () to the remaining unit(s) and the call continues ().

Method for preserving calls when service is interrupted to a mobile unit in a wireless communication system

A system for identifying at least one selected mobile communication apparatus proximal with an identification locus includes: (a) a mobile communication base facility in communication with a plurality of mobile communication apparatuses that include the selected mobile communication apparatus; (b) at least one location-indicating device emitting a location-indicating code and is installed in each of the selected mobile communication apparatus; the location-indicating code relates a geographic location and an individual identification of a respective selected mobile communication device; and (c) at least one supported unit in communication with the mobile communication base facility. At least one of the mobile communication base facility and the supported unit have on-line access to an information store and a locator. The information store cooperates with the locator in receiving the location-indicating code to relate the individual identification with respective contact data for a respective selected mobile communication device.

System and method for identifying mobile communication apparatuses proximal with an identification locus

A system for managing response to a need at a site includes: (a) a control facility that can effect wireless data communication and voice communication; and (b) a plurality of response units that can effect wireless data communication and voice communication. The control facility effects an initial contact with a selected response unit using wireless data communication. The selected response unit communicates a response signal to the initial contact using wireless data communication. The response signal includes characteristic data relating to the selected responding unit that includes information relating to situs of the selected responding unit. The method includes steps of: (a) providing a managing facility and responding units; (b) effecting initial contact among the managing facility and selected responding units using wireless data communication; and (c) communicating a responsive signal by a responding unit to the managing facility using wireless data communication.

System and method for managing response to a need at a site

Telephone calls are handed off from a wireless network to a wireline network under the control of a subscriber. When at a given location, the subscriber enters the directory number of the wireline terminal (typically the closest) to which a future wireless call is to be transferred. The entered directory number is then stored in memory in the subscriber's wireless terminal with the current location of the subscriber as determined by a satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) for future use. If the subscriber wants to transfer a call to a wireline terminal, the subscriber selects a transfer handoff key on the subscriber's wireless terminal. After the subscriber's location is determined using the GPS, it is then determined if a directory number (DN) of a designated wireline terminal has previously been entered and stored in memory for the subscriber's present location. If so, the call is transferred to the designated wireline terminal using the local cellular network and the wireless call is terminated. If the DN of a wireline terminal associated with the subscriber's present location has not previously been entered, the wireless call is allowed to continue. Automatic call forwarding to a designated wireline terminal is also provided for in the event of a weak received signal link using a table of previously entered wireline terminal DN's. In both manual and automatic transfer of a wireless call, the subscriber must pick up the ringing wireline terminal to complete call transfer.

Handoff of phone calls from wireless to wireline network

Voice mail, email, fax and personal calendar systems are integrated allowing for the automatic updating of voice mail and email responses to received telephone calls and emails indicating that the receiver of the telephone call/email is out of the office, temporarily unavailable, etc. For received telephone calls, a determination is made as to whether the call was received during or outside of normal working hours, and if the person receiving the call is still engaged beyond a previous entered time period for providing an appropriate message to the caller. The determination is also made as to whether the received call is an &ldquo;inside&rdquo; or &ldquo;outside&rdquo; call, e.g., originating within or outside of the office or organization being called, and a predetermined response is provided depending upon where the call originated. In response to an incoming fax, the number of the fax transmitter is stored and used to provide a return fax response with a predetermined message from the calendar server of the person receiving the call. Provision is made for updating the user status at any time and, thus, automatically changing the outgoing voice mail, email or fax message.

Integration of voice mail, email, fax and personal calendar systems to automatically update messages

Apparatus and a method for providing roaming service to a telecommunications station which can act as a cellular station or if plugged into a jack connected to a land-line switch, can act like a land-line telephone. When such a Universal Main Station (UMS) is plugged into a jack connected to a land-line switch, the station calls a server system which obtains the directory number corresponding to the jack into which the UMS was plugged. The server notifies a home switch of said UMS to forward calls to that directory number. When the UMS subsequently unplugs from the jack, the UMS registers as a mobile station and the home switch is notified to forward calls to the UMS, acting as a mobile station and identified by a secret directory number, identified in the course of the registration. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a mobile station equipped with an arrangement for detecting the presence of land-line power and arranged to substitute signals received from a jack for radio signals to roam widely, and to receive a choice of cellular service or land-line service wherever the station roams.

Provision of cellular/wire-line service

A drill ( ) for drilling a material ( ) with a drill bit ( ) which is specially adapted for use by inexperienced users is provided. The drill ( ) includes a rotatable helix screw ( ) having a helix groove ( ). A support block ( ) travels up and down the helix screw ( ) when the helix screw ( ) is rotated via a handle section ( ). A key pin ( ) is mounted in the support block ( ) to ride in the helix groove ( ). Preferably, the center of mass of the support block ( ) is tangential to the helix screw ( ). A short level section ( ) is formed in the bottom of the helix groove ( ) such that the key pin ( ) rests in the level section ( ) when not in use. The drill ( ) may comprise an overhead support mechanism ( ) for rotatably supporting the drill ( ).

Drill for inexperienced users

Apparatus and a method for testing tiered digital multiplexing apparatus. To test a primary train of tiered demultiplexers, a data path assurance train of demultiplexers and a selector is used to generate a demultiplexed signal for comparison with a primary demultiplexed signal. To test a primary train of tiered multiplexers, the output of the final multiplexing stage is connected to the input of the data path assurance train of demultiplexers to generate a demultiplexed signal for comparison with a primary input signal to the primary multiplexer train. Advantageously, a simpler, more reliable, and less expensive data path assurance circuit using the same types of components as the primary multiplexers and demultiplexers can be used to detect failures in these primary units as well as the data path assurance circuit.

Detecting digital multiplexer faults

A ringing detector circuit for use by the deaf which may be connected between the tip and ring conductors (11, 12) of a subscriber set to cause an incandescent lamp (40) to flash to half brightness when ringing voltage is applied to the line. Closing a manual switch (22) allows the lamp (40) to burn at half brightness when the phone is not ringing and to flash to full brightness when the phone is ringing.

Ringing detector for use by the deaf

A negative impedance circuit comprising a level shifter and a current mirror, includes calibration circuitry for adjusting the negative impedance to provide the precise amount of current required to compensate for current drain caused by a known impedance at varying voltage levels. A divider/multiplier circuit is connected to the line which has the known impedance and provides a signal which is directly proportional to the voltage level on the line to the level shifter which, in turn, provides a corresponding control current to the current mirror. The current mirror provides a proportional current to the line current supplied by the current mirror and may be measured at a calibration resistor and the divider multiplier circuit may be adjusted to the appropriate ratio until the exact amount of current required to offset the drain to the precision resistor is provided by the current mirror.

Precision negative impedance circuit with calibration

An impedance/admittance measuring circuit generates an output signal which is representative of the real or imaginary part of the impedance or admittance of a connected load. An excitation signal comprising a square wave having a fixed magnitude is generated and applied to a load. The response signal resulting from the excitation signal is filtered by a two pole bandpass filter (106). The filter output signal is used to control the excitation signal generator (101, 102) such that an oscillatory feedback loop is formed. By controlling the load connection and the phase relations between the excitation signal and the filter output signal, the magnitude of the output signal is representative of the real or imaginary part of the impedance or admittance of the connected load (103).

Impedance/admittance measuring circuit

An electronic loop identification circuit identifies loaded and nonloaded customer telephone loops. The loops can then be segregated to allow separate balance networks to be used for hybrid circuits which connect the customer loops to a digital switching office. Separate balance networks for loaded and nonloaded loops improve singing margin on those loops. An impedance measuring circuit (214) measures the real part of the impedance of a connected loop which is compared to a reference signal. If the real part of the loop impedance is greater than the reference signal, a loaded loop is identified; and, if the real part of the loop impedance is less than the reference signal, a nonloaded loop is identified. The circuit includes a self-calibrating arrangement which connects a reference impedance (209) to the impedance measuring circuit so that a capacitor (304) held reference signal can be set before each loop identification operation.

Electronic loaded/nonloaded telephone loop identification circuit

A conference circuit (150) is disclosed for use in a telephone switching system (100) to provide communication among three or more subscriber stations (101, 102, 103). The subscriber stations (101, 102, 103) are connected to a plurality of ports (P0, P1, P2) of the conference circuit via communication lines (104, 105, 106) and a switching network (130). Amplification circuitry (210, 211, 212) connected to the ports (P0, P1, P2) provides input signal amplification to assure adequate transmission quality. A sensing circuit (220, 221) detects signals generated by subscriber station transitions and generates timed control signals to adjust the magnitude of amplification of input signals from the subscriber stations (101, 102, 103) for a predetermined period of time. Circuits (S1, S2) which supervise the states of junctor circuits (121, 122) connected to the conference circuit (150) provide for further gain control of the amplification circuitry (210, 211, 212). Power is supplied to the conference circuit from a junctor circuit ( 120) associated with one of the subscriber station connections.

Gain-adjusting conference circuit

A direct reading ohmmeter for neutralizing the effects of foreign voltages is disclosed including alternately connected stages for registering the Thevenin Equivalent open circuit voltage across test probes as well as a voltage whose value is a function of the resistance to be measured, and circuitry monitoring these stages for determining the value of the unknown resistance by a continuous subtraction of the stored voltages.

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Wheaton, IL, United States of America

Richard Grant Sparber