System for programming of features of a mobile cellular telephone unit

Abstract

A system for programming software feature switches in a mobile telephone, wherein a host computer initiates a first call to the mobile telephone, thereby causing a cell site facility to broadcast an initiate signal via a digital paging channel. A processor in the mobile telephone monitors the paging channel. An alert signal is generated in the mobile telephone in response to the initiate signal, and an answer signal is generated in the mobile telephone if the subscriber answers the first call. The first processor causes first acknowledge signal to be broadcast via the paging channel in response to the answer signal, to thereby cause the cell site facility to complete a voice channel connection between the mobile telephone and a modem of the host computer. A tone generator associated with the host computer generates a distinct tone on the voice channel, which is detected by the mobile telephone. The processor of the mobile telephone then establishes a programming mode and sends a second acknowledge signal to the host computer. The host computer then broadcasts feature switch data via the voice channel. The processor of the mobile telephone monitors and/or writes feature switch data received from the voice channel into a plurality of the software feature switches in the mobile telephone.