Cordless telephone arranged for operating with multiple portable units

Abstract

A cordless telephone arranged for operation in a frequency hopping system includes an arrangement which achieves optimum utilization of multiple cordless telephone portable units by permitting these units to access a common base unit and also access each other. The portable units are configured for subsequent operation with the base unit and each other during a registration process by having the base unit select from a plurality of communication channels available in the frequency hopping system a different starting channel for each one of the portable units. The portable units are thereby advantageously selectably addressable by the base unit and by each other. Any one of the registered portable units, for example, is capable of selectively paging and communicating with any other one of the registered portable units over selected ones of the plurality of communication channels. Once a base unit establishes a communication link with a portable unit, or a portable unit establishes a communication link with another portable unit, using set-up channels designated for such purpose, both units move away from these channels. Another two units, two unoccupied or free portable units, for example, may then advantageously also use these set-up channels for establishing another communication link.