Premises telephonic interface system for communicating using a hand-held wireless device

Abstract

According to the invention, a method and apparatus are disclosed for allowing a consumer to place wireless calls over their hand-held wireless communications device from telephones connected through-out their location, while keeping the convenience and flexibility of a hand-held communications device. More specifically, the present invention includes a communications premises station system for receiving a hand-held wireless communications device which communicates with a wireless network and has a premises station interface. The communications premises station system has one or more telephonic interfaces for communicating with one or more telephonic devices (e.g., telephones, facsimile machines, computers). When the hand-held wireless communications device is placed in premises station (similar to a battery charger cradle), the hand-held wireless communications device electrically connects to communications premises station system. A call processing element of the communications premises station system exchanges signaling information with the hand-held wireless communications device, and converts incoming signals from the hand-held wireless communications device to incoming signals to the telephonic device, and converts outgoing signals from the telephonic device to outgoing signals to the hand-held wireless communications device. In this manner, when the hand-held wireless communications device is placed in the premises station, wireless telephonic calls can be placed from and received by a telephonic device connected to the communications premises station system.