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`EXHIBIT G
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`

`

`(12) United States Patent
`Mooney
`
`USOO6941156B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,941,156 B2
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Sep. 6, 2005
`
`(54) AUTOMATIC HANDOFF FOR WIRELESS
`PICONET MULTIMODE CELL PHONE
`
`(75) Inventor: Philip D. Mooney, Sellersville, PA
`(US)
`
`(73) ASSignee: Agere Systems Inc., Allentown, PA
`(US)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 835 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/888,493
`(22) Filed:
`Jun. 26, 2001
`(65)
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2002/0198020 A1 Dec. 26, 2002
`(51) Int. Cl. ................................................. H04M 1100
`(52) U.S. Cl. .................................. 455/553.1; 455/552.1
`(58) Field of Search .............................. 455/403,426.1,
`455/552.1, 553.1
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,675,629 A * 10/1997 Raffel et al. ............. 455/552.1
`
`5,774.805 A * 6/1998 Zicker ..................... 455/426.1
`5,794,141. A
`8/1998 Zicker ........................ 455/418
`5,842,122 A * 11/1998 Schellinger et al. ........ 455/403
`6,167,278 A 12/2000 Nilssen ....................... 455/462
`6,167.285. A 12/2000 Howe ...................... 455/552.1
`6,317,582 B1 * 11/2001 Yoshinaga ................. 455/11.1
`6,363,246 B1 -
`3/2002 Williams et al. ............ 455/403
`6,415,158 B1 * 7/2002 King et al. .............. 455/552.1
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner Bing Q. Bui
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`A technique and apparatus for transferring a communication
`link between two different modes of a multimode cellphone.
`For instance, an active telephone call using a cordless
`telephone RF communication link may be automatically
`Switched (with user prompt if desired) to a cell phone call
`when desired (e.g., when the cordless telephone goes out of
`range of its base unit), and vice versa. CallerID Type 2 and
`Call Waiting may be used to Switch the far end telephone
`from one line to the other with minimal (or even
`unnoticeable) disruption to the participants or content of the
`telephone connection.
`
`19 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
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`PICONET
`CORDESS
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`SI
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`CELAR
`NETWORK
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`20
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`CORDLESS TO CEL PHONE HAND OVER
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`HANDED
`OVER
`TELEPHONE
`CALL
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`
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`PICONET
`FRONT END
`CORDLESS
`TELEPHONE
`BASE
`UNIT
`
`INTIAL TELEPHONE CAL
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`
`
`f
`100
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`AUTOMATIC
`SWITCH OVER
`MODE
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`USER
`PROMPT
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`USER
`ACTIVAON
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`2ND
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 6, 2005
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`Sheet 2 of 6
`
`US 6,941,156 B2
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`FIC. 2
`CORDLESS TO CELL PHONE HAND OVER
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`ESTABLISH TELEPONE
`CALL WITH CORDLESS
`TELEPHONE
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`202
`
`AUTOMATICALLY (OR
`MANUALLY) DETERMINE-204
`NEED TO MOVE TO
`CELLULAR CALL
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`DETERMINE TELEPHONE
`NUMBER OF FAR END
`CELLULAR PHONE
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`206
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`DAL FAR END
`CELLULAR PHONE
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`208
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`FAR END PHONE
`ACCEPTS CEI CALL
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`210
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`
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`DROP CORDLESS
`TELEPHONE CALL
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`212
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`U.S. Patent
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`US 6,941,156 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 6, 2005
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`Sheet 4 of 6
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`US 6,941,156 B2
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`FIG. 4
`WALKIE-TAKE TO CELL PHONE HAND OVER
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`UTILIZE WALKIE-TAKE
`COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN
`MULTI-MODE PHONES
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`AUTOMATICALLY (OR MANUALLY)
`DETERMINE NEED TO MOVE TO
`CELLULAR CALL
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`402
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`404
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`DETERMINE TELEPHONE
`NUMBER OF FAR END PHONE
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`406
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`DIAL FAR END PHONE
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`408
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`FAR END PHONE
`ACCEPTS CELL CALL
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`410
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`WALKIE-TAKE
`COMMUNICATIONSTERMINATE
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`42
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 6, 2005
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`Sheet 5 of 6
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`US 6,941,156 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sep. 6, 2005
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`Sheet 6 of 6
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`US 6,941,156 B2
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`FIC. 6
`WALKIE-TAKE TO CORDLESS HAND OVER
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`UTILIZE WALKIE-TALKIE
`COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN
`MULTI-MODE PHONES
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`602
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`AUTOMATICALLY (OR MANUALLY)
`DETERMINE NEED TO MOVE TO-1604
`CORDLESS PHONE CALL
`
`DETERMINE TELEPHONE
`NUMBER OF FAR END PHONE
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`
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`DAL FAR END PHONE
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`FAR END PHONE ACCEPTS
`CORDLESS CALL
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`606
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`608
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`610
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`WALKIE-TALKIE
`COMMUNICATIONSTERMINATE
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`612
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`1
`AUTOMATIC HANDOFF FOR WIRELESS
`PICONET MULTIMODE CELL PHONE
`
`US 6,941,156 B2
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention generally relates to piconet wireleSS
`networks. More particularly, it relates to the use of a
`combination 3-in-1 cell phone/cordless telephone/walkie
`talkie device.
`2. Background of Related Art
`One of the new and useful ideas coming out of BLUE
`TOOTH technology is the 3-in-1 cell phone, where a cell
`phone has advanced and additional capabilities to operate as
`a cordless telephone when near a matching cordleSS tele
`phone base Station, or to work as a walkie-talkie when near
`another Similarly capable handset. This provides a cell
`phone that has advantages over competitors cell phones
`which are not similarly capable, including the ability and
`convenience of Storing all phone book data, calling history
`and user preferences.
`Using Such Systems, a cell phone user has the ability and
`convenience of accessing a cordless telephone base Station
`when, e.g., arriving home. Having Such access, a cordless
`telephone user might make telephone calls using their cell
`phone handset accessing their cordless telephone base unit at
`times when they might not otherwise use their cell phone
`handset, e.g., when at home in the vicinity of a cordless
`telephone.
`Convenience aside, a 3-in-1 cell phone conventionally
`provides establishment of a telephone call with a wireleSS
`cell phone network, or with a local cordleSS telephone,
`depending upon which mode the phone is in. To operate the
`3-in-1 cell phone in a cordless telephone mode, the 3-in-1
`cell phone is manually Switched to a cordless telephone
`mode by the user, and then a telephone call is made from the
`base unit. Similarly, to operate a 3-in-1 cell phone in a
`cellular mode, the 3-in-1 phone is manually Switched to a
`cellular mode, and then a cellular telephone call is estab
`lished from the handset. To Switch between cordless and
`cellular modes, the user must first terminate any existing
`telephone call, and then manually Switch the mode of the 3-1
`telephone.
`There is a need in a 3-in-1 cell phone which provides
`Smooth Switchover and interaction between Separate modes
`of operation.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
`a multimode cellphone comprises a cellphone functionality,
`and an RF communication functionality Separate from the
`cell phone functionality. An automatic Switch over module
`is in communication with both the cell phone functionality
`and the RF communication functionality. The automatic
`Switch over module operates to Switch a communication
`path established on either the cell phone functionality or the
`RF communication functionality, with another communica
`tion path established on the other of the cell phone func
`tionality and the RF communication functionality.
`A method of automatically Switching between a first type
`RF communication link and a Second type RF communica
`tion link different from the first type RF communication link,
`comprising participating in the first type RF communication
`link. An availability of the second type RF communication
`link is Sensed, and if available, the Second type RF com
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`munication link is established while the first type RF com
`munication link remains active. The parties participating in
`the first type RF communication link are switched to active
`utilization of the Second type RF communication link.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`Features and advantages of the present invention will
`become apparent to those skilled in the art from the follow
`ing description with reference to the drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 shows a multimode cell phone handing over a
`telephone call from a cordless mode to a cellular mode, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`FIG. 2 shows an exemplary process for handing over a
`telephone call from the cordless mode of a multimode cell
`phone to a cellular mode of the multimode cell phone, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`FIG. 3 shows a multimode cell phone handing over a
`walkie-talkie conversation to a cellular telephone call, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`FIG. 4 shows an exemplary process for handing over a
`walkie-talkie conversation to a cellular telephone call
`handled by a cellular mode of a multimode cell phone, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`FIG. 5 shows a multimode cell phone handing over a
`walkie-talkie conversation to a cordleSS telephone call, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`FIG. 6 shows an exemplary process for handing over a
`walkie-talkie conversation to a cordless telephone call
`handled by a cordless telephone mode of a multimode cell
`phone, in accordance with the principles of the present
`invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE
`EMBODIMENTS
`More and more home and office devices are designed to
`form piconets, or Small wireleSS networks. One popular
`piconet Standard is commonly referred to as a BLUE
`TOOTHTM piconet. Piconet technology in general, and
`BLUETOOTHTM technology in particular, provides peer-to
`peer communications over short distances.
`The wireleSS frequency of piconets may be 2.4 GHZ, as per
`BLUETOOTHTM standards, and/or typically have a 20 to
`100 foot range. The piconet RF transmitter may operate in
`common frequencies that do not necessarily require a license
`from the regulating government authorities, e.g., the Federal
`Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States.
`Alternatively, the wireleSS communication can be accom
`plished with infrared (IR) transmitters and receivers, but this
`is leSS preferable because of the directional and Visual
`problems often associated with IR systems.
`A plurality of piconet networks may be interconnected
`through a Scatternet connection, in accordance with BLUE
`TOOTHTM protocols. BLUETOOTHTM network technology
`may be utilized to implement a wireless piconet network
`connection (including scatternet). The BLUETOOTHTM
`Standard for wireless piconet networks is well known,
`described in the BLUETOOTHTM specification, version 1.1,
`publicly available from the web site www.bluetooth.com.
`The entire BLUETOOTHTM specification (core and
`profiles), version 1.1, in particular the Cordless Telephony
`Profile portion of version 1.1 of the Profiles, is explicitly
`incorporated herein by reference,.
`The BLUETOOTHTM specification defines a Cordless
`Telephony Profile. In particular, Part K:3 of the BLUE
`TOOTHTM specification version 1.1, Profiles, pages 99-144,
`
`

`

`3
`defines the features and procedures that are required for
`interoperability between different cordless telephones, e.g.,
`between remote handsets and corresponding base units.
`The '3-in-1 phone is a Solution for providing an extra
`mode of operation to cellular phones, using BLUE
`TOOTHTM as a short-range bearer for accessing fixed net
`work telephony Services via a base Station. The 3 functions
`include making telephone calls via a base station (i.e.,
`cordless telephone mode), making direct intercom calls
`between two terminals (e.g., between two cellular telephone
`handsets), and, of course, making an otherwise conventional
`cellular phone call.
`The Cordless Telephony Profile defines two roles: Gate
`way (GW) and Terminal (TL). The Gateway acts as a
`terminal endpoint from the external network point of view
`and handles all Interworking towards that network. The
`Gateway is the central point with respect to external calls,
`which means that it handles all call Set-up requests to/from
`the external network. The Terminal is the wireless user
`terminal (e.g., the remote handset of a cordless telephone).
`The Cordless Telephony profile Supports a small number
`(i.e., less than 7) of terminals, or 3 active voice terminals. In
`accordance with the principles of the present invention, the
`multimode 3-in-1 cell phone includes the Cordless Tele
`phony Profile of BLUETOOTHTM capability.
`The present invention provides a technique for transfer
`ring an active telephone call from cordleSS telephone mode
`to cell phone mode (and vice versa) in a 3-in-1 cell phone.
`In particular, in accordance with the principles of the present
`invention, Caller D Type2 and Call Waiting are used to
`switch the far end telephone from one line to the other with
`minimal (or even unnoticeable) disruption to the participants
`or content of the telephone connection.
`Using conventional 3-in-1 phones, there is no provision
`for automatically transferring a call from a cordless handset
`mode to a cell phone mode (e.g., when a user is leaving a
`household where a matching cordless telephone base unit).
`Similarly, there is conventionally no automatic way to
`transfer a telephone call from a cell phone to a cordless
`telephone base unit when the user returns home. Certainly,
`a user could manually hang up the 3-in-1 cell phone in one
`mode (e.g., cordless telephone mode) and initiate a new
`telephone call using a new mode (e.g., cell phone mode).
`However, this would require manual operations performed
`by the user, being a bit of a nuisance to the user prone to
`error, and also a significant and potentially lengthy disrup
`tion to the underlying telephone call.
`FIG. 1 shows a multimode cell phone handing over a
`telephone call from a cordless mode to a cellular mode, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, a multimode cell phone
`100 includes multiple functional modes, e.g., a cell phone
`mode 100a, a piconet cordless telephone 100b, and a walkie
`talkie mode 100c.
`Importantly, an automatic switch over module 101 is in
`communication with each communication path
`functionality, e.g., with the cell phone functionality 100a,
`the piconet cordless telephone functionality 100b, and the
`walkie-talkie functionality 100c. The desired mode of the
`multimode cell phone 100 may be controlled through suit
`able communications with each communication path func
`tionality 100a–100c.
`Preferably, more than one mode of the multimode cell
`phone 100 may operate Simultaneously, allowing the estab
`lishment of a Secondary communication path in the
`background, allowing easy and quick Switch over as desired
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`or required. For instance, while operating in a cell phone
`mode, the automatic Switch over module 101 of the multi
`mode cell phone 100 may detect walkie-talkie communica
`tion activity from the far party's multimode cell phone 100,
`and establish a communication link therebetween even while
`the two parties remain in a cell phone conversation.
`In the cordleSS telephone mode, the multimode cellphone
`100 communicates between handset unit 100 and a matching
`piconet cordless telephone base unit 110 using a Suitable
`piconet front end 114 in the base unit 110 and a matching
`piconet front end within the multimode cell phone 100.
`For explanation purposes, FIG. 1 depicts an established
`telephone call between the multimode cellphone 100 and a
`far end telephone 150 (which in the example is a landline
`telephone accessed through a cellular network). Of course,
`the far end telephone can be any telephonic device, multi
`mode or Single mode.
`Once the multimode cell phone 100 extends beyond its
`acceptable range, the telephone call would ordinarily be
`dropped, perhaps involuntarily. However, in accordance
`with the principles of the present invention, the telephone
`call between the multimode cell phone 100 and the far end
`telephone 150 is automatically re-established using the
`cellular network 120. By automatically changing the mode
`of the multimode cell phone 100 (preferably Subsequent to
`a prompt to the user for permission to transfer), the conver
`sation or other communication between the parties is trans
`ferred to the newly established cell phone call.
`While FIGS. 1 and 2 depict the transfer of a telephone call
`from a cordleSS telephone call to a cellular telephone call,
`the converse is preferably also possible. For example, a
`perSon using a cell phone having 3-in-1 capability in accor
`dance with the principles of the present invention is on their
`way home while talking on their 3-in-1 cellphone in cellular
`(or other wireless network) mode. ASSume that that person
`then arrives at their home and becomes within range of the
`cordleSS telephone base Station that is matched to the cord
`leSS telephone mode of the 3-in-1 cell phone.
`In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
`an automated procedure may be initiated by the user of the
`multimode cell phone 100 at the press of a designated
`button. The user may be prompted about impending loSS of
`Signal or otherwise loSS of the established telephone call, and
`may be prompted to permit establishment of and ultimately
`transfer to an alternative type communication path (e.g., a
`cellular phone call). In response, the user preferably acti
`Vates a Suitable button, e.g., a dedicated button called, e.g.,
`“Switch to Cell Network”, or simply “Switch Communica
`tion Path”. Of course, the transfer may be entirely automated
`without requiring input from the user, within the Scope of the
`invention.
`FIG. 2 shows an exemplary process for handing over a
`telephone call from the cordless mode of a multimode cell
`phone to a cellular mode of the multimode cell phone, in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention.
`In particular, as shown in step 202 of FIG. 2, a cordless
`telephone call is established using a cordless telephone
`mode of the multimode cell phone 100.
`In Step 204, the need (or desire) to change communication
`modes to a cellular mode is determined.
`In step 206, the telephone number of the far end telephone
`150 (or another suitable phone accessible to the far end
`party) is determined, e.g., using a call related information
`service such as a CallerID type service provided by the
`PSTN 130 (FIG. 1).
`In step 208, the determined telephone number of the far
`end telephone 150 is dialed, and passes through to the far
`end telephone 150 using, e.g., a Call Waiting type Service
`140.
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`6
`the near end, and if So to automatically activate a flash Signal
`on the telephone line.
`The automatic handoff capability may be implemented
`using a lookup table including entries relating to alternate
`telephone numbers, e.g., associated cell phone numbers,
`land line numbers, etc. However, care should be taken to
`avoid the Vulnerability to erroneous communication path
`Switching.
`A Safer, alternative approach implements a predetermined
`Signaling tone (e.g. a DTMF tone sent from the near end
`(switching) phone and a detector on the far end phone 150
`recognizing it and preparing to flash when the new call
`comes in. Of course, there could be a combination of both.
`Let's look at this example.
`A perSon on their way home is talking to a co-worker on
`their multimode cell phone 100 (in cell phone mode). That
`person then arrives home and sits down near their cordless
`base station 110. Preferably, the multimode cell phone 100
`maintains a configuration Such that when a cordless tele
`phone link (e.g., a piconet BLUETOOTHTM link of good
`quality) has been established with the cordless base for a
`given length of time (e.g., for at least two minutes), then the
`multimode cell phone handset 100 will allow Switch over to
`the cordless telephone call and ultimately drop or terminate
`the original cell phone call.
`To accomplish this, the multimode cell phone 100 may
`send, e.g., a quick DTMF“7” followed by a DTMF“9” (i.e.,
`representing the characters "SW") notifying the near end
`user and the far end phone 150 (and user) that a switch is
`about to happen. The far end phone 150 would remain ready
`for a Switch over for a given length of time, e.g., for 20
`seconds. The multimode cell phone 100 makes the alternate
`phone call as described above. After the far end phone
`receives the new call, it checks the call related information
`(e.g., CallerD data) against entries in a Suitable lookup
`table, and if it finds a match, then automatically flashes the
`telephone line on the original telephone call. The near end
`phone, as in the first example, is then notified that the Second
`call has gone through, allowing the conversation to continue
`on a Switched over communication path.
`In the unlikely event that the Switchover does not Succeed,
`the Switchover is preferably delayed (e.g., for 10 Seconds or
`more) to allow the users to Switch back to the initial
`telephone call or communication path.
`Similar to the above examples, the multimode cell phone
`100 may switch from cordless mode to cell phone mode
`when the user wishes to leave the proximity of the cordless
`telephone base unit 110. For instance, manual activation of
`a Suitable button, or automatic detection of the quality of the
`RF link (e.g., the BLUETOOTHTM piconet link) below a
`preset level may initiate this feature.
`The present invention is equally applicable to a 2-in-1
`phone as it is to a 3-in-1 or more mode phone. For instance,
`automatic Switching from a walkie-talkie mode can be
`performed without the need to control a telephone network.
`For instance, FIG. 3 shows a multimode cell phone 100
`handing over a walkie-talkie conversation to a cellular
`telephone call, in accordance with the principles of the
`present invention.
`In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, a multimode cell phone
`100 is initially operating in a walkie-talkie mode over a 1'
`communication path to another multimode cell phone 100.
`Thereafter, at a desired point (e.g., when the walkie-talkies
`reach the limit of their range) switchover to the cellular
`network 120 is initiated, either manually by the user, or
`automatically but preferably with a prompt to the user before
`completion.
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`In step 210, the user of the far end telephone 150 accepts
`the newly incoming telephone call in response to their Call
`Waiting and/or Type 2 CallerD service.
`In Step 212, the old communication path (in this case the
`cordless telephone call) is dropped, perhaps after a desirable
`delay (e.g., after 5 seconds).
`The converse of the example of FIGS. 1 and 2 is also
`possible. For instance, the multimode cell phone 150 may
`move from a cellphone call to a cordleSS telephone call, e.g.,
`once the multimode cell phone 100 becomes within range of
`its matching base unit 110. In this case, the multimode cell
`phone 100 automatically establishes a wireless connection
`with the cordless telephone base Station 110 using, e.g., a
`wireless piconet protocol conforming to the BLUE
`15
`TOOTHTM standard. Using the wireless cordless telephone
`communication path established between the multimode cell
`phone 150 and its base unit 110, a suitable telephone number
`relating to the far end party may be determined and passed
`to the cordless telephone functionality of the multimode cell
`phone 100.
`Preferably, the initial caller in the first telephone call
`controls the re-establishment of an alternative mode com
`munication path. For instance, in the disclosed embodiment,
`the far end party's telephone number is obtained by the
`multimode cell phone 150 that initiated the first telephone
`call (i.e., who called whom).
`Telephone numbers for the far end party may be recalled
`from a last number dialed functionality of the multimode
`cell phone 150. However, call related information such as
`CallerID information may be used to allow a far end party
`to themselves initiate a communication path mode transfer.
`In the event that both parties attempt to initiate a com
`munication mode change (e.g., from cordless to cellular),
`conventional collision detect and variously delayed retry
`Schemes may be utilized.
`The far end party's telephone number may be obtained for
`transfer between cordless and cellular telephone modes, e.g.,
`from last number dialed memory (if the user initiated the
`call), or from the last number received in Caller ID memory
`(if the current call was incoming from the far end party).
`In the given example, the cordless telephone base Station
`110 then goes off hook and dials the telephone number of the
`far end party, whether or not the far end party initiated the
`transferred telephone call. In this example, from the far-end
`user's perspective, the far end user hears that there is a call
`coming in (e.g., using a Call Waiting Service) and may or
`may not review CallerID information such as the telephone
`number and/or name of the calling party, before they accept
`the new call. Using Call Waiting type service, the far end
`party would accept the new communication mode by Simply
`activating a FLASH button and abandoning the first tele
`phone call (which will eventually be dropped either by the
`base unit 110 of the calling party Such as is shown in Step
`212 of FIG. 1, or by the telephone company if the telephone
`company Senses a lack of activity on the abandoned tele
`phone call. To this end, the cordless telephone base unit 110
`may notify the handset that the new communication path has
`been established and accepted, allowing the base unit 110 to
`finally switch the audio path from the cell phone link to the
`BLUETOOTHTM cordless telephone link and then discon
`nect the cell phone call.
`In a more automated embodiment of a 3-in-1 phone
`having automatic handoff capability between modes in
`accordance with the principles of the present invention, the
`far end phone 150 includes a capability to sense when a
`Switch between communication path modes is occuring on
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`In step 612, after the cordless telephone call has been
`established and accepted by the far end party, Switchover to
`the cordless telephone call can be accomplished, and walkie
`talkie communications between the two multimode cell
`phones 100 can be terminated.
`The present invention has application in any piconet
`device, including cell phones, laptop computers, cordless
`telephones, etc.
`While the invention has been described with reference to
`the exemplary preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled
`in the art will be able to make various modifications to the
`described embodiments of the invention without departing
`from the true Spirit and Scope of the invention.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A multimode cell phone, comprising:
`a cell phone functionality; and
`an RF communication functionality Separate from Said
`cell phone functionality;
`a module to establish Simultaneous communication paths
`from Said multimode cell phone using both Said cell
`phone functionality and Said RF communication func
`tionality; and
`an automatic Switch over module, in communication with
`both said cell phone functionality and said RF com
`munication functionality, operable to Switch a commu
`nication path established on one of Said cell phone
`functionality and Said RF communication functionality,
`with another communication path later established on
`the other of said cell phone functionality and said RF
`communication functionality.
`2. The multimode cell phone according to claim 1,
`wherein:
`Said RF communication functionality is a cordless tele
`phone.
`3. The multiphone cell phone according to claim 2,
`wherein:
`Said cordless telephone utilizes a piconet to communicate
`between a base unit and a matching remote handset.
`4. A method of automatically Switching between a first
`type RF communication link at a multimode cell phone and
`a Second type RF communication link at Said multimode cell
`phone different from said first type RF communication link,
`comprising:
`participating in Said first type RF communication link,
`Sensing an availability of Said Second type RF commu
`nication link,
`establishing from Said multimode cell phone Said Second
`type RF communication link while said first type RF
`communication link remains active at Said multimode
`cell phone; and
`Switching parties participating in Said first type RF com
`munication link to active utilization of Said Second type
`RF communication link.
`5. The method of automatically switching between a first
`type RF communication link at a multimode cell phone and
`a Second type RF communication link at Said multimode cell
`phone different from said first type RF communication link
`according to claim 4, further comprising, after said Switch
`ing parties Step:
`terminating Said first type RF communication link.
`6. The method of automatically switching between a first
`type RF communication link at a multimode cell phone and
`a Second type RF communication link at Said multimode cell
`phone different from said first type RF communication link
`according to claim 4, further comprising:
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`US 6,941,156 B2
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`FIG. 4 shows an exemplary process for handing over the
`walkie-talkie conversation to the cellular telephone call
`handled by the cellular mode of the multimode cell phones
`100 (or by a separate cell phone at the far end), in accor
`dance with the principles of the present invention.
`In particular, as shown in step 402 of FIG. 4, the walkie
`talkie modes 100c of the multimode cell phones 100 are
`utilized.
`In step 404, the need to initiate, establish and Switch over
`to another mode (e.g., to a cellular phone call) is determined,
`either automatically or manually, by an appropriate proces
`sor in the multimode cell phone 100.
`In step 406, the telephone number of the far end phone is
`determined.
`In step 408, the far end phone is dialed.
`In Step 410, the far end phone receives and accepts the cell
`phone call using its cell phone functionality 100a. Call
`related information such as CallerID may be used by the far
`end party to assist in their acceptance of the incoming call
`while conversing using the walkie-talkie modes 100c.
`In step 412, after the cell phone call has been established
`and accepted by the far end party, Switchover to the cell
`phone call can be accomplished, and walkie-talkie commu
`nications between the two multimode cellphones 100 can be
`25
`terminated.
`FIG. 5 shows a multimode cell phone 100 handing over
`a walkie-talkie conversation to a piconet cordless telephone
`call, in accordance with the principles of the present inven
`tion.
`In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, a multimode cell phone
`100 is initially operating in a walkie-talkie mode over a 1
`communication path to another multimode cell phone 100.
`Thereafter, at a desired point (e.g., when the walkie-talkies
`reach the limit of their range) switchover to the cellular
`network 120 is initiated, either manually by the user, or
`automatically but preferably with a prompt to the user before
`completion.
`The particular frequency band of operation of the walkie
`talkie functionality 100c may be any suitable range, digital
`or analog. One preferred frequency band and protocol is the
`Family Radio System (FRS) band, having an operable range
`of over 1 mile.
`FIG. 6 shows an exemplary process for handing over the
`walkie-talkie conversation to the cellular telephone call
`handled by the cellular mode of the multimode cell phones
`100 (or by a separate cell phone at the far end), in accor
`dance with the principles of the present invention.
`In particular, as shown in step 602 of FIG. 6, the walkie
`talkie modes 100c of the multimode cell phones 100 are
`utilized.
`In step 604, the need to initiate, establish and Switch over
`to another mode (e.g., to a cordless telephon