Patent · US Expired

Wireless access to telephone network dial tone

US5896569A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
14References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 15, 1996
Grant dateApr 20, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 15, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M3/30
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for providing wireless access to a telephone line of a telephone network utilize a mobile terminal and a crossconnect base station. The mobile terminal transmits a radio frequency signal carrying a telephone communication. The crossconnect base station connects to a telephone line at a crossconnect box of a telephone network, receives the radio frequency signal carrying a telephone communication, and communicates the telephone communication over a connected telephone line. Other aspects of the system and method of the present invention include: (1) providing a wakeup signal from the mobile terminal to the crossconnect base station so that the base station can be powered down when not in use, thereby conserving energy; (2) receiving both the wakeup signal and the primary communication signal (which can carry data and/or voice) through a single antenna connected to the base station at the respective crossconnect box; and (3) recharging one or more batteries in the base station from an energy source of the telephone network.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.