MXPA00005730A - Retrieving stored data from a base unit of a multi-line wireless phone system - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless telephone system comprises a base unit and a plurality of wireless handsets. The base unit has a base transceiver and a memory for storing stored information. Each handset has a handset transceiver for establishing a data link and an audio link with the base unit via the base transceiver, wherein the data link is for transmitting signaling information and the audio link is for transmitting voice data for a real-time telephone call. The handset requests from the base unit certain stored information. In response, the base unit retrieves the requested stored information from the memory and transmits the stored information to the handset via the audio link.

Description

RECOVERING DUCKS KEPT FROM A UNI DAD BASE OF A MULTIPLE WIRELESS TELEPHONE SYSTEM LINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to multi-line wireless telephone systems and, in particular, to data transmission in a time division multiplexed wireless telephone (TDM) system. Description of Related Art The use of telephones and telephone systems, including wireless telephone systems, is widely spread. In wireless telephone systems, a wireless or cordless telephone handset unit communicates via either digital or analog radio signals with a base unit, which is commonly connected via a standard telephone line to an external telephone network. In this way, a user can use the wireless headset to make a telephone call with another user through the base unit and the telephone network. Multi-line cordless telephone systems are used in various situations, such as businesses with many telephone users. These systems employ a headset that communicates with up to N handsets simultaneously, commonly with digital communications schemes, such as a broad-spectrum time division multiple access (TDMA). In a time-division multiple access system, a single radio frequency channel is used, and each headset transmits and receives audio data packets as well as non-audio data packets during slots or dedicated time slots in a cycle or full epoch of multiple access of division in time. It is desirable to provide various functions, such as capabilities and aspects of private exchange (PBX), in a multi-line wireless telephone system. It is also desirable to transmit or recover non-audio data in the radio frequency channel. For example, a handset may wish to retrieve certain saved data, such as voice mail or caller ID data, which are stored in the base unit or in a device coupled to the base unit. European Patent Application No. 0 399 611, filed on 05.22.90, describes a communication system for data transmission in a time-division duplex frequency channel, in which time division multiple access is used to send and return transmissions between a primary and secondary station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A wireless telephone system comprises a base unit and a plurality of wireless headphones. The base unit has a transmitter-receiver and a memory to store stored information. Each headset has a headset transmitter-receiver to establish a data link and an audio link on a radio frequency channel shared with the base unit via the base transceiver, where the data link is for transmitting information. The signaling and audio link is for transmitting voice data for a real-time conference call. The handset asks the base unit for certain stored information. In response, the base unit retrieves the requested stored information from the memory and transmits the stored information to the headset via the audio link. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE USITES Figure 1 is a block diagram of a multi-line multiple time division wireless access telephone system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the time division multiple access slot structure used in the time division multiple access scheme of the system of Figure 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. . DESCRI PTION OF THE PRE FER IDA MODALI With reference now to Figure 1, a block diagram of a multi-line, time-division multiple access wireless telephone system is shown., in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The time division multiple access system 100 comprises a base unit 1 10, which has receiver and transmitter units 1 12 and 1 1 1, respectively, and is coupled to the external telephone network 1 16 via the line (s) (s) telephone (s) 1 15. The base unit 1 10 has a storage device or memory 18, such as a random access memory or hard disk drive, for storing the stored data. The system 100 also comprises N wireless headphones 120! , 1202,. . .120N. Each has a transmitter and receiver unit (transmitter-receiver), such as transmitter 121 and receiver 122 of the handset 1 20 L At any given time, some (or none) of the headphones are operating or off-hook (i.e. in the process of making a phone call). Therefore, the system 100 provides a wireless network between the base station 1 10 and each headset 120¡ (1 <; i = N). In one embodiment, the system 100 comprises 4 headphones 120? -1204, all of which can be active simultaneously. In another embodiment, the system comprises a different number of headphones, for example, N = 12, of which up to 8 can be active or operate at the same time. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a time division multiple access system for connecting multiple transmitter-receivers to a base station in a single radio frequency channel. In particular, the system 100 employs a digital time division multiple access scheme, as described in more detail below, which allows the energy to be used efficiently since each operating handset is "off" (it is say, not transmitting or receiving data, and therefore not using much battery power) during most portions of the time-division multiple access epoch and is only "on" during its own slots or time intervals. weather. In another mode, a headset is turned off by disconnecting the power to at least its central processing unit and transmitter-receiver units (receiver and transmitter) while leaving only a clock and an associated timer or sufficient monitoring circuit to activate the unit. of central processing at a predetermined time interval. Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a schematic representation of the time division multiple access interval structure 200 used in the time division multiple access scheme 200 of the system of Figure 1, in accordance with csn one embodiment of the present invention. System 100 employs a time-division multiple access epoch having a structure 200, which is illustrated assuming 12 total headphones 120? -2012, of which 8 can be active or operable at the same time, for example headphones 120 ^ 1208. The time division multiple access period structure 200 comprises a number of rows and columns. Each row of the time division multiple access structure 200 represents a 2ms field of digital data, and is non or even and is grouped into a pair with one row or field, non or pair, respectively. The time division multiple access time structure 200 is a time of 48ms. In the normal mode of operation, each field comprises nine total packets: one data packet (non-audio) in the first column (either transmitted from the base or the handset) and eight audio packets, grouped in 4 pairs of two . Each of these pairs of audio packets in a row includes a packet (time slot) of the audio transmission from the base (to a given handset of the base unit 100) and an audio transmission packet from the handset (from handset given to the base). Therefore, in each epoch, a pair of data packet intervals and several pairs of audio packet intervals are assigned to each handset. The data packet ranges are used to establish a "data link" with each respective handset, and the audio packet ranges are used to establish an "audio link" with each respective handset. The data links together constitute the system's data channel, while the audio links constitute the audio of the system. Therefore, for example, the pair of rows 0 comprises an even row and a non row. In the even row, the base transmits data in the first time slot (slot 251) to one of the 12 headphones, for example, the headset 120 < | . There are a couple of rows at time 200 for each handset, so that each handset can receive and transmit data to the base unit 1 10, once per time. After the first data interval 251, assuming that the handset 120i is operating (off-hook) an audio packet is transmitted to the handset 12Ü! in the audio pack interval 253, then an audio packet is transmitted by the headset 120? to the base unit 110 in the audio pack interval 254, and so on for 3 of the other headphones to the end of the field or row. In the non row for the pair of rows 0, the data interval 252 is used to receive data transmitted from the handset 120! to base unit 110, and audio packets are transmitted for the remaining 4 active headphones. In the pairs of rows 1-11, the same sequence occurs, except that the data packets are from and to different headphones than for the pair of rows 0. It is desirable for a user of the handset that can retrieve stored data that is stored in the memory 118 of the base unit 110. This information is additional to the signaling data commonly transmitted via the data link and voice data commonly transmitted to the audio link. The stored data includes all the stored / backed information that is available in the base unit. This information may represent voice, data or other service information, for example, the stored data may be voice mail information, caller ID information, or other service information. This stored information is commonly requested by a headset via its data link, since the request itself is a type of signaling information. Since the stored data is not audio data belonging to a concurrent telephone call, it could be transmitted via the data link. However, this could be impractical or undesirable because the bandwidth of the data link is less than that of the audio link. Therefore, in the present invention, when the stored information is requested by a headset, the audio link temporarily becomes a "stored data" link, the voice data transmission is temporarily stopped (silenced or interrupted) and the stored data is transferred to the headset during the audio data intervals of that handset. This allows stored data to be transmitted at a much higher speed to the handset than if the lower bandwidth data link was used. In the present invention, first, a headset 120? it requests stored data from the base unit 1 10. Then, the base unit 1 10 extracts the stored data from the memory 1 18, and combines the data stored in the voice link for the handset 12Ü! as digital information. As the 120t headset is aware of your request, it knows what kind of stored data to expect on your audio link, and therefore knows what type of decoding or processing to use when it receives the stored information. For example, if you are going to retrieve a voicemail message, the headset 120? transmits an appropriate request for the voice mail message to the base unit 1 10 via its data link. The base unit 1 10 retrieves the stored data from the voicemail, which can be stored in compressed format for the efficient use of the memory 1 18. This compressed digital information representing the requested voicemail message is then transmitted to the headset 120i via your audio link, instead of your data link. Then, the headset 120t processes the stored data received via its audio link through its voice decompression means. On the other hand, if identification information of the caller is retrieved, then the data that comes in the audio link is properly processed and deployed in the headset deployment. Therefore, the present invention creates an asymmetric link for information retrieval in a wireless system so that efficient use of the available bandwidth is possible. In an alternative mode, the audio link is used to retrieve stored data only if it is not already in use. In this case, a headset uses the data link to request the retrieval of stored data. If the audio link is in use by the headset, then the data link is used to transmit the stored data to the headset. However, if the audio link is not in use, then the audio link is used instead as a "stored data" link to transmit the stored data at a higher speed. In an alternative embodiment, the stored information retrieved by a handset is not actually stored in the base unit 10, but is stored in a device external to the base unit 110, such as an external computer or storage device, which is coupled by a suitable interface to the base unit 110. In this case, the handset retrieves the stored information from the storage device, via the base unit 110, and the storage device is considered the memory 118, if it is located in the base unit 110, directly accessible by the base unit 110, or accessible by the base unit 110 via some interface. Therefore, for the purposes of this application, any information stored either directly on the base unit 110 or on a device functionally coupled thereto such that the base unit is able to provide the stored data at the request of a A headset is considered information stored in the base unit 110, since from the point of view of a headset, the request is made from the base unit 110 and the information provided by the base unit 110 appears to be stored in the base unit 110. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the wireless system described above in accordance with the principles of the invention may be a cellular system wherein the base unit 110 represents a base station serving one of the cells in a cellular telephone network. In an alternative embodiment, instead of an earphone that retrieves in the audio link data actually stored in the memory 118, the handset may wish to retrieve data from a data source accessible to the base unit 110. For example, the base unit 1 10 can receive via an external line a modem signal that contains data. The handset requests from the base unit 1 10 to connect to a data source or channel, such as that provided by the modem. Then, the base unit 1 10 transmits the decoded data of the modem, to the handset via the audio link.

Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS 1.
2. A wireless telephone system (100) comprising: (a) a base unit (1 10) having a base transceiver (1 1 1, 1 12); and (b) a plurality of wireless headphones (120), each headset (120) comprises a headset transmitter-receiver (121, 122) to establish with the base unit 1 10 via the transmitter-base receiver an access data link time division multiple and a time division multiple access audio link in accordance with a time-division multiple access time (200) that allocates unique audio and data packet time slots to each receiver (1200, wherein the data link is for transmitting signaling information and the audio link is for transmitting voice data for a real-time telephone call, wherein the base unit (1 10) at the request of a handset ( 1200 data from a data source retrieves the requested data from the data source and transmits the retrieved data to the headset (1200 via the audio link, where: the time (200) has a plurality of pairs of rows transmitting and receiving data, one of these row pairs for each handset (120 wherein each row of a pair of rows comprises an even row comprising a transmission data time slot for the respective handset and a plurality of intervals of transmit and receive audio packet time for half the maximum number of the plurality of headphones that can be communicating at the same time, and a non-row comprising a reception data time slot for the respective handset and a plurality of transmission and reception audio packet time slots for the other half of the maximum number of the plurality of headphones that can be communicating at the same time; and each headset (1200 receives and transmits data packets via the transmission and reception data packet intervals (251, 252) only once during each time (200), during the pair of transmit and receive rows for each handset, and, if the handset is communicating with the base unit, each said handset receives and transmits audio packets during the respective time intervals of transmission and reception audio packets (253, 254) of each pair of rows of the time.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of headphones (120) comprises 12 headphones, 8 of which can be communicating at the same time, the epoch (200) comprises 12 pairs of rows of data, one pair of data rows for each headset, and each pair of rows comprises 8 time pairing pairs of transmit and receive audio packets for audio communications for the headphones being communicated. ndication 1, wherein the data source is a memory (1 18) for storing data and the data requested is data stored in the memory.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the base unit (1 10) comprises the memory (1 18).
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the base unit (1 10) is coupled to an external computer comprising the memory (1 18).
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the base unit (1 10) transmits the stored information to the headset (1200 via the audio link only if the headset is not currently using the audio link to transmit voice data) real-time telephone conference call, and transmits the stored information to the headset via the data link if the headset is currently using the audio link to transmit real-time telephone call voice data 7.
7. The claim system 3, wherein the stored information is one of stored caller ID information and compressed voice mail message stored data 8.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the receiver requesting the stored information processes the information stored on receipt according to the nature of the stored information 9.
9. In a wireless telephone system (100) comprising a base unit (1) 10) that has a base transceiver (1 1 1, 1 12) and a plurality of wireless headphones (120), each headset (1200) comprises a headset transmitter-receiver (121, 122), a method comprising the steps of: (a) establishing with each headset via its transmitter - receiver receiver, a time division multiple access data link with the base unit via the base transceiver, and, with each handset that is communicating with the base unit, a multiple access audio link division in time with the base unit via the base transmitter-receiver, in accordance with a time-division multiple access time (200) allocating exclusive time intervals of audio and data packets to each handset (1200 where the data link is for transmitting signaling information and the audio link is for transmitting voice data for a real-time telephone call; (b) request, with the handset, from the base unit, data from a data source; (c) recover, with the base unit, the data requested from the data source in response to the request; and transmitting the recovered data from the base unit to the handset via the audio link, wherein: the time (200) has a plurality of transmission and receiving data row pairs, one of these pairs of rows for each handset (1200 wherein each row of a pair of rows comprises an even row comprising a transmission data time slot for the respective handset and a plurality of transmit and receive audio packet time slots for half the maximum number of the plurality of headphones that can be communicating at the same time, and a row non comprising a reception data time interval for the respective handset and a plurality of transmit and receive audio packet time intervals for the other half of the receiver. maximum number of the plurality of headphones that can be communicating at the same time, and each headset (1200 receives and transmits data packets via the packet intervals) of reception and transmission data (251, 252) only once during each time (200), during the pair of transmission and reception data rows, and, if the handset is communicating with the base unit, said receiver receives and transmit audio packets during respective intervals of transmission and reception audio packets (253, 254) of each pair of rows of the time.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data source is a memory for storing data and the requested data is stored data stored in the memory. eleven .
11. A base unit (1 10) for communicating with a plurality of wireless headphones (120), each headset (1200) comprises a headset transmitter-receiver (121, 122), the base unit (1 10) comprising: (a) a transmitter - base receiver (1 1 1, 1 12) to establish an interrupted multiple time division access line with each handset via the base transceiver, and, with each handset that is communicating with the base unit , a time-division multiple access audio link via the transmitter-base receiver, in accordance with a time-division multiple access time (200) allocating exclusive time intervals of audio and data packets to each receiver (1200 where the data link is for transmitting signaling information and the audio link is for transmitting voice data for a telephone call; and (b) a memory (18) for storing stored information, wherein the unit base, at the request of the stored information receiver stored in the memory, retrieves the requested stored information from the memory and transmits the stored information to the headset via the audio link, wherein: the epoch (200) has a plurality of pairs of rows transmission and reception data, one of these pairs of rows for each handset (1200 where each row of a pair of rows comprises an even row comprising a transmission data time interval for the respective handset and a plurality of intervals time of transmission and reception audio packets for half the maximum number of the plurality of headphones that can be communicating at the same time, and a non-line comprising a reception data time interval for the respective handset and a plurality of transmit and receive audio packet time slots for the other half of the maximum number of the plurality of headphones that They can be communicating at the same time; and each headset (1200 receives and transmits data packets via reception and transmission data packet intervals (251, 252) only once during each time (200) during the pair of transmit and receive data rows for each of the aforementioned headphones, and, if the handset is communicating with the base unit, said each handset receives and transmits audio packets during respective intervals of transmission and reception audio packets (253, 254) of each pair of rows of the time.
12. The base unit of claim 1, wherein the data source is a memory for storing data and the requested data is stored data stored in the memory.
13. 13. A wireless telephone system (100) comprising: (a) a base unit (1 10) having a base transceiver (1 1 1, 1 12); and (b) a plurality of wireless headphones (120), each headset (1200) comprises a headset transmitter-receiver (121, 122) for establishing a data link and an audio link with the base unit (1 10) via the transmitter-base receiver, wherein the data link is for transmitting signaling information and the audio link is for transmitting voice data for a real-time telephone call, wherein the base unit (1 10) at the handset's request (1200 non-voice data from a data source, retrieves the requested data from the data source and transmits the recovered data to the headset (1200 via the audio link if the headset is not currently using the audio link for transmit real-time telephone conference voice data and otherwise transmit the stored information to the headset via the data link. (54) Title: RECOVERING DATA SAVED FROM A BASE UNIT OF A MULTI-LINE WIRELESS TELEPHONE SYSTEM (57) Summary: A wireless telephone system comprises a base unit and a plurality of wireless headsets. The base unit has a base transceiver and a memory to store stored information. Each headset has an earphone transmitter-receiver to establish a data link and an audio link with the base unit via the base transceiver, where the data link is for transmitting voice data for a telephone call in time. real. The handset requests certain stored information from the base unit. In response, the base unit retrieves the requested stored information from the memory and transmits the stored information to the headset via the audio link.