Method and apparatus for performing inbound calling in a wireless communication system having fixed communication units coupled to a telephone system by a telephone line shared in common

Claim 2

In a wireless communication system comprising a portable communication unit (PCU) having a PCU identification code, and a plurality of fixed communication units (FCUs) having associated therewith a plurality of radio coverage areas, wherein the plurality of FCUs are coupled to a telephone system by a telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs for handling calls to and from the PCU, and wherein the PCU is associated with the telephone line for receiving an incoming call, a method of handling the incoming call, the method comprising the steps of: coupling the plurality of FCUs to the telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs in response to the incoming call; transmitting signals thereafter from the plurality of FCUs for establishing a wireless communication link with the PCU associated with the telephone line receiving the incoming call; establishing the wireless communication link between a communicating one of the plurality of FCUs and the PCU in response to the communicating one of the plurality of FCUs receiving a responding transmission from the PCU; and ending thereafter the signals transmitted from the plurality of FCUs for establishing the wireless communication link from the plurality of FCUs.

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step comprises the steps of: accessing a memory within the plurality of FCUs to determine the PCU identification code of the PCU associated with the telephone line receiving the incoming call; sending the PCU identification code determined in the accessing step in a link request transmission; and monitoring thereafter for a responding signal from the PCU.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 1, wherein the ending step comprises the step of uncoupling from the telephone line ones of the plurality of FCUs except for the communicating one.

Claim 5

A fixed communication unit (FCU) for use in a wireless communication system comprising a portable communication unit (PCU) having a PCU identification code, and a plurality of FCUs having associated therewith a plurality of radio coverage areas, wherein the plurality of FCUs are coupled to a telephone system by a telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs and having a telephone line number for handling calls to and from the PCU, the PCU being associated with the telephone line for receiving an incoming call, wherein the FCU comprises apparatus for handling the incoming call received on the telephone line, the apparatus comprising: incoming call detection means for detecting the incoming call; selection means coupled to the incoming call detection means for coupling the plurality of FCUs to the telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs in response to the detected incoming call; processor means coupled to the incoming call detection means for controlling the FCU in response to the detected incoming call; memory means coupled to the processor means for storing a PCU identification code and a telephone line number, the telephone line number being stored in a memory location associated with the PCU identification code; signaling means coupled to the memory means for transmitting signals from the plurality of FCUs coupled by the selection means to the telephone line, for establishing a wireless communication link with the PCU having the PCU identification code associated in the memory means with the telephone line number of the telephone line receiving the incoming call; link establishment means for establishing a wireless communication link between a communicating one of the plurality of FCUs and the PCU; and control means for controlling activities of the plurality of FCUs, the control means comprising: termination means for terminating the signals transmitted for establishing the wireless communication link in the plurality of FCUs; and uncoupling means for uncoupling the plurality of FCUs from the telephone line, except for the communicating one of the plurality of FCUs.

Claim 6

A fixed communication unit (FCU) for use in a wireless communication system comprising a portable communication unit (PCU) having a PCU identification code, and a plurality of FCUs having associated therewith a plurality of radio coverage areas, wherein the plurality of FCUs are coupled to a telephone system by a telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs and having a telephone line number for handling calls to and from the PCU, the PCU being associated with the telephone line for receiving an incoming call, wherein the FCU comprises apparatus for handling the incoming call received on the telephone line, the apparatus comprising: incoming call detection means for detecting the incoming call; selection means coupled to the incoming call detection means for coupling the plurality of FCUs to the telephone line shared in common by the plurality of FCUs in response to the detected incoming call; processor means coupled to the incoming call detection means for controlling the FCU in response to the detected incoming call; memory means coupled to the processor means for storing a PCU identification code and a telephone line number, the telephone line number being stored in a memory location associated with the PCU identification code; signaling means coupled to the memory means for transmitting signals from the plurality of FCUs coupled by the selection means to the telephone line, for establishing a wireless communication link with the PCU having the PCU identification code associated in the memory means with the telephone line number of the telephone line receiving the incoming call; link establishment means for establishing a wireless communication link between a communicating one of the plurality of FCUs and the PCU; and control means for controlling activities of the plurality of FCUs, the control means comprising: termination means for terminating the signals transmitted for establishing the wireless communication link in the plurality of FCUs; and uncoupling means for uncoupling the plurality of FCUs from the telephone line, except for the communicating one of the plurality of FCUs.