Communication apparatus and communication method

[54] COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

[75] Inventor: Yoshio Kunisawa, Saitama, Japan

[73] Assignee: Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

[21] Appl. No.: 08/802,864

[22] Filed: Feb. 19, 1997

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data

Feb. 22, 1996 [JP] Japan 8-034808

[51] Int. CI. II04Q 7/32

[52] U.S. CI 455/462; 455/465; 455/11.1;

455/13.2

[58] Field of Search 455/403, 422,

455/426, 462, 502, 551, 550, 553, 517, 524, 445, 465, 31.1, 31.2, 420, 554, 555, 11.1, 13.1, 13.2; 370/445, 345

[56] References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

4,989,230 1/1991 Gillig et al 455/566

5,408,679 4/1995 Masuda 455/11.1

5,428,668 6/1995 Dent et al 455/452

5,493,693 2/1996 Tanaka et al 455/553

5,526,403 6/1996 Tarn 455/426

5.528.597 6/1996 Geiszberg et al 455/422

5,594,782 1/1997 Zicker et al 455/426

5,598,459 1/1997 Haartsen 455/11.1

5.613,211 3/1997 Matsuno 455/524

5,617,468 4/1997 Nojima et al 455/554

5.659.598 8/1997 Byrne et al 455/436

5,673,708 10/1997 Akhavan 455/417

5,710,764 1/1998 Yoshimura et al 455/11.1

5,745,851 4/1998 Goto 455/432

5,757,792 5/1998 Aoki 370/347

5,768,683 10/1995 Mulford 455/11.1

Primary Examiner—-William G. Trost
Assistant Examiner—Jean A. Gelin
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Jay H. Maioli

[57] ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus used in a digital cordless telephone system, such as a personal headphone system (PHS) having a local base station and a local mode subscriber, in which, il the local mode subscriber is set for use in the local mode, the local mode subscriber can respond to signals ol the public mode. II the local base station receives incoming call signals ol the public mode from a public base station, the received call signals are translerred from the local base station to the local mode subscriber. This enables the incoming call signals from the public base station to be received via the public base station by the local mode subscriber even if the latter is in the local mode. If, with the local mode subscriber set to the local mode, the local base station receives incoming call signals of the public mode from the public base station, the local base station transmits the call signals to the local mode subscriber. If the local base station receives call signals from the local mode subscriber, the call signals are transmitted by the local base station to the public base station. This enables the communication in the public mode to be had by the local mode subscriber via the local base station even if the local mode subscriber is set to the local mode.

13 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets