Software architecture for providing communication features to different ...

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United States Patent

Bales et al.

[19]

US005666399A [ii] Patent Number: [45] Date of Patent:

5,666,399 Sep. 9, 1997

[54] SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR

PROVIDING COMMUNICATION FEATURES
TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF WIRELESS
TELEPHONES VIA DIFFERENT
COMMUNICATION SWITCHING SYSTEMS

[75] Inventors: Bruce Merrill Bales, Louisville; Craig
Steven Chapel, Westminster; David
Lee Chavez, Jr., Thornton; Robert
Louis Crumpley, Westminster; Lisa P.
Happel, Broomfield; Sandra Sue
North, Berthoud, all of Colo.

[73] Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, N.J.

[21] Appl. No.: 414,609

[22] Filed: Mar. 31,1995

[51] Int CI.6 H04Q 7/20

[52] U.S. CI 379/419; 379/207

[58] Field of Search 379/58, 59, 63,

379/201, 207, 219, 220, 229; 455/33.1,

54.1

[56] References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

4,680,786 7/1987 Baker et al 379/59 X

5,353,333 10/1994 Fuentes 379/59

5,390,241 2/1995 Bales etal 379/207

5,420,916 5/1995 Sekiguchi 379/229 X

5,448,631 9/1995 Cain 379/207 X

5,471,471 11/1995 Freeburg et al 379/63 X

5,502,757 3/1996 Bales etal 379/58

Primary Examiner—-Dwayne Bost Assistant Examiner—William G. Trost Attorney, Agent, or Firm—John C. Moran

[57] ABSTRACT

A mobility management system and a traditional telecommunication switching system provide telecommunication terminal features by the mobility management system executing a software architecture that utilizes a unique terminal management application for each type of wireless terminal and a unique terminal emulator application for each type of telecommunication link that interconnects the mobility management system to the telecommunication switching system. There is an individually assigned telecommunication link for each wireless terminal. The terminal management applications and the terminal emulator applications communicate utilizing an internal message protocol. In response to a wireless terminal requesting actuation of a feature, a terminal management application converts that request into the required internal protocol messages and transmits the internal protocol messages to the terminal emulator application that controls the telecommunication link assigned to the wireless terminal. In response to the internal protocol messages, the terminal emulator application emulates the type of telecommunication terminal that normally would be connected to the assigned telecommunication link. The telecommunication switching system is responsive to the emulation to provided the requested feature as if telecommunication terminal was connected to the assigned link. The responses of the telecommunication switching system received via the assigned telecommunication link are converted to internal protocol messages and transmitted back to the terminal management application. The terminal management application converts and transmits the responses to the wireless terminal. The same internal protocol messages are used to invoke a particular feature regardless of the telecommunication terminal type or telecommunication link type.

38 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets