Desktop telephone with wlan base station functionality or wlan client functionality

p0001The present invention relates to a desk phone according to the preamble of claim 1.

p0002In telecommunication, a distinction is generally made between corded and cordless communication. In this case, corded communication terminals are connected either directly via a cable or set off via a network to a central communication device, for example a communication system (often also referred to as a communication server or switching system). In the case of cordless communication, data transmission takes place between a cordless communication terminal and the central communication device via a base station, which is connected to the cordless communication terminal via an air interface. A connection of the base station to the central communication device is generally realized via a separate, broadband fixed connection. A data transmission between the cordless communication terminal and the base station via the air interface is carried out on the basis of known standards, such as DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Network).

p0003A defined geographical area around a base station in which a wireless connection of a predetermined quality can be produced between a cordless communication terminal and a base station is frequently referred to in the literature as the radio cell of this base station. In order to provide a wider geographic area with connections, as a rule several base stations are distributed over the geographical area to be supplied in such a way that their radio cells form a large-area radio network. A cordless communication terminal registered in such a radio network can thereby arbitrarily switch between the base stations of this radio network which are in each case located in the radio range. The "passing" of a cordless communication terminal from a first base station to a second base station with an existing connection is often referred to in the literature as "handover".

p0004A disadvantage of the described arrangement is that the creation of such a radio network consisting of a plurality of base stations is associated with a high outlay.

p0005In <patcit id="pcit0001" dnum="US2002174254A"><text>"US 2002/174254</text></patcit> Network termination terminals are implemented, which are implemented by notebooks and in each case a network interface card is provided. The network interface card is designed for connection to a wireless LAN, with the network interface cards setting up the network conference terminals in a wireless LAN for a conference. In this case, a network conferencing terminal represents the host and the other network conference terminals represent the clients. Information or data to be displayed on all displays of the notebooks, which are customary at conferences, can originate both from the clients or the host and are transmitted to the host computer via the wireless LAN Others. The clients can also receive a request to receive data or information from a server or WWW server in a wire LAN. The request is directed to the host whereupon the host accesses the server or WWW server in the wire LAN and forwards the desired, transmitted information or data to the client and is displayed there.

p0006From the <patcit id="pcit0002" dnum="US2003134596A"><text>US 2003/134596</text></patcit> Are known Bluetooth access points, which on the one hand communicate to an Ethernet and on the other with up to 7 "Bluetooth devices". A Sectored Bluetooth Access Point is divided into four sectors, with a Bluetooth radio module being provided in each sector. Bluetooth devices in the respective sectors communicate with the Ethernet via the Bluetooth radio module and the Bluetooth access point.

p0007The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing measures by which simple connection of cordless terminals to a central communication device is made possible.

p0008According to the invention, a solution of the object is based on the features of the preamble of the independent patent claim 1 by its characterizing features.

p0009An essential advantage of the invention is that a conventional "desktop telephone" is simply converted into a base station for the wireless network, for example a WLAN network, by means of commercially available, pluggable components and thus a connection between the cordless terminal and Of the central communication device can be established via the desktop telephone. An installation of additional base stations for increasing the radio network to previously uncovered radio areas is thus not necessary.

p0010Advantageous further developments of the invention are given in the subclaims.

p0011An advantage of embodiments of the invention specified in the subclaims is that a high data transmission rate can be realized by the use of a WLAN network (wireless LAN) as the second network in the second network, so that a convenient transmission of multimedia data is also possible becomes.

p0012A further advantage of embodiments of the invention specified in the subclaims is that the desktop telephone can additionally be used as a mobile communication terminal so as to circumvent the limitations in the case of conventional cordless telephones in the area of ​​the user-friendliness, the recharge time or the hands-free convenience.

p0013An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

p0014FIG.<dl id="dl0001" compact="compact"><dt>FIG. 1:</dt><dd>2 shows a structure diagram for the schematic representation of the communication terminal according to the invention in a corresponding network infrastructure.</dd></dl>

p0015DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the communication terminal KE-D configured according to the invention as a desktop telephone, which has a first interface SS1 with a first network N, for example an ISDN communications network or an Internet-oriented network, and a second interface SS2 can be connected to a WLAN network WLAN-N. The communication terminal KE-D is a corded "desktop terminal". For a better overview of the functional units required for the invention, no further units of the communication terminal KE-D are shown.

p0016In the present exemplary embodiment, the second interface SS2 is designed as a USB interface (Universal Serial Bus). Via the second interface SS2, a so-called USB WLAN dongle D can be connected to the communication terminal KE-D, via which a connection is established with the WLAN network WLAN-N. Alternatively, the second interface SS2 can be designed as a PCMCIA interface (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) and the USB WLAN dongle D as a PCMCIA WLAN plug-in card. Such USB WLAN dongles or PCMCIA WLAN cards are already available.

p0017A central communication device Z, which is often referred to in the literature as a central communication server or communication system, is arranged in the first network N, via which the communication terminal KE is controlled. In the present exemplary embodiment, under control is the realization of communication-device-specific performance features at the communication terminal KE. Furthermore, the central communication device Z is connected to the WLAN network WLAN-N via a WLAN base station WLAN-AP, which is often referred to as a WLAN access point in the literature.

p0018In addition, a cordless communication terminal KE-M is arranged in the WLAN network WLAN-N, from which a connection with the central communication device Z is to be established. The cordless communication terminal KE-M is, for example, a cordless telephone, or a data processing device, eg a laptop, configured with a connection to the WLAN network WLAN-N. According to the state of the art, a first connection V1 is established with the WLAN base station WLAN-AP and from the latter with the central communication device Z, starting from the cordless communication terminal KE-M. In cases where the cordless communication terminal KE-M is located outside the radio cell of the WLAN base station WLAN-AP, normally no connection can be established with the central communication device Z. This is indicated in the FIGURE by the dashed line representing the first connection V1 between the cordless communication terminal KE-M and the WLAN base station WLAN-AP.

p0019According to the invention, it is therefore provided that the communications terminal KE-D designed as a desktop telephone is automatically set up as a WLAN base station by plugging the USB WLAN dongle D into the WLAN network WLAN-N. Thus, it is possible, as an alternative to the first connection V1, to establish a second connection V2 between the cordless communication terminal KE-M and the communication terminal KE-D, whereby the communication terminal KE-D takes over the function of a WLAN base station. A bidirectional data transmission between the cordless communication terminal KE-M and the central communication device Z is thus effected via the USB WLAN dongle D, the communication terminal KE-D and the first communication network N.

p0020Since, as a rule, a high availability of desktop terminals is given, a high network coverage can be achieved in a simple manner by the design of the desktop terminals for a communication terminal KE according to the invention. For example, a desktop terminal present in the meeting room can be used as a WLAN base station in a meeting room in which there is no network coverage.

p0021In this case, it should be noted that the transmission bandwidth available between the cordless communication terminal KE-M and the central communication device Z is limited by the connection of the communication terminal KE to the first network N. If, for example, it is an ISDN-oriented communications network, to which the communication terminal KE-D is connected via a S-interface,₀Interface, 64 kbit / s is available when a user data channel is used and a maximum of 128 kbit / s is available for a data transmission when both user data channels are used. Since, as a rule, voice data are exchanged, this data transmission rate is, however, in most cases sufficient. In an embodiment of the first network (N) as an IP-oriented network, a higher data transmission rate is available, so that multimediadata can also be exchanged comfortably.

p0022According to a further embodiment of the invention, the communication terminal KE-D according to the invention configured as a desktop telephone can be connected directly to the central communication device Z, ie without an intermediate circuit of the network N.

p0023As an alternative to the configuration of the communication terminal KE-D configured as a desktop telephone as a WLAN base station, the communication terminal KE-D can also be operated as a mobile communication terminal. In this case, a bidirectional data transmission between the communication terminal KE-D and the central communication device Z is not effected via the first network N but via the USB WLAN dongle D, the WLAN network WLAN-N and the WLAN base station WLAN-AP . Since the communications terminal KE-D can additionally be used as a mobile communication terminal, the limitations in the area of ​​user-friendliness, battery-driving time or hands-free convenience are avoided in conventional cordless communication terminals.

p0024A power supply of the communication terminal KE-D configured according to the invention as a desktop telephone takes place, as is customary with desktop terminals, by means of a separate power supply, not shown. Alternatively, it is possible to realize the power supply via the first interface SS1 and the first network N.