Patent ID: 7356001
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: H04Q,H04W

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: a public wireless network subscriber profile store in a public wireless network, the public wireless network subscriber profile store including for a public wireless network subscriber a public wireless network subscriber record, the public wireless network subscriber record having a forward-to parameter settable to indicate an address to which communications destined for the public wireless network subscriber should be forwarded; a public wireless network controller in the public wireless network, for directing the transmission of communications destined for the public wireless network subscriber; and a wireless local area network controller for (i) associating a wireless local area network subscriber with a wireless local area network, and (ii) directing the transmission of communications destined for the wireless local area network subscriber, wherein, in response to the wireless local area network subscriber associating with the wireless local area network, the wireless local area network controller refers to a local profile record for the wireless local area network subscriber to determine the public wireless network subscriber whose communications should be forwarded to the wireless local area network subscriber and the wireless local area network controller then sends to the public wireless network controller at least one signaling message specifying as a forward-to address an address of the wireless local area network subscriber selected from the group consisting of a telephone number of the wireless local area network subscriber, an e-mail address of the wireless local area network subscriber, an IEEE/packet-data address of the wireless local area network subscriber, and an 802.11/packet-data address of the wireless local area network subscriber, so as to cause the forward-to parameter for the determined public wireless network subscriber to be set to the specified forward-to address of the wireless local area network subscriber, and wherein, upon receiving the at least one signaling message, the public wireless network controller sets the forward-to parameter in the public wireless network subscriber record to indicate the specified forward-to address of the wireless local area network subscriber, so as to indicate that communications destined to the public wireless network subscriber should be forwarded to the specified forward-to address of the wireless local area network subscriber.