Patent ID: 7177664

Claim:
A interconnect device for coupling a cellular telephone to at least one wired telephone via a wired telephone network, said interconnect device comprising, in combination, a first short-range radio transceiver for exchanging voice and data signals with a second short-range radio transceiver in said cellular telephone, an interface connected between said wired network and said first short-range transceiver for emulating a wired line connection from said wired telephone to a telephone central office, said interface including means for handling an outgoing call from said wired telephone via said cellular phone comprising: means for indicating the availability of an idle line when said first and second transceivers are within communicating range of one another and said cellular telephone is not already in use, means for receiving a telephone number to be called via said wired network from said wired telephone, and means for transmitting said telephone number via said first and second transceivers to said cellular telephone to initiate said outgoing call, and means for handling an incoming call to said cellular phone from an outside caller comprising: means for applying a ringing signal to said wired network when an incoming call is detected by said cellular phone, means responsive to said wired telephone thereafter going off-hook for establishing an audio transmission channel between said cellular phone and said wired telephone via said wired network and said first and second transceivers, and means responsive to said wired telephone thereafter going on-hook for disconnecting said audio transmission channel and for signaling said cellular phone to terminate the connection via said cellular telephone to said outside caller.