In a common wireless communication system in which a user using a wireless terminal device is able to communicate with another user or is able to access a service provider such as e-mail or Internet provider, communication is established through a fixed base station. For example, in a cellular telephone system, if a first user wishes to reach a second user, the first user dials a telephone number on his cellular telephone identifying the second user's device, then his cellular telephone transmits a message to a nearby base station (first base station), where the first user's phone is currently registered, requesting to establish a call to the second user's device. The first base station then directs the call from the first user's terminal device to the second user's device. If the second user's device is another cellular telephone or another wireless device, then the first base station directs the call to a second base station where the second user's device is currently registered. If the second user was registered in the same cell as the first user, the first base station may function as a router and establish a call between the first and second users. However, this routing of the call through a base station is a requirement regardless of relative positions of the first and second users. Even if the first and second users are only one block apart and the nearest base station is ten miles away, the call still must be routed though the base station before reaching the user.
Another common wireless communication system is a paging system. In a one-way paging system, a caller typically enters an identification number of a specific pager by telephone or by internet web page, either directly or through a provider's service center, and enters the number or message to be sent to the pager. The call reaches the provider's paging system identifying the pager to be paged and the message to be sent. The provider's system then activates some or all of its paging base stations, and transmits the message to the pager. However, the person receiving the message on the pager still needs another communication system such as a telephone in order to return a reply message. To overcome this shortcoming, a two-way paging system, where a pager itself can originate a message and can transmit it to another pager, has been proposed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,246.
However, the above mentioned systems are based on an infrastructure, such as base stations and telephone lines that are fixed in location and are provided by service providers, and do not allow establishing direct terminal-to-terminal communication. A terminal device used in a system, such as cellular telephone or paging system, is capable of transmitting and receiving signals but it is unable to function as a router. If there were no base station available within the range of the users, the users are unable to communicate with each other even if they are only separated by a short distance. Another shortcoming associated with the above-mentioned systems is a lack of relative and/or absolute location information of the parties or terminal devices. Normally, the first party, who originates a call or page, does not know the location of the second party.
A direct portable-to-portable communication capability of a two-way radio such as a walkie-talkie is also limited that no location information is available and the range of communication is limited to the range of one walkie-talkie. It does not offer benefit derived from having an infrastructure.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to provide an infrastructure capable of establishing direct communication between terminal devices without requiring a fixed base station. Such infrastructure would be capable of providing a user's or terminal device's location, and capable of using a terminal device as a router based on its position relative to other terminal devices so that the router aids in establishing communication between terminal devices that are separated beyond direct connection distance. The router would also be able to establish communication between a terminal and other service access point providing services such as e-mail and Internet, which may be located beyond direct connection distance.