LAN telephone switching system

Details LAN telephone switching system LAN telephone switching system

1998-03-27

2002-09-24

Nguyen, Chau (Department: 2663)

Multiplex communications

Pathfinding or routing

Switching a message which includes an address header

Reexamination Certificate

active

06456625

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to speech communication technology in the case where a telephone network is built by accommodating existent telephone sets and internet phone devices in a computer network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
As higher operating speeds have been required of computer systems in recent years, there is a marked tendency toward increased used of an architecture wherein a LAN is built using routers or switching hubs.
Particularly on a small-scale basis, the accommodation of computer terminals in a LAN using a small-sized router is rapidly spreading. In this regard, since a higher speed and a larger capacity have also been achieved by the network being part of a trunk line, there is an increasing demand to transfer, not only computer data, but also speech signals from telephone terminals, on the LAN.
It is therefore necessary to facilitate the introduction of an internet telephone system (internet phone) into a LAN and to realize the convenient operation of the internet phone system by effectively utilizing a limited number of LAN addresses (IP addresses).
In conventional speech communications employing telephone sets, telephone exchanges are inevitably used. When the number of telephone sets to be accommodated in a telephone network increases, exchanges of larger capacity are needed to be installed in conformity with the scale of the increase.
The internet phones to be introduced into a LAN include one offered as software which is installed in and utilized by a data terminal, one offered as a dedicated telephone set which is in the same shape as that of an ordinary analog telephone set and which has a LAN interface, and one offered as the combination of a dedicated LAN connecting device and an analog telephone set housed therein.
And, in case of constructing a telephone network wherein the internet phone devices and the analog telephone sets are connected to the LAN, LAN addresses (IP addresses) are afforded to the respective devices or sets.
Further, a party to be talked to over the internet phone is designated by any of a scheme wherein the LAN address (IP address) and a domain name are used as they are, a scheme wherein a number registered and managed on the internet phone side beforehand is dialed, and so forth.
Meanwhile, apparatuses each of which accommodates a plurality of terminals therein are a repeater hub, a switching hub, a router, etc. The repeater hub electrically repeats communication signals in order to accommodate a plurality of terminals in a single network, and it does not convert or translate addresses. The switching hub is endowed with the function of accommodating a plurality of networks, in addition to the function possessed by the repeater hub, and it can also enhance security as well as a degree of load distribution among the networks, but it does not translate addresses. The router has the function of determining the sending path of each communication packet in accordance with a destination (or source) network address (IP address) affixed to the communication packet and then delivering the communication packet to the determined path, but basically it does not translate addresses. Although some recently developed remote routers include the built-in function of replacing a local address (private address) with a global address, none of them has the function of mapping a telephone number system and a network address (IP address) system each other.
Accordingly, in the case where the telephone network is built on the LAN on the basis of the prior art as stated above, there are the problems that address management becomes complicated and that the effective utilization of the LAN addresses (IP addresses) and the reutilization of the telephone sets become difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made with the above background, and it has for its objects to minimize the number of required LAN addresses (IP addresses) and permit the formation of a system of telephone numbers being different from the LAN addresses and being unique in a telephone network, even in a case where the telephone network is built by connecting pluralities of analog telephone sets and internet phone devices to a LAN, and to realize the labor saving of an operational control job even in a case where additional telephone sets and devices constituting a LAN telephone switching system are installed, or where any of them is removed.
The first and second aspects of the present invention are premised on a LAN telephone switching apparatus (LAN telephone switching apparatus
101
in
FIG. 1
of the accompanying drawings) which serves to incarnate a LAN telephone switching network on a computer network (LAN
102
in FIG.
1
).
The first aspect of the present invention has the following construction:
First of all, a first network interface circuit (internet phone/data terminal accommodation module
312
in
FIG. 3B
) accommodates therein a network telephone set (internet phone set
313
in
FIG. 3B
) which has a telephone function, and which can communicate a speech signal in a state where it is stored in packets to be transferred on the computer network.
A first telephone number
etwork address setting circuit (address control module
320
in
FIG. 3B
) correspondingly sets a telephone number and a network address which are unique on the LAN telephone switching network, for the first network interface circuit.
A first packet communication circuit (address unit
307
and table unit
306
in
FIG. 8B
) converts the telephone number designated by the network telephone set to the corresponding network address and vice versa, and it communicates the packets containing the network address between the computer network and the first network interface circuit.
Owing to the above construction of the first aspect of the present invention, the network telephone set is permitted to join in the LAN telephone network, and speech over the network telephone set is actualized in the LAN telephone network. Herein, it is possible to form a system of telephone numbers which are different from LAN addresses and which are unique in the LAN telephone network, so the network telephone set can be used with the same feel as that of a conventional extension telephone.
Further, since the first telephone number
etwork address setting circuit automatically performs the address setting for the first network interface circuit, the reutilization etc. of the network telephone set are facilitated.
The above construction of the first aspect of the present invention can be so contrived that the first network interface circuit accommodates data terminal equipment besides the network telephone set, and that the first telephone number
etwork address setting circuit sets only one network address for the first network interface circuit. Owing to this contrivance, the illicit installation of any network telephone set can be prevented.
Also,. the above construction of the first aspect of the present invention can be so contrived that the first telephone number
etwork address setting circuit sets a local network address (local IP address) being unique only in the LAN telephone switching apparatus in which it is included, for the first network interface circuit, and further comprises a first network address conversion circuit (address unit
307
and table unit
306
) for converting the local network address to a global network address which the LAN telephone switching apparatus possesses uniquely on the computer network, and vice versa, in the packets which are communicated by the first packet communication circuit. Owing to the contrivance, the problem of the exhaustion of the number of IP addresses can be solved.
The second aspect of the present invention has the following construction:
A second network interface circuit (analog telephone accommodation module
310
in
FIG. 3B
) accommodates therein an analog telephone set (analog telephone set
311
in
FIG. 3B
) having an analog telephon

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