Multiplex communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reissue Patent
2000-09-13
2004-09-21
Nguyen, Chau (Department: 2663)
Multiplex communications
Special services
Conferencing
C370S522000, C379S202010
Reissue Patent
active
RE038596
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telecommunication call processing for a telephone subscriber and more particularly to a network terminator based arrangement located at a subscriber's premise for performing call waiting, caller identification, call conferencing, call forwarding and dual digital device communication sharing on one S-bus.
2. Description of Related Art
ISDN is defined by internationally accepted standard digital network user interfaces. The resulting network offers a variety of subscriber access lines capable of supporting services including voice, data, facsimile, and video. There are two International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) recommended standard integrated services digital network interfaces for user access. They include a basic rate interface (BRI) and a primary rate interface (PRI). By integrating these various services on a single transport system means, the subscriber avoids buying multiple services to meet multiple service needs. As a practical consideration a single transport system requires less overhead than providing a discrete access line for each service, and results in a total lower cost of service.
An ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) consists of three channels, referred to as two B channels plus a D channel (2B+D), in which all signals flowing over the external telephone company (telco) lines are carried in a baseband digital form and in a standardized frame format. With this arrangement, the B channels are the basic user channels which carry digital voice, high-speed data, and other functions at a maximum channel rate of 64 kbps. The D channel bit rate in this interface is 16 kbps and may serve two purposes. First, the D channel carries control signalling information to control circuit-switched calls on associated B channels at the user interface. In addition, the D channel may be used for packet switching or low speed telemetry when not carrying signalling information. Accordingly, an ISDN Primary Rate Interface consists of multiple B channels and one 64 kbps D channel having primary rates of either 1544 kbps (23B+D) or 2048 kbps (30B+D).
The BRI may be arranged to provide simultaneous voice and data services in several ways giving users flexibility in configuring their services. A user may use each B channel for voice service, for circuit switched data transport, or for packet switched data services. The D channel can carry packet switched data which interleaves data packets with signaling packets. The BRI may provide a maximum of either two data B channels or one voice B channel and another voice or data channel.
Typically, a single line subscriber premise is wired with two discrete pairs of wires, sometimes referred to as plain old telephone service (POTS). In the POTS configuration, one pair of signal wires provides a communication path between analog terminal equipment and a junction box that interfaces to external telco wiring. Another pair of signal wires provides a second, or spare, path between analog terminal equipment and the external junction box.
Although ISDN networks are widely used in current telecommunication systems, coexistence between analog and digital terminal equipment at a customer premise on a single subscription line has heretofore been impractical. As one solution, discrete digital and analog classes of service to the subscriber premise are provided in order to offer support to both analog and digital devices. Thus when a single line subscriber elects to add ISDN service, a junction box connection that interfaces to external telco wiring typically remains fixed, but internal POTS wiring is either bypassed or elaborately modified in order to provide a communication path for digital ISDN signals if only one pair of pre-existing wires exist.
As an alternative solution, a single line subscriber may elect to convert from an analog to a digital class of service. In that scenario, the subscriber premise is converted to accommodate digital terminal equipment only. In so doing, the subscriber is compelled to scrap pre-existing conventional telephone (POTS) wiring and terminal equipment, which had effectively become useless, in order to maintain a single (digital) class of service.
The desirable solution is disclosed in co-pending, earlier filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 085,333, filed Jun. 30, 1993 and owned in common with this invention. This application discloses an architecture and apparatus for connecting both analog and digital devices in a subscriber premise to a single subscription line in an ISDN network, using existing POTS wiring in the premises.
A disadvantage to an ISDN subscriber arises from various types of class services (e.g., call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID) which are currently handled by the central office switching system and require the user to pay additional charges for their use. An ISDN network includes an ISDN central office switching system which is connected to communication device(s) located at a subscriber's premise via the subscriber's telephone line. A computer is connected to the switching system which transmits to the computer associated messages corresponding to call handling information exchanged between the switching system and the user telephone stations connected thereto.
In operation, various types of class services (e.g., call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID) are handled by the central office switching system by transmitting call handling messages (e.g., SETUP, ALERTING, CONNECT, DISCONNECT) from the switch to the user station and vice-versa. The interface between the switch and the station is typically the basic rate interface (2B+D). Since class services currently require processing by the central office switch, the user incurs an additional charge by the telco for these services.
Another disadvantage to a subscriber arises when a digital class of service is used and more than one digital communication device is connected to a single S-bus at the subscriber's premise. According to current standards for Layer
1
characteristics of ISDN user-network interfaces (CCITT Recommendation I.430), only one digital communication device can be active during a communication session. For example, in a subscriber premise having at least two digital telephone stations connected to a single S-bus, after a subscriber has picked up a receiver of one of the stations no other receiver can be used to talk on the same phone conversation.
A further disadvantage results from the lack of a basic electronic key telephone service (EKTS) for analog phones. Digital telephones currently operate with EKTS and call appearance call handling (CACH) EKTS standards provided by the ISDN network. The digital EKTS phones have numerous buttons and display lights (or a digital display) to allow a user to perform functions such as call conferencing, call hold/retrieve, etc. and the lights or display are used to indicate to the user that these features have been activated. However, there is no such EKTS facilities used for analog telephones. In addition, since the network terminator described in the '333 application will couple analog devices to the ISDN network, there is a need to develop a user interface for allowing a user to perform functions such as call conferencing and call hold/retrieve on an analog telephone coupled to ISDN EKTS service.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a subscriber's premise with a network terminator based arrangement which can utilize the B-channels of an ISDN network to perform call waiting, caller identification, call conferencing, call forwarding and communication sharing on one S-bus with more than one digital communication device. It is a further object of the present invention to provide these call processing functions to digital and/or analog devices at the subscriber's premise. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a user interface for mapping actions performed on an analog telep
Hallock Charles Clifford
Mandalia Baiju Dhirajlal
Parikh Himanshu Chandrakant
Salem Gaby J.
Sederholm Charles Henry
F. Chau & Associates LLP
Hyun Soon-Dong
International Business Machines - Corporation
Nguyen Chau
Reid Scott W.
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