Telephonic communications – Telephone line or system combined with diverse electrical... – Having transmission of a digital message signal over a...
Reexamination Certificate
1996-02-06
2001-01-09
Kuntz, Curtis A. (Department: 2743)
Telephonic communications
Telephone line or system combined with diverse electrical...
Having transmission of a digital message signal over a...
C379S093340, C379S093140
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173044
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of communications over voice and data network simultaneously. More specifically, the invention relates to communicating simultaneously over a computer network like the Internet and a voice network like Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using a media splitter gateway architecture (hereafter gateway.)
1. Background of the Invention
The invention relates to the simultaneous transmission of voice and data via telephone networks, and data networks, wherein the user of such a service accesses the voice and data via a single line, such as an analog telephone line. At present, two computers equipped with Simultaneous Voice and Data (SVD) modems, can talk to one another using Simultaneous Voice and Data (SVD) modems with both voice and/or data modes. However, this facility is only point-to-point by which is meant that the voice and data connections exist only between the two said computers, connected via telephone lines.
There are different types of SVD modems available for use in this manner. These differences cause capability problems between SVD modems of different types.
Hence, a limitation of the prior art is that both SVD modems must have the same SVD equipment and protocols. The session can only be between two users (i.e., point-to-point).
Other voice and data services exist, such as Integrated Services Data Network (ISDN). This is an all digital link between two or more users through a central office switching location. This provides for both data and/or voice on separate logical (not physical) channels. Here, there is still only one user (originator, i.e., sender) however, the data and voice can be split to go to different locations (destinations, i.e., receiver.) This communication type is called point to multipoint.
ISDN has complicated protocols, and the central office switches requires a unique infrastructure that supports ISDN and is not widely prevalent today. Accordingly, large scale global communications can not occur without significant and expensive modifications to the infrastructure.
Another class of voice and data services is known as Voice View (a trademark of the Radish Communications Corporation.) This system also provides point to point communication but does does not support simultaneous voice and data transmission. Here simultaneous means that the data and voice sessions exist simultaneously, i.e., with this system any user can transmit voice or data but not both. They have to transmit voice and data alternately.
2. Statement of Problems with the Prior Art
The prior art is only point to point with the exception of ISDN which point to multipoint. If a line is used in the prior art incoming calls cannot be received and no other outgoing calls can be made while the session is active, i.e., the connection is tied up. While using the data network (Internet) no phone service is available on the line and using phone service prohibits data network sessions on the phone line.
Some prior art does not allow simultaneous voice and data communication on a single phone line.
While some prior art does provide simultaneous voice and data communication, it requires high or prohibitive infrastructure cost.
The prior art is incapable of translating between different media types on different networks and protocols used on different networks. Here a media type includes voice, compressed voice, and data. Examples of protocols include D.SVD standards for simultaneous voice and data communication on telephone lines and ad hoc protocols such as are used in Voice View.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is a communication architecture that provides simultaneous voice and data point to multipoint communication over one phone line using currently widely deployed infrastructure in a cost effective way.
An object of this invention is a communication gateway architecture that makes different voice, compress voice, and data media types and protocols compatible.
Another object of this invention is a communication gateway architecture that enables collaborative computing, help desk, automatic call distribution and mobile or home based applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a novel gateway, that permits point to multipoint connectivity from voice, data, or SVD clients over voice and data networks. The gateway connects one or more known voice networks (e.g. telephone networks) and one or more data networks (e.g. LANs, WANs, and internet) so that clients on either network may access any of the networks via various devices like analog telephones, data modems, SVD modems, or direct data network connections (e.g., ethernet, token ring). The gateway has connections to both the data network(s) as well as the voice network(s). The gateway is capable of splitting a signal with both voice and data streams and routing either and/or both of these streams over the voice network alone, the data network alone, or any combination of voice and data networks.
Novel processes executing by the gateway permit the gateway to be connected to both the data network(s) and voice network(s) using standard hardware so that an end user on either the data or voice network or both have the ability to control the switching and routing of voice and/or data on either the data or voice network or both. Consequently a user can control transmissions simultaneously to multiple users at multiple destination each of which can have different types of (an possibly incompatible) voice data equipment.
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Tewani, Requirements on PSTN's to Support Evolving Multimedia Applications, ITU Study Group 15 Contribution, May 1995.*
Hortensius Peter Dirk
Lumelsky Leon
Narasimhan Anand
Eng George
F. Chau & Associates LLP
International Business Machines - Corporation
Kuntz Curtis A.
Percello Louis J.
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