System for communicating messages of various formats between diverse communication devices
First Claim
1. A communication system comprising:
- a plurality of user interface devices adapted to present information in a form discernible by humans, wherein a first of said user interface devices is configured to transmit and receive analog signals, and a second of said user interface devices is configured to transmit and receive digital signals, first and second transmission lines respectively connected to said first and second user interface devices, with said first transmission line being adapted to carry said analog signals and coupled to a gateway configured to convert said analog signals to and from communication packets, and a packet manager coupled to said first and second transmission lines and configured to control a plurality of communications formats including voice, fax, and email, said packet manager including a database containing data corresponding to a plurality of users and categorized in accordance with said formats, whereby said packet manager provides a mechanism for communication between said plurality of user interface devices.
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Abstract
A system for transmitting a wide variety of communications between a wide variety of end user devices via IP networks, including delivering voice quality calls over IP networks between conventional telephones. The system allows end users to change or augment the format for communication, for example between email, chat, voice and video, by simply selecting an icon or button. The communications may also be redirected between the various end user devices and to a message storage center that can store the message in a variety of formats, providing various messaging options. One or more packet managers that receive, transmit and process digital signals control the various communications, providing for users a seamless communication experience traversing the PSTN and IP networks.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A communication system comprising:
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a plurality of user interface devices adapted to present information in a form discernible by humans, wherein a first of said user interface devices is configured to transmit and receive analog signals, and a second of said user interface devices is configured to transmit and receive digital signals, first and second transmission lines respectively connected to said first and second user interface devices, with said first transmission line being adapted to carry said analog signals and coupled to a gateway configured to convert said analog signals to and from communication packets, and a packet manager coupled to said first and second transmission lines and configured to control a plurality of communications formats including voice, fax, and email, said packet manager including a database containing data corresponding to a plurality of users and categorized in accordance with said formats, whereby said packet manager provides a mechanism for communication between said plurality of user interface devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A communication system comprising:
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first and second user interface devices adapted to present information in a form discernible by humans, said first user interface device configured to transmit and receive analog signals, first and second transmission lines respectively connected to said first and second user interface devices, said first transmission line configured to carry said analog signals, a message center operably coupled to said first user interface device via said first transmission line, a gateway respectively coupled to said first and second transmission lines and configured to convert said analog signals to and from packets of digital signals, with said digital signals carried on a dedicated transmission line connected to said gateway, and a packet manager coupled to said gateway by said dedicated line and connected to an interstate trunk having at least one low-latency packet switch, said packet manager configured to route said packets to and from said first gateway, to and from said trunk, to and from said message center, and to and from the Internet. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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16. A communication system comprising:
a machine-readable program stored on a machine-readable medium, said program containing a plurality of distinct protocols governing voice communications, video communications and data communications, said program operable by a central processing unit to control communications between a plurality of user interface devices adapted to present information in a form discernible by humans, said user interface devices including a telephone, video communication device, facsimile machine, personal computer, personal digital assistant and cell phone.
Specification