Voice communications system

• US 20060023700A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Usuba, Shinji, Kuboki, Hiroshi, Aoyagi, Hiromi
• Granted Patent: US 7,733,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

Voice communications apparatus is connected to a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, to communicate over the public switched telephone network. The apparatus includes a filter converting signals such as to satisfy signal conditions prescribed for the telephone network. The apparatus also includes a terminal class determiner for determining the class of the telephone set connected, and a circuit for changing at least the sampling frequency at which the analog signals from the telephone set are sampled. This establishes high quality in broadband voice communications. The terminal class determiner may automatically determine the class of the telephone set at any timing of a call sequence by detecting a band component of the signals from the telephone set, a predetermined frequency of a signal intermittently transmitted from the telephone set or the characteristics of the telephone set.

Claims

1. Voice communications apparatus including a port connectable to either of a general subscriber telephone set and a broadband telephone set, said apparatus being interposed in communication between the telephone set connected and a public switched telephone network, said apparatus comprising a filter for converting a signal transmitted and received for the telephone set so that the signal satisfies a signal condition prescribed in the public switched telephone network.

2. Voice communications apparatus connectable to either of a general subscriber telephone set and a broadband telephone set, said apparatus being interposed in communication between the telephone set connected and a public switched telephone network, said apparatus comprising:

a circuit for determining a class of the telephone set connected; and

a circuit for changing at least a sampling frequency in sampling an analog signal from the telephone set, depending on the class of the telephone set determined.

3. Voice communications apparatus comprising:

a telephone circuit for setting up a call selectively over either of a broadband network and a public switched telephone network; and

a filter for converting a signal transmitted and received for said telephone circuit so that the signal satisfies a signal condition prescribed in the public switched telephone network.

4. Voice communications apparatus comprising:

a telephone circuit for setting up a call selectively over either of a broadband network and a public switched telephone network;

a first circuit for determining over which of the broadband network and the public switched telephone network a call is to be established; and

a second circuit for changing at least a sampling frequency in sampling an analog signal from said telephone circuit, depending on a determination made by said first circuit.

5. A telephone set connectable to a network including at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, said telephone set comprising:

a determining circuit for receiving from the network a signal by which a sort of the at least one network can be determined and determining which of the public switched telephone network and the broadband communications network the network is; and

a selector circuit responsive to a result from said determining circuit for selecting a communication band at least toward the network.

6. The telephone set according to claim 5, wherein the signal has a frequency band different between the public switched telephone network and the broadband communications network.

7. A voice communications system comprising either of a general subscriber telephone set and a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interposed in communication between said telephone set comprised and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein

said voice communications apparatus includes a circuit for sending out to said telephone set a signal by which a sort of the at least one network can be determined;

said telephone set including;

a determining circuit for receiving the sent-out signal for determining which of the public switched telephone network and the broadband communications network the at least one network is, based on the received signal; and

a selector circuit responsive to a result from said determining circuit for selecting a communication band at least toward the network.

8. A voice communications system comprising either of a general subscriber telephone set and a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interposed in communication between said telephone set and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said telephone set comprised; and

a second circuit operative in response to the class determined for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said telephone set comprised and said voice communications apparatus.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said first circuit uses a signal available from said telephone set comprised or a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised to determine the class of said telephone set comprised.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said first circuit sends out a signal to said telephone set comprised or changes a characteristic value of a connection line connected to said telephone set comprised to use a response signal, or a change in the response signal, received from said telephone set comprised to determine the class of said telephone set comprised.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set,

said first circuit providing said database with a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised, or information on a response signal or a change in the response signal to acquire the class of said comprised telephone set from said database, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set,

said second circuit providing said database with at least one of a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said comprised telephone set obtained by said first circuit, information on a response signal or a change in the response signal, and information representing the determined class to acquire contents of a change in the characteristics from said database to change the property of the in-channel signal, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a third circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said second circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said third circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.

14. A voice communications system comprising either of a general subscriber telephone set and a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interconnected to said comprised telephone set and interposed in communication between said telephone set comprised and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said comprised telephone set connected; and

a second circuit for providing said comprised telephone set with a change command for changing characteristics corresponding to the class determined;

said comprised telephone set including a third circuit responsive to the change command for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said voice communications apparatus and said telephone set comprised.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set,

said second circuit providing said database with at least one of a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said comprised telephone set obtained by said first circuit, information on a response signal or a change in the response signal, and information representing the determined class to acquire the change command from said database to output the command to said telephone set comprised, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said database has the change command stored therein, the change command being formed on a basis of frequency characteristics measured in advance from a subscriber line interface to an earphone and frequency characteristics measured in advance from a microphone to the subscriber line interface of a telephone set.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein said first circuit determines the class of said comprised telephone set based on a signal from said telephone set comprised or a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein said first circuit sends out a signal to said telephone set comprised or changes a characteristic value of a connection line to said comprised telephone set to obtain a response signal of said comprised telephone set to determine the class of said comprised telephone set on a basis of the response signal or a change in the response signal.

19. The system according to claim 14 wherein there is provided on the broadband transmission network a database for retrieving data corresponding to the class of a telephone set,

said first circuit providing said database with a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised, or information on a response signal or a change in the response signal to acquire the class of said comprised telephone set from said database, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

20. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a fourth circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said second circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said fourth circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.

21. The system according to claim 18, further comprising a fourth circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said second circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said fourth circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.

22. The system according to claim 19, further comprising a fourth circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said second circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said fourth circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.

23. Telephone set accommodating apparatus for accommodating either of telephone sets which are different from each other in effective band of transmission, comprising a first circuit for determining a class of the accommodated telephone set at a timing in a call sequence.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said first circuit comprises:

a frequency band separator for separating a frequency band of a signal from the accommodated telephone set into a plurality of sub-bands;

a signal detector for detecting whether or not an effective signal component is included in the sub-bands; and

a second circuit for using a result from detection of said signal detector to determine the class of the telephone set accommodated.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said first circuit includes:

a pattern detector for detecting a pattern of a signal intermittently incoming at a predetermined frequency; and

a second circuit for using either of a detection of the pattern by said pattern detector, a content of the pattern detected and the predetermined frequency of the signal to determine the class of the telephone set accommodated.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said first circuit includes:

a measurement circuit for measuring either of impedance toward the telephone set accommodated, interline voltage of the telephone set accommodated and blocking current of the telephone set accommodated; and

a second circuit for using a result from measurement by said measurement circuit to determine the class of the telephone set accommodated.

27. A telephone set comprising:

a pattern generator for generating a first signal having an intermittent pattern;

a frequency signal generator for intermittently generating a second signal of a predetermined frequency in response to the intermittent pattern of the first signal; and

an adder circuit for adding the second signal on a speech signal channel;

said pattern generator, said frequency generator and said adder circuit operating at a predetermined stage in a call sequence.

28. A telephone set comprising:

a pair of lines connectable to telephone set accommodating apparatus for accommodating said telephone set; and

a circuit for operating either of impedance of said telephone set looking from the apparatus, interline voltage across said pair of lines connected to the apparatus and blocking current of said telephone set, said circuit being operative at a predetermined stage in a call sequence.