Telephone supporting bridging between a packet switched network and the public switched telephone network

• US 20070183400A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James, Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Application Number:
  US11/348,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20070183400A1
• 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 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A bridging telephone includes processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a user interface, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) interface, a packet data network interface. To service an incoming call, the processing circuitry obtains and executes bridging instructions that establish a pathway between the PSTN and packet data network interfaces. With such pathway, a call between a PSTN telephony device and an Internet telephony device can be established and maintained via the bridging telephone. Call conferences may also be set up via the bridging telephone, e.g., between pluralities of Internet telephony devices with or without the participation of a PSTN telephony device. Calls may be initiated by a PSTN telephony device to an Internet telephony device, or by an Internet telephony device to a PSTN telephony device.

Claims

1. In a telephony infrastructure supporting both a first call between a first telephony device and a second telephony device and a second call from a third telephony device, a telephone comprising:

processing circuitry that operates in both a call bridging mode and a call end-point mode;

a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry;

a first interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to the first telephony device via a public switched telephone network and pursuant to a first voice format;

a second interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to the second telephony device via an Internet network and pursuant to a second voice format;

the processing circuitry, in the call end-point mode, supports the second call by maintaining a first communication pathway between the user interface and the third telephony device; and

the processing circuitry, in the call bridging mode, provides a second communication pathway between the first telephony device and the second telephony device by translating first call information of the first call received via the first interface to the second voice format for delivery to the second telephony device, and translating second call information of the first call received via the second interface to the first voice format for delivery first telephony device.

2. The telephone of claim 1, further comprising memory that stores bridging instructions, and the processing circuitry retrieves and executes the bridging instructions from the memory to support the second communication pathway.

3. The telephone of claim 1, wherein the first voice format comprises analog voice signals.

4. The telephone of claim 1, wherein the first voice format comprises a cellular telephony format.

5. The telephone of claim 1, comprising a user interface unit and a base unit, and wherein the base unit comprising the processing circuitry.

6. In a telephony infrastructure supporting a call between a first telephony device and a second telephony device, a telephone comprising:

bridging circuitry;

a first interface communicatively coupling the bridging circuitry to the first telephony device via to a public switched telephone network and pursuant to a first voice format;

a second interface communicatively coupling the bridging circuitry to the second telephony device via an Internet network and pursuant to a second voice format; and

the bridging circuitry provides a call pathway between the first telephony device and the second telephony device by translating first call information received via the first interface to the second voice format for delivery to the second telephony device, and by translating second call information received via the second interface to the first voice format for delivery to the first telephony device.

7. The telephone of claim 6, further comprising memory that stores bridging instructions, and the bridging circuitry retrieves and executes the bridging instructions from the memory.

8. The telephone of claim 6, wherein the first voice format comprises analog voice signals.

9. The telephone of claim 6, wherein the first voice format comprises a cellular telephony format.

10. The telephone of claim 6, wherein the bridging circuitry communicatively couples with the second telephony device using a protocol stack.

11. The telephone of claim 6, wherein the call information received via the second interface comprising call packets, and the translating of the second call information received via the second interface comprising reassembling the call packets.

12. The telephone of claim 6, wherein the bridging circuitry expands the call pathway between the first telephony device and the second telephony device to include a third telephony device to establish a three way call.

13. A telephone comprising:

processing circuitry;

a first interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to a public switched telephone network;

a second interface communicatively coupling the processing circuitry to an Internet network; and

the processing circuitry selectively bridges calls between the first interface and the second interface.

14. The telephone of claim 13, further comprising a local memory that stores bridging instructions, and, in selectively bridging the incoming call, the processing circuitry retrieves and executes the bridging instructions from the local memory.

15. The telephone of claim 13, wherein the selective bridging of the processing circuitry comprising generating digital call data from received analog call data.

16. The telephone of claim 15, wherein the selective bridging of the processing circuitry further comprising generating analog call data from received digital call data.

17. The telephone of claim 13, the selective bridging of the processing circuitry comprising generating cellular call data from Internet call data packets.

18. The telephone of claim 13, wherein the selective bridging of the processing circuitry is performed at least in part pursuant to at least a portion of a protocol stack.

19. In a telephony infrastructure supporting a call between a first telephony device and a second telephony device, a method performed by a telephone having a first interfilce and a second interface, the first interface communicatively coupled to a public switched telephone network, the second interface communicatively coupled to an Internet network, the method comprising:

receiving first voice signals in a first voice format generated by the first telephony device via the first interface;

receiving second voice signals in a second voice format generated by the second telephony device via the second interface;

translating the first voice signals received from the first voice format to the second voice format;

translating the second voice signals received from the second voice format to the first voice format;

delivering the first voice signals in the second voice format to the second telephony device via the second interface; and

delivering the second voice signals in the first voice format to the first telephony device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein translating of the first voice signals and second voice signals together comprising a bridge between the public switched telephone network and the Internet network.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first voice format comprises an analog format.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first voice format comprises a cellular format.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the second voice format is defined pursuant to a voice over the Internet network protocol.