Simultaneous voice and data communication and data base access in a switching system using a combined voice conference and data base processing module

• US 4,589,107 A
• Filed: 03/30/1984
• Issued: 05/13/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Middleton, Francisco A., Carter, Nicholas J. R., Das, Santanu
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US06/595,087
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 370/62, 370/58, 179/18 BC
• US Class Current: 370/265
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/068 using time division multiplex techniques; integrated services digital networks H04Q11/0428
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals

Abstract

A combined telecommunications and data communications system operates by partitioning data wherein the PCM speech transmission data field is used to contain both digitized speech and other data in the same channel within a frame. Thus the system enables speech and data to be combined in a common information field and to be simultaneously transmitted in the same channel, frame by frame, through a digital switching network. The switching network contains a common port which has a digital interface connected to the port which digital interface can separate and combine the speech and the data fields. The digital interface is connected to a conference module which conference module receives the speech fields via a speech bus. The digital interface is further connected to a data base system which data base system receives the separated data fields via a data tone bus. Through the unique use of a digital interface for combining and separating speech and data fields from the information field of a channel, a conference module and a data base may both be connected to a single port thereby reducing the number of ports and network channels required for simultaneous conferencing and data base access.

Claims

1. In a combined telecommunications and data communication system for combining and splitting speech and data for transmission through a digital switching network between two or more ports, said system including, digital interface means coupled to said ports for combining digitally encoded speech and data words from speech and data buses respectively for delivery to said ports in the same channel for bidirectional transmission between said ports and for splitting speech and data received in the same channel at a port for transmission on speech and data buses, a digital switching network coupled to said digital interface means for switching and transmitting digitally encoded speech and data simultaneously in the same channels between said ports, in combination therewith apparatus for receiving and transmitting speech and data to said ports, comprising:

a data base means, coupled to a predetermined port of said switching network and adapted to receive from the digital interface means associated with said predetermined port data emanating from any connected port of said switching network and to transmit data via said digital interface means and its associated port, and

voice conferencing means coupled to said predetermined port of said switching network and adapted to receive from said associated digital interface means speech emanating from any connected port of said switching network and to retransmit said speech via said digital interface means and its associated port, whereby the data base means and the voice conferencing means are both connected to a single network port so that the number of network channels and ports, required for voice conferencing and data base access is minimized.

2. The combined telecommunications and data communication system according to claim 1 wherein said data base means is coupled to said predetermined port via a data bus with said data bus coupled to said associated digital interface.

3. The combined telecommunications and data communications systems according to claim 1 wherein said voice conferencing means is coupled to said predetermined port via a speech bus with said speech bus coupled to said associated digital interface.

4. The combined telecommunications and data communications system according to claim 1 wherein said data base means is a computer.

5. The system according to claim 1 additionally comprising a tone bus coupled to said digital interface means for providing data to any port, said tone bus also being connected to a port for receiving data from said data base means, whereby data from the data base means may be broadcast to all ports via the tone bus.

6. The system according to claim 1 additionally comprising a tone bus coupled to receive data and speech emanating from said data base means and said voice conferencing module respectively and to transmit said data and speech simultaneously to the digital interface means associated with said ports.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein said tone bus receives the data and speech via a port connected to said predetermined port.

8. The system according to claim 6 wherein said tone bus receives the data and speech directly from the digital interface means associated with the predetermined port.

9. A telecommunications and data communication system comprising:

a digital switching network,

a plurality of ports associated with said digital switching network said switching network capable of selectively connecting two or more of said ports

a plurality of subscriber lines connected to selected ones of said ports;

a data base means coupled to a predetermined port of said switching network and adapted to receive and transmit data from and to any connected port;

a voice conferencing means coupled to said predetermined port for receiving and transmitting speech; and

means disposed between said predetermined port and the voice conferencing means and the data base means for partitioning data and speech and directing the data to the data base means and the speech to the voice conferencing means and for receiving data and speech from the data base means and the voice conferencing means and combining said data and speech for transmission through said switching network, whereby a single port may be used for simultaneous voice conferencing and data base access.