Telecom adapter for interfacing computing devices to the analog telephone network
First Claim
1. A method of exchanging a digital real time data stream composed of data samples between a computer that performs frame-based signal processing in accordance with a timing signal derived from an internal clock and an analog communications network, using a telecom adapter that provides a clock signal to the computer and receives a control signal from the computer, comprising the steps of:
- phase-locking the internal clock and the clock signal provided by the telecom adapter;
using the control signal, initializing the telecom adapter in timed relation to the timing signal derived from the internal clock; and
performing frame-based signal processing of the data samples in accordance with the timing signal.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A telecommunications adapter interfaces computing devices to the analog telephone network, achieving a tightly integrated digital telecommunications link with the analog telephone network. The telecommunications adapter takes advantage of certain host resources including, preferably, the computer'"'"'s signal processor, the computer'"'"'s power supply and a computer/peripheral serial interface. System cost for digital communications over the analog network is therefore reduced. Furthermore, the telecommunications adapter is able to accept and deliver a digitized representation of the analog (voice) data stream in real time, supporting both existing and future voice-band communications technologies. Finally, the invention facilitates rapid and inexpensive adaptation to the various international telephone standards. Instead of replacing an entire modem, a relatively inexpensive satellite processor (i.e., the telecom adapter) may be replaced instead. Data stream synchronization is achieved between the digital data stream and a time-driven DSP task list within the computer. Wide-area communications data streams--either data or voice--obtained from analog telephone lines may therefore be conveniently manipulated and blended into the computer'"'"'s sound facilities, for example.
35 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of exchanging a digital real time data stream composed of data samples between a computer that performs frame-based signal processing in accordance with a timing signal derived from an internal clock and an analog communications network, using a telecom adapter that provides a clock signal to the computer and receives a control signal from the computer, comprising the steps of:
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phase-locking the internal clock and the clock signal provided by the telecom adapter; using the control signal, initializing the telecom adapter in timed relation to the timing signal derived from the internal clock; and performing frame-based signal processing of the data samples in accordance with the timing signal.
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2. A telecommunications adapter for inputting to a computer workstation a digital data stream representing a real time continous analog signal, comprising:
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means for receiving an analog signal and converting the analog signal to a voice-rate or greater digital data stream, comprising; a telephone line connector; an analog conditioning circuit connected to the telephone line connector; and a codec connected to the analog conditioning circuit; and interface means for receiving the digital data stream and inputting the digital data stream to the computer workstation through a communications port of the computer workstation. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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12. A computing apparatus for receiving from a telecom adapter data samples representing a real time analog signal and for processing the data samples, comprising:
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a communications port; means for storing the data samples; means for directly transferring the data samples from the communications port to the means for storing; means responsive to a clock signal from the telecom adapter for deriving a lower-frequency clock signal; and digital signal processing means responsive to each occurrence of the lower-frequency clock signal to retrieve a predetermined number of data samples from the means for storing and for processing the predetermined number of data samples to produce processed data samples. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23)
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Specification