Simultaneous voice and data communications
First Claim
1. A system for routing voice/data calls through a public switched network comprising:
- means in said public switched network for receiving a transmission from a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, said transmission having a voice channel and a data channel, said voice and data channels having a combined bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; and
means in said public switched network for supplying said voice and data channels to separate destinations such that voice and data calls can be carried via said voice and data channels in any order of said calls being attempted.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improvement in providing simultaneous voice and data communication is achieved by provisioning within the public switched telephone network one or more simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modems that a) can communicate with SVD modems of the network users over a single "plain old telephone service" (POTS) connection, and b) can separate, and deliver to different destinations the voice and data channels received from an SVD modem. The SVD modems in the network can also combine voice and data traffic from separate sources for transmission together over a single POTS connection to a user'"'"'s SVD modem. In one embodiment of the invention, an SVD modem pool is provided by an inter-exchange carrier. The voice and data channels of an SVD call are separated at the network side of the SVD modem pool, so that they may be routed to different destinations. The voice channel of the call a) may be routed in the usual manner to a voiceband destination device or b) it may be routed to an SVD modem pool for possible combination with a data channel for delivery to an end-point subscriber who has an SVD modem. The data channel or the call may be routed over the packet network to a) a conventional data device or b) an SVD modem pool for possible combination with a voice channel for delivery to the end-point subscriber who has an SVD modem.
163 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for routing voice/data calls through a public switched network comprising:
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means in said public switched network for receiving a transmission from a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, said transmission having a voice channel and a data channel, said voice and data channels having a combined bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; and means in said public switched network for supplying said voice and data channels to separate destinations such that voice and data calls can be carried via said voice and data channels in any order of said calls being attempted. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A system for routing voice and data calls through a public switched network comprising:
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means in said public switched network for receiving a transmission from a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, said transmission being received via a communications path having a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; and means in said public switched network for (i) separating said transmission into its constituent voice and data channels and (ii) routing said voice and data channels through said network to separate destinations such that voice and data calls can be carried via said channels in any order of said calls being attempted. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for routing voice and data calls through a public switched network comprising
means in said public switched network for receiving separate voice and data channels originating from distinct originating points; - and
means in said public switched network for combining said separate voice and data channels for transmission over a single POTS channel in a format recognized by an SVD modem. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A system for routing through a public switched network a voice channel and a data channel, said voice channel and said data channel being supplied to said public switched network on a POTS channel as a combined signal from an SVD modem of a user, said arrangement comprising:
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a circuit switched network; a packet switched network; a simultaneous voice/data modem in said public switched network for reconstituting said voice channel and said data channel from said combined signal; wherein (I) said POTS channel is supplied to said simultaneous voice/data modem in said public switched network, (ii) said voice channel, as reconstituted, is routed over said circuit switched network, and (iii) said data channel, as reconstituted, is routed over said packet switched network. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A public switched telephone network comprising:
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a circuit switched network; a packet switched network; a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem for combining a voice call from said circuit switched network with a data call from said packet switched network and for transmitting the resulting combination over a single POTS channel.
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19. A method for use in a telephone network, comprising the steps of:
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determining that a call has been placed to a subscriber having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, said SVD modem having voice and data channels with a combined bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; and routing said call through an equivalent SVD modem in said telephone network prior to routing said call to said subscriber, wherein said subscriber can receive said call on one of the two voice and data channels provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem without interfering with said subscriber'"'"'s ability to use the other of said two voice and data channels for another call. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for use in completing a telephone call in a telephone network comprising the steps of:
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receiving a call placed to a translatable telephone number; translating said translatable telephone number to the destination address of a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem pool in said telephone network, said modem pool being comprised of a plurality of SVD modems each one of said SVD modems having voice and data channels with a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; retrieving a telephone number of a telephone line by which the called subscriber is connected to said telephone network that is stored in association with said translatable telephone number; routing said call through an SVD modem in said SVD modem pool so that said call is carried on one of the two combined channels that is output by said SVD modem; and using said retrieved telephone number as the telephone number of said subscriber to which the output of said SVD modem is routed.
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26. A method for use in completing a telephone call in a public switched telephone network comprising the steps of:
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recognizing that a received call placed to a subscriber was placed by dialing a translatable telephone number; translating said translatable telephone number to the destination address of a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem pool in said telephone network, said modem pool being comprised of a plurality of SVD modems each one of said SVD modems having voice and data channels with a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz; retrieving a telephone number of a telephone line by which the called subscriber is connected to said public switched telephone network that is stored in association with said translatable telephone number; determining that a call is already being routed through a particular SVD modem of said SVD modem pool to said retrieved telephone number; determining that the channel needed to carry said call from said particular SVD modem of said SVD modem pool to a specific SVD modem of said called subscriber is available; and routing said call through said particular SVD modem of said SVD modem pool so that said call is carried on the available one of the two combined channels that is output by said particular SVD modem of said SVD modem pool.
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27. Apparatus for use in completing a telephone call having either a data content or a voice content, comprising:
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means for storing a list of telephone lines that are connected to simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modems; means for determining that a destination telephone line of said telephone call is listed in said list; an SVD modem connected in a network for receiving separate data and voice channels and for developing as an output a combined voice and data signal capable of being transmitted from said network over a single POTS channel; means for routing said call though said SVD modem in said telephone network over the one of said data and voice channels that matches the content of said call; and means for causing the output of said SVD modem in said telephone network to be transmitted over a particular single POTS channel to said SVD modem connected to said destination telephone line, whereby a second call can be carried over said single POTS channel.
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28. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem having a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz, and providing first and second communication channels, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a call placed to a telephone number of a subscriber who has an SVD modem with voice and data Channels having a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz, said call being received when said subscriber'"'"'s telephone line is already in use on another call using said first channel provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem; determining that said received call can be carried over said second channel provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem; placing, by said SVD modem in said public switched network, said received call into said second channel and combining said second channel with said first channel for communication with said SVD modem of said subscriber.
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29. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem providing first and second communication channels, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a call placed to a telephone number of a subscriber having an SVD modem whose telephone line is already in use on a call using said first channel provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem; determining that said received call can be carried over said second channel provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem; and routing said call to said SVD modem in said public switched network; combining said call with said first channel so that a combined signal that fits within a POTS channel is produced and in which said call is carried in said second channel, said combined signal being for communication with said SVD modem of said subscriber.
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30. A method for controlling the routing of a call in a public switched telephone network comprising the step of:
routing a call in joint response to (i) the provisioning of a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem at the destination of said call, said modem having voice and data channels with a bandwidth of about 3200 Hertz, and (ii) the existence of another call through said SVD modem at the time said call is to be routed, said another call being of a type different from that of said call.
Specification