Home and small business phone system for operation on a single internal twisted pair line and methodology for operating the same

• US 5,825,777 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Creative Integrated Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Creative Integrated Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Stockman, John F., Komarek, James A., Lewis, Harold F., Minney, Jack L., Nordine, Stephen P., Wada, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/669,250
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 370/95.1, 370/95.2, 370/95.3, 370/85.1, 370/32.1, 370/60, 370/319, 370/321, 370/324, 370/329, 370/330, 370/337, 370/336, 370/341, 370/346, 370/347, 370/350, 370/431, 370/451, 370/437, 370/458, 370/465, 370/489, 370/503, 379/93-96, 379/410, 379/411, 379/408, 379/409, 379/93.17, 379/207, 379/219, 379/202, 379/225, 379/227, 379/230, 379/231, 379/235, 379/234, 379/247, 379/250, 379/17 , 379/70, 379/71, 379/93.04, 379/93.07, 379/93.14, 379/198, 379/215
• US Class Current: 370/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/02 involving a common line for all parties
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/48 having LEDs organised in strings and incorporating parallel shunting devices

Abstract

The invention is a telephone system capable of operating on a single internal telephone line as commonly found in the home or small businesses, which is economically implemented within an integrated circuit chip to provide a one chip telephone and which provides most of the components necessary for a full-featured, reliable and easy to install office communication system. The multiband audio network (MAN) transfers four audio bands and a digital data band over a single twisted pair of wire. A 6,000 bits per second full duplex digital data channel is also provided on the same twisted pair. Each station unit includes all the control and interface support necessary to perform conventional telephone functions. These functions include a combination of keyboard and display support circuitry such as strobe and debounce circuitry, LED buffers, piezo ring drivers, control registers and communication hardware. Everything needed to provide a programmably customized communication and telephone network is available using only one basic chip design in the system as described above. Not only are standard telephone communications possible on a single twisted pair, but a network of telephone receivers, computers, modems, telefax devices, answering machines and any other type of information handling or communication device now known or later devised for use on a telephone line can be networked and accommodated within the system.

Claims

1. A telephone communication system for communication between a plurality of exterior telephone lines and a single common in house two-wire line comprising:

a control unit for coupling to said plurality of exterior telephone lines and for controlling telecommunication between said plurality of exterior telephone lines and said common two-wire line; and

a plurality of station units each separately coupled to said common two-wire line, each of said station units for selectively telecommunicating with an arbitrarily selected one of said exterior telephone lines under the control of said control unit, said control unit communicating with said plurality of station units in a time frame subdivided into a plurality of time slots, a specified portion of each time slot being reserved for control-communication between said control unit and each one of said plurality of station units, all control-communication between each one of said station units and said control unit occurring within said specified portion of each time slot within each time frame.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said station units can at any time telecommunicate with each other or through said control unit to said exterior telephone lines on separate AM modulated frequency channels on said common two wire line.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said control unit generates a reference frequency and wherein said plurality of station units are synchronized to said reference frequency using crystal controlled VCO.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said control unit is programmable and all communication features between said control unit and said plurality of station units with said exterior telephone lines is stored within said control unit so that said system is modifiable by modifying said programs stored in said control unit so that said system may be more easily changed and may be remotely modified through said exterior telephone lines coupled to said control unit.

7. The systems of claim 3 wherein said plurality of station units and control unit are synchronized with each other through phase lock synchronization to said reference frequency.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said control unit communicates with said plurality of station units through a digital data channel, said digital data channel having two digital channels communicated thereon in phase quadrature through amplitude modulation.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said digital data channel is full duplex and wherein digital data communicated through a portion of said time frame, the remaining portion of said time frame being used for communication of control information between said control unit and said plurality of station units.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein said control unit and plurality of station units encode, generate and communicate control and status information onto said common two wire line.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of voice channels are simultaneously communicated on said common two wire line and wherein said control unit comprises means for programmably vectoring a selection of said voice channels in order to selectively network said plurality of voice channels among said station units coupled to said single common two wire line.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said control unit and plurality of station units each further comprise a controllable input/output port programmably capable of logic, switching, and sensing as well as keyboard and display control.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said control unit and plurality of station units each comprise means for interfacing with a general purpose microprocessor for bidirectional exchange of data, control and status information with said microprocessor.

14. The telephone communication system of claim 1 wherein communication between said station units and said control unit is on at least one AM digital channel.

4. A telephone communication system for communication between a plurality of exterior telephone lines and a single common in house two-wire line comprising:

a control unit for coupling to said plurality of exterior telephone lines and for controlling communication between said plurality of exterior telephone lines and said common two-wire line; and

a plurality of station units each separately coupled to said common two-wire line, each of said station units for selectively telecommunicating with each other or an arbitrarily selected one of said exterior telephone lines under the control of said control unit, said control unit communicating with said plurality of station units in a time frame subdivided into a plurality of time slots, a specified portion of each time slot being reserved for communication between said control unit and each one of said plurality of station units, all control-communication between each one of said station units and said control unit occurring within said specified portion of each time slot within each time frame,

wherein said control unit further comprises a plurality of modulating/demodulating interface circuits, each interface circuit for servicing a separate one of said exterior telephone lines, one of said plurality of interface circuits serving as a master control circuit and the remaining ones of said interface circuits being slaved to said master circuit.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said interface circuits and station units are identical, but operated in different modes according to their respective operational position within said system so that a one-chip system is provided.

15. A telephone communication system for communication between a plurality of exterior telephone lines and a single common in house two-wire line comprising:

a control unit having at least one chip for coupling to said plurality of exterior telephone lines, said at least one chip for controlling communication between said plurality of exterior telephone lines and said common two-wire line; and

a plurality of station/adapter units having said at least one chip, each station/adapter unit separately coupled remotely to said common two-wire line, said at least one chip in each of said station/adapter units for selectively communicating with an arbitrarily selected one of said exterior telephone lines under the control of said at least one chip in said control unit,

wherein said chips in said control unit and in said station/adapter unit are identical, but operated in different modes according to their respective operational position within said system so that a communication system using one type of communication and control chip is provided.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said chip in said control unit which is designated as a master chip communicates with said plurality of station/adapter units in a time frame subdivided into a plurality of time slots, a specified portion of each time slot being reserved for control-communication between said control unit and each one of said plurality of station/adapter units, all control-communication between each one of said station/adapter units and control unit occurring within said specified portion of each time slot within each time frame.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising voice band and digital band interface means in said chip for communication between said control unit and said remote station/adapter units.

18. The system of claim 15 in combination with at least one computer having modem communication capability and/or at least one telefax device, and wherein said chip is programmable, is capable of communicating signals in telefax compatible format and in telephone tone signal format, and is accessible within said system by extension dialing, said control unit being programmed to selectively couple said computer and/or telefax device coupled to said chip in said station/adapter units to at least one of said plurality of exterior telephone lines through said single common in house two-wire line.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein a plurality of said computers and/or telefax devices are coupled to said station/adapter units, said control unit for selectively coupling said plurality of said computers and/or telefax devices in a programmable network.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein said control unit and said station/adapter unit emulate typical telephone equipment with respect to communication characteristics on said plurality of exterior telephone lines and emulate an exterior telephone line with respect to communication characteristics of typical telephone equipment.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said station/adapter unit further comprising means for selectively powering said computer and/or telefax device upon being accessed.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein said station/adapter unit further comprising a modem and a serial input/output port for external communication.

23. The system of claim 15 further comprising an auxiliary communication device, said auxiliary communication device having said chip for communication with said system on said single common in house two-wire line.