Single-wiring network for integrated voice and data communications

• US 5,862,134 A
• Filed: 12/29/1995
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GTE Laboratories Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Laboratories Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Deng, Shuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carman, Melissa Kay
• Application Number:
  US08/581,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 370/352, 370/485, 370/338, 379/93, 379/100, 379/201, 379/90, 379/94, 379/243, 379/229, 379/230, 379/93.01, 379/93.09, 379/93.08, 379/93.14, 379/93.29, 379/100.11, 379/100.13 , 379/93.05
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

An integrated network for connecting both telephones and personal computers within an organization, using a single wiring connection is disclosed. Telephones and personal computers within the organization are connected to the same local area network (LAN) which is in turn connected to a telephony-computer interface (TCI). The TCI is also connected to telephone lines. The TCI forms an interface between telephone line communications and data packets for real time communications. In this way, only one wiring connection, the local area network, need be installed to interconnect both telephones and personal computers, for both local and off-site communications.

Claims

1. An apparatus connecting at least one data based apparatus and at least one speech based communications apparatus in a local area network through a single communications line comprising:

a data switch selectably electrically interconnecting said at least one data based apparatus to a data wide area network; and

a telephony computer interface selectably electrically interconnected to said data switch and electrically interconnected to a PBX, said data switch configured to selectably electrically interconnect said at least one speech based communications apparatus to said PBX routing telephone signals outside said local area network, said telephony computer interface converting telephone signals from said PBX into LAN packet data and transmitting said LAN packet data selectively to one of said at least one data based apparatus and said at least one speech based communications apparatus and said telephony computer interface converting LAN packet information into one of voice data and digital data and transmitting said voice data to said PBX for transmission to a public switch telephone network, and transmitting said digital data through said data switch to said data wide area network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data-based apparatus are computers transmitting digital data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said speech based apparatus are telephones.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data based apparatus and said speech based apparatus are combined in computers transmitting digital data and speech data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a patch panel interconnecting said at least one data based apparatus and said at least one speech based communications apparatus to said data switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one speech based apparatus converts speech signals into LAN packet data and LAN packet data into speech signals.

7. A network of claim 1 wherein said telephony computer interface includes a LAN interface converting telephone signals into LAN packet data and converting LAN packet data into telephone signals.

8. A method of routing telephonic voice data and computer data through a single communications line electrically connected to each of a plurality of data based and speech based communications apparatus which are part of a local area network to external data based and speech based communications apparatus comprising the steps of:

sending an internal telephonic voice data and computer data as LAN packet information from each of said plurality of data based and speech based communications apparatus;

receiving said LAN packet information at a telephony computer interface;

converting said LAN packet information into telephonic voice data and computer data at said telephony computer interface, said step of converting said LAN packet information comprising the steps of,

converting said LAN packet information into telephonic voice data and sending said telephonic voice data to a PBX for transmission over public switched telephone network to a calling party; and

converting said LAN packet information into computer data and sending said computer data through a data switch to a data wide area network;

sending said telephone voice data and computer data to an external data based or speech based communications apparatus;

receiving external telephonic voice data and computer data at said telephony computer interface;

converting external telephonic voice data and computer data into LAN packet information; and

sending said LAN packet information to an internal data based or speech based communications apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said telephony computer interface in said step of converting external telephonic voice data and computer data into LAN packet information performs the steps of:

receiving said external telephonic voice data at said telephony computer interface through said PBX;

transferring said external telephonic voice data from said PBX to said telephony computer interface;

converting said external telephone voice data into said LAN packet information; and

routing said LAN packet information through said data switch to said speech based communications apparatus in said local area network.

10. A local area network for connecting a plurality of data based and speech based apparatus each through a single communications line to an outside communications network comprising:

a patch panel electrically interconnected to said plurality of data based and speech based apparatus through local area network cables;

a data switch electrically interconnected to said patch panel and selectably electrically connected to a data wide area network;

a telephony computer interface selectably electrically interconnected to said data switch and electrically interconnected to a local PBX, said telephony computer interface converting telephonic voice data from said local PBX into LAN packet information and transmitting said LAN packet information through said data switch for routing through said patch panel to a selected one of said plurality of data based and speech based apparatus, said telephony computer interface converting LAN packet information into one of voice data and digital data and transmitting said voice data to said local PBX for transmission to a public switch telephone network, and transmitting said digital data through said data switch to said data wide area network.