Method and apparatus for mode switching in a voice over data computer-based personal communications system

• US 5,864,560 A
• Filed: 03/03/1997
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Li, Ping, Sharma, Raghu N., Davis, Jeffrey P., Gunn, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Application Number:
  US08/808,015
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 370/276, 370/286, 370/288, 370/289, 370/290, 370/465, 370/468, 370/470, 370/472, 370/477, 370/535, 370/525, 370/526, 370/522, 370/538, 375/222
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6424 Access arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6427 Subscriber Access Module; Concentrator; Group equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6459 Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6491 Echo cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6494 Silence suppression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/129 Details of providing call progress tones or announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 : Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A personal communications system enables the operator to simultaneously transmit voice and data communication to a remote site. The personal communications system is equipped with two telephone line interfaces to allow connection between two remote sites. The connection between the first remote site and the second remote site may operate in an analog voice mode, a digital data communications mode, and a voice over data communications mode. A switch between analog voice mode and digital data communications mode and analog voice mode and voice over data communications mode is performed using switching tones, including calling tones, answer tones, and DTMF tones. Hardware and software switches are also used to program the modems in the personal communication systems for originating and answering modes.

Claims

1. A communication module for use with a personal computer, comprising:

communications interface means connected for communicating to the personal computer for transferring data between the personal computer and the communications module;

communication line interface means for connection to a communication line and for full duplex digital communication over the communication line and for analog communication over the communication line;

voice interface means for receiving local voice signals from a local user and for conveying remote voice signals from a remote user to the local user;

full-duplex conversion means connected to the voice interface means for converting the local voice signals into outgoing digital voice data and for converting incoming digital voice data into the remote voice signals;

digital signal processor means connected to the full-duplex conversion means and operable in a first mode for compressing the outgoing digital voice data into compressed outgoing digital voice data packets and for decompressing compressed incoming digital voice data packets into the incoming digital voice data, each of the compressed outgoing digital voice data packets having headers and each of the compressed incoming digital voice data packets having headers;

the digital signal processor means further operable in a second mode for converting the outgoing digital voice data into outgoing analog voice signals and for converting incoming analog voice signals into the incoming digital voice data;

main control means connected to the communication line interface means, connected for receiving the compressed outgoing digital voice data packets from the digital signal processor means, connected for receiving outgoing computer digital data packets from the personal computer through the communications interface means, and operable in the first mode for multiplexing the compressed outgoing digital voice data packets and the computer digital data packets to produce multiplexed outgoing data and for sending the multiplexed outgoing data to the communication line interface means for transmission over the communication line;

the main control means further operable in the first mode for receiving multiplexed incoming data from the communication line interface means, the multiplexed incoming data containing incoming computer digital data packets multiplexed with the compressed incoming digital voice data packets, the main control means further operable for demultiplexing the incoming computer digital data packets and the compressed incoming digital voice data packets, and for sending the incoming computer digital data packets to the personal computer through the communications interface means and for sending the compressed incoming digital voice data packets to the digital signal processor means; and

mode switching means operable in the first mode for transferring the multiplexed incoming data from the communication line interface means to the main control means and for transferring the multiplexed incoming data from the main control means to the communication line interface means;

the mode switching means operable in the second mode for transferring the outgoing analog voice signals from the digital signal processor means to the communication line interface means and for transferring the incoming analog voice signals from the communication line interface means to the digital signal processor means.

2. The communication module of claim 1 wherein the mode switching means uses a calling tone for switching between the first mode and the second mode.

3. The communication module of claim 1 wherein the mode switching means uses an answer tone for switching between the first mode and the second mode.

4. The communication module of claim 1 wherein the mode switching means uses a dual-tone multifrequency signal for switching between the first mode and the second mode.

5. The communication module of claim 1 wherein the mode switching means uses modem dialing and modem answering commands for switching between the first mode and the second mode.

6. The communication module of claim 1 wherein the mode switching means comprises speech recognition means for switching between the first mode and the second mode based on verbal commands.

7. A method for switching between voice only communication and simultaneous voice-data communication between two sites, comprising:

establishing analog voice communications between a first communication module and a second communication module capable of packet communications;

providing digital data packets each having a header;

providing voice data packets each having a header;

producing a mode switch signal from the first communication module;

detecting the mode switch signal in the second communication module; and

switching from analog communications to fill-duplex communications in response to the mode switch signal wherein the voice data packets and the digital packets are multiplexed and transmitted between the two sites.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein producing a mode switch signal comprises producing a calling tone signal.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein producing a mode switch signal comprises producing an answer tone signal.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein producing a mode switch signal comprises producing a dual tone multifrequency signal.

11. A method for switching between voice only communication and simultaneous voice-data communication between two sites, comprising:

establishing analog voice communications between a first communication module and a second communication module capable of packet communications;

producing a mode switch signal from the first communication module;

detecting the mode switch signal in the second communication module; and

switching from analog communications to full-duplex multiplexed voice and data packet communications in response to the mode switch signal;

wherein producing a mode switch signal comprises providing speech recognition means and producing a mode switch signal based on verbal commands received by the speech recognition means.