Audio record and playback through a standard telephone in a computer system

• US 5,875,233 A
• Filed: 02/18/1997
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Application Number:
  US08/802,844
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/90.01, 379/110.01, 379/442, 379/88.27, 379/88.28, 379/67.1, 379/88.07
• US Class Current: 379/88.07
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/00 Arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus with cameras or projectors G03B31/00 ; recording/reproducing of music for electrophonic musical instruments G10H1/0033; automatic arrangements for answering calls or for recording messages for absent subscribers H04M1/64; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with dictation recording and playback systems H04M11/10; connection of TV recorder with other related apparatus, e.g. TV camera or receiver, in which the TV signal is significantly involved H04N, e.g. H04N23/00, H04N5/765; combination of radio or TV with other apparatus, e.g. with vehicles H05K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/003 with radio receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems

Abstract

A method for performing audio input/output through a telephone in a computer system, wherein a telephony driver and an audio driver and an audio task executing on a digital signal processing subsystem of the computer system perform sound sample data conversion to a standard data format and perform sample rate conversion and stereo to mono conversion for digital telephone compatibility.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a) multifunction input/output subsystem including;

1) a telephone line interface circuit coupled to receive an incoming telephony signal from a telephone and coupled to transfer an outgoing telephony signal to the telephone;

2) an audio circuit coupled to receive an incoming audio signal from a microphone and coupled to transfer an outgoing audio signal to a speaker; and

3) a digital signal processor enabling multiple concurrent processing of the incoming and outgoing audio signals from said audio circuit and incoming and outgoing telephony signals from said telephone;

b) a processor that executes;

1) a telephony driver for the telephone line interface circuit and an audio driver for the audio circuit;

2) an audio task to provide the sound data stream in the predefined data format to either the telephony driver or the audio driver during audio playback and receive the sound data stream in the predefined data format from either the telephony driver or the audio driver during audio recording

wherein the multifunction input/output subsystem and processor enable said telephone to receive an incoming call while the telephone is employed as one of an input device for recording the sound data stream and as an output device for playback of said sound data stream.

2. The computer system defined by claim 1 wherein the telephony driver and the audio driver operate to generate and consume a sound data stream having a predefined data format within the computer system.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein execution of the telephony driver by the processor generates a set of sound samples by sampling audio signals over a local line coupled to the telephone, and converts the sound samples into the sound data stream having the predefined data format and then transferring the sound data stream to the audio task.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor converts the sound data stream into a format required by a host audio application program executing in the computer system and then transfers the converted sound data stream to the host audio application program.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor performs a data compression function on the sound data stream.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor converts the sound data stream into a pulse code modulation data format.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the telephone is a digital telephone.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor converts the sound data stream into the format required by the host audio application program by performing a sample rate conversion on the sound data stream from a data rate corresponding to the digital telephone to a predefined sample rate supported by the host audio application program.

9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor receives the sound data stream from a host audio application program and converts the sound data stream from the data format required by the host audio application program into the predefined data format and then transferring the sound data stream having the predefined data format to the telephony driver.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein execution of the telephony driver by the processor converts the sound data stream into a set of telephony data values and transfers the telephony data values to the telephone line interface circuit.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor performs a data decompression on the sound data stream.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor converts the sound data stream from a pulse code modulation data format into the predefined data format.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the telephone is a digital telephone.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein execution of the audio task by the processor performs a sample rate conversion on the sound data stream from a predefined sample rate supported by the host audio application program to a data rate of the digital telephone.

25. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said computer system selectively enables said telephone to be employed as one of an input/output device and a telephone.

15. A method for audio recording in a computer system, comprising the steps of;

a) generating a set of sound samples by sampling audio information over a local telephone line coupled to a telephone, and converting the sound samples into a sound data stream having a predefined data format;

b) transferring the sound data stream in the predefined data format to an audio task executing in the computer system, such that execution of the audio task converts the sound data stream in the predefined data format into a format required by a host audio application program executing in the computer system and then transfers the converted sound data stream to the host audio application program; and

c) enabling concurrent processing of incoming audio signals from a local line and incoming telephony signals from the local telephone line by employing multifunction input/output subsystem connecting to the local line and the local telephone line.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of converting the sound data stream into a format required by a host audio application program includes the step of performing a data compression function on the sound data stream.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of converting the sound data stream into a format required by a host audio application program includes the step of converting the sound data stream into a pulse code modulation data format.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the telephone is a digital telephone.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein execution of the audio task converts the sound data stream into the format required by the host audio application program by performing a sample rate conversion on the sound data stream from a data rate corresponding to the digital telephone to a predefined sample rate supported by the host audio application program.

26. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of enabling concurrent processing of incoming audio signals from the local line and incoming telephony signals from the local telephone line further includes the step of:

allowing the telephone to receive an incoming call while executing steps a) and b).

20. A method for audio playback in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a sound data stream from a host audio application program executing in the computer system, and converting the sound data stream from a data format required by the host audio application program into a predefined data format;

b) transferring the sound data stream having the predefined data format to a telephony driver executing in the computer system, such that execution of the telephony driver converts the sound data stream in the predetermined data format into a set of telephony data values and transfers the telephony data values to a telephony circuit that generates telephony audio signals over a local telephone line; and

c) enabling concurrent processing of outgoing audio signals to a local line and incoming telephony signals from the local telephone line by employing multifunction input/output subsystem connecting to the local line and the local telephone line.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of converting the sound data stream from a data format required by the host audio application program into a predefined data format includes the steps of performing a data decompression on the sound data stream.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of converting the sound data stream from a data format required by the host audio application program into a predefined data format includes the step of converting the sound data stream from a pulse code modulation data format into the predefined data format.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the telephone is a digital telephone.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of transferring the sound data stream having the predefined data format to a telephony driver further comprises the step of performing a sample rate conversion on the sound data stream from a predefined sample rate supported by the host audio application program to a data rate of the digital telephone.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of enabling concurrent processing of outgoing audio signals to the local line and incoming telephony signals from the local telephone line further includes the step of:

allowing the telephone to receive an incoming call while executing steps a) and b).