System for local voice distribution by an ISDN communications controller
First Claim
1. A system for interfacing a plurality of telephones to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line of a telecommunications network, comprising:
- a plurality of line interface units connected to respective telephones, and a distribution line;
a communications controller interconnecting the distribution line and the ISDN line;
wherein the communications controller includes;
means for transmitting digital data frames on the distribution line, each frame having a frame start and a plurality of control channels and voice channels of which respective voice and control channels are associated with respective line interface units,means for instructing each line interface unit on the control channel of that unit, to issue ringing voltage, dial tone, busy tone or ringing tone, andmeans for selectively coupling the voice channels to the ISDN line such that at least two voice channels can share a bearer channel; and
wherein each line interface unit includes;
means for detecting the frame start and identifying the voice and control channels of that unit,means for informing the communications controller, on the control channel, of switch-hook status of the connected telephone, a dialed directory number or dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digits collected, andmeans for coupling outbound and inbound voice signals, respectively, between the connected telephone and the voice channel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for interfacing a plurality of analog telephones to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line of telecommunications network is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of line interface units connected to respective telephones and a distribution line, and a communications controller interconnects the distribution line and the ISDN line. The communications controller transmits digital data frames on the distribution line, each frame having a frame start and a plurality of control channels and voice channels of which respective voice and control channels are associated with respective line interface units. The controller can instruct each line interface unit on the control channel of that unit, to issue ringing voltage, dial tone, busy tone or ringing tone, and it selectively couples the voice channels to the ISDN line. Each line interface unit can inform the communications controller, on the control channel of that unit, of switch-hook status of the connected telephone, a dialed directory number or dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digits collected. It also performs analog to digital coding and decoding of outbound and inbound voice signals, respectively, between the connected telephone and the voice channel of that unit.
38 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for interfacing a plurality of telephones to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line of a telecommunications network, comprising:
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a plurality of line interface units connected to respective telephones, and a distribution line; a communications controller interconnecting the distribution line and the ISDN line; wherein the communications controller includes; means for transmitting digital data frames on the distribution line, each frame having a frame start and a plurality of control channels and voice channels of which respective voice and control channels are associated with respective line interface units, means for instructing each line interface unit on the control channel of that unit, to issue ringing voltage, dial tone, busy tone or ringing tone, and means for selectively coupling the voice channels to the ISDN line such that at least two voice channels can share a bearer channel; and wherein each line interface unit includes; means for detecting the frame start and identifying the voice and control channels of that unit, means for informing the communications controller, on the control channel, of switch-hook status of the connected telephone, a dialed directory number or dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digits collected, and means for coupling outbound and inbound voice signals, respectively, between the connected telephone and the voice channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A communications controller for interfacing a distribution line to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line of a telecommunications network, wherein the distribution line is connected to a plurality of line interface units and each line interface unit is connected to a respective telephone, the communications controller comprising:
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means for transmitting digital data frames on the distribution line, each frame having a frame start and a plurality of control channels and voice channels of which respective voice and control channels are associated with respective line interface units; means for instructing each line interface unit on the control channel of that unit, to issue ringing voltage, dial tone, busy tone, or ringing tone; and means for selectively coupling the voice channels to the ISDN line such that at least two voice channels can share a bearer channel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 14, 15, 16)
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13. A line interface, responsive to a controller, for interfacing a telephone to a distribution line, wherein the controller interfaces to an ISDN line of a telecommunications network, the line interface comprising:
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means for connecting to the telephone; means for connecting to the distribution line; means for detecting a frame start from the controller received over the distribution line; means for identifying a voice channel and a control channel corresponding to the line interface unit and received over the distribution line from the controller; means for informing the controller, on the control channel, of at least one of switch-hook status of a connected telephone, a dialed directory number, or dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digits collected; and means for coupling outbound and inbound voice signals, respectively, between the connected telephone and the voice channel; wherein an outbound or an inbound voice signal utilizes a bandwidth on the ISDN line that is less than an entire bearer channel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification