Internet phone set

• US 6,169,734 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1996
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HUY DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/775,505
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.06, 379/93.07, 379/93.08, 379/93.09, 379/93.11, 379/93.14, 379/93.17, 379/93.18, 379/93.24, 379/900, 370/477, 370/460, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• 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 Internet phone provides standard voice and Internet audio functions using the familiar Plain Old Telephone System platform. Internet audio connections are initiated using an access button on the base of the telephone. A phone keypad and alphanumeric keyboard provide both DTMF dialing and Internet message handling functions. A speaker is provides or the hand set can be used to send and receive Internet compressed audio messages over the Public Switched Telephone System via the user'"'"'s Internet access provider. The user selects a recipient from a stored address list or creates a new recipient using the alphanumeric keyboard. Once the call is established, a user at either end speaks directly into the phone receiver wherein his voice signal is digitized into a voice file that is stored and transferred to the user at the other end. The Internet phone an integrated display and display electronics which decode incoming messages. A ROM based program inside the phone decodes the address portion of an incoming Internet message and displays it on the screen identifying the identity of the the caller.

Claims

1. A circuit for receiving and transmitting both standard phone audio and Internet compressed voice signals over the Public Switched Telephone Network (“

PSTN”

) comprising;

a telephone line interface to the PSTN;

a modem data pump coupled to said telephone line interface via a first isolation transformer coil;

an audio compression circuit coupled to said telephone line interface via a second isolation transformer coil and communicably linked to said modem data pump;

an optical isolator circuit for switching between said audio compression circuit and said modem data pump, said isolator circuit interspersed between said telephone line interface and said audio compression circuit; and

a controller circuit communicably linked to said modem data pump.

2. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising:

a Dual Tone Multifrequency (“

DTMF”

) transceiver circuit coupled to said audio compression circuit on the side of said second isolation transformer coil; and

a DTMF dialer keypad coupled to said DTMF transceiver circuit.

3. The circuit according to claim 2 further comprising a multiplexor interspersed between said isolation circuit and said voice compression circuit for controlling the switching functions between DTMF and Internet voice transmissions.

4. The circuit according to claim 1 wherein said audio compression circuit supports G.723, G.725, G.729 and G.711 audio protocols.

5. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising:

a display driver circuit coupled to said controller circuit; and

a display screen coupled to said display driver circuit.

6. The circuit according to claim 5 wherein said display screen is a liquid crystal display.

7. The circuit according to claim 2 further comprising:

a permanent memory area storing a plurality of telecommunications program segments including at least one Internet access service setup program, said permanent memory area coupled to said controller circuit; and

an erasable memory area for storing a plurality of configurably written Internet access parameters, said erasable memory area couple to said controller circuit.

8. The circuit according to claim 2 further comprising a data port jack supporting standard protocol communications with a personal computer, said data port jack communicably linked to said controller circuit.

9. The circuit according to claim 2 further comprising an Internet access switch coupled to said controller circuit.

10. The circuit according to claim 1 wherein said modem data pump includes signal processing support for a plurality of signal transmission, compression and correction protocols.

11. The circuit according to claim 10 wherein said modem date pump is programmable.

12. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising an activity monitor and watch dog circuit coupled to said controller circuit.

13. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising:

an audio speaker phone coupled to said modem data pump; and

a ringer adjust circuit coupled to said audio speaker phone for adjusting the volume of the speaker output signal.