LAN connection using analog modems via telephone wiring

• US 6,240,166 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Taler, Ilan, Tal, Nir E. J., Collin, Zeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/207,650
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01-93.09, 379/93.14, 379/93.21, 379/93.28, 379/93.37, 379/110.01, 379/156-173, 379/387, 379/FOR 112 , 379/FOR 115, 379/FOR 116, 370/445, 370/450, 370/481, 370/488-497, 375/288, 375/222
• US Class Current: 379/93.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A communication system according to the present invention includes a first communication device having a first digital signal processor and a first codec and a second communication device having a second digital signal processor and a second codec. The second communication device is communicatively coupled with the first communication device via a communication channel. The first digital signal processor enables frequency division multiplexed sampling of signals from the first codec, and the second digital signal processor enables receipt of the division multiplexed sampling of signals from the first digital signal processor such that the sampling of signals is transmitted to the second codec in a manner so as not to interfere with other communications of the first communication device.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first communication device having a first digital signal processor and a first codec;

a communication channel;

a second communication device having a second digital signal processor and a second codec, the second communication device being communicatively coupled with the first communication device via the communication channel;

the first digital signal processor enabling frequency division multiplexed sampling of signals from the first codec; and

the second digital signal processor enabling receipt of the division multiplexed sampling of signals from the first digital signal processor such that the sampling of signals is transmitted to the second codec in a manner so as not to interfere with other communications between the first communication device and at least a third communication device.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication channel comprises a telephone wire network without exchange circuitry.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication channel comprises a telephone wire network within a premises.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device and the second communication device each comprise a voice band modem.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device communicatively couples with at least one external communication device via another communications channel and communicates with the at least one external communication device transparently to the communications between the first communication device and the second communication device.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device communicates with the second communication device outside of the voice band.

7. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a first processor associated with the first communication device such that the first processor influences, via the communication channel, operation of peripheral devices that are coupled to a second processor associated with the second communication device.

8. A method for communicating between a first and a second computer system, the first computer system having a first voice-band modem and the second computer system having a second voice-band modem, the first voice-band modem and the second voice-band modem communicatively coupled across a telephone line network, the method comprising:

configuring the first voice band modem to transmit and receive signals at frequencies both within and without the voice band via frequency division multiplexed sampling of the signals between the first and second voice-band modems;

configuring the second voice band modem to transmit and receive signals at frequencies both within and without the voice band via frequency division multiplexed sampling of the signals between the first and second voice-band modems;

transmitting signals from the first computer system to the second computer system across the telephone line network at a frequency outside of the voice band without interfering with voice band communications of the first computer system; and

receiving, from the telephone line network, signals at the second computer system at the frequency outside of the voice band without interfering with voice band communications between the second computer system and at least a third communication system.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting signals from the second computer system to the first computer system across the telephone line network at a frequency outside of the voice band without interfering with voice band communications of the second computer system; and

receiving, from the telephone line network, signals at the first computer system at the frequency outside of the voice band without interfering with voice band communications of the first computer system.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

controlling, with the first computer system and through communications across the telephone line network, peripheral devices attached to the second computer system, the communications passing transparently to other communications on the telephone line network.

11. A communication system comprising:

a first voice band modem;

a second voice band modem;

a telephone wire network within a premises and without exchange circuitry within the premises; and

the first voice band modem communicatively coupled to the second voice band modem via the telephone wire network such that the first voice band modem communicates, outside of the voice band, with the second voice band modem via frequency division multiplexed sampling of communication signals between the first and second voice-band modems so as not to interfere with other communications between the first voice band modem and a third communication device.

12. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the first voice band modem is communicatively coupled across another telephone wire network to another communication device for voice band communications.

13. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the communication signals between the first voice band modem and the second voice band modem are multiplexed in the frequency domain.

14. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the communication signals between the first voice band modem and an external communication device are multiplexed in the frequency domain.

15. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the first voice band modem communicates with an external communication device that is communicatively coupled to the first voice band modem on a communication network external to the telephone wire network within the premises, the communication occurring transparently to the communications between the first voice band modem and the second voice band modem.

16. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the first voice band modem is associated with a processor, wherein the processor is allowed to operate peripheral devices of another processor that is associated with the second voice band modem.

17. A telephone line network system comprising:

telephone lines configured to allow communications between network devices;

a plurality of network devices communicatively coupled to the telephone lines, each of the plurality of network devices including a communication module that enables communication between at least two of the plurality of network devices via frequency division multiplexed sampling of communication signals between the at least two of the plurality of network devices so as not to interfere with other communications between the at least two of the plurality of network devices and at least one other network device;

at least one communication channel on the telephone lines that enables the communication between the at least two of the plurality of network devices; and

each of the plurality of network devices including a control module that enables each network device to selectively communicate on the at least one communication channel.

18. The telephone line network system of claim 17, including a standard telephone communicatively coupled thereto, wherein the communication module comprises:

detection circuitry that indicates appropriate communication channels to activate for each of the plurality of network devices according to a mode of the standard telephone.

19. The telephone line network system of claim 17 wherein the at least one communication channel comprises a voice band channel and a non-voice band channel.