Integrated services director (ISD) overall architecture

• US 6,424,646 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1997
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerszberg, Irwin, Miller, Robert Raymond II, Russell, Jesse Eugene, Wallace, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US09/001,417
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/395, 370/486, 370/487, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/270, 370/271, 370/542, 370/537, 395/200.63, 395/200.81
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2881 IP/Ethernet DSLAM
• 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 1/57 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 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13076 Distributing frame, MDF, cross-connect switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13082 Power supply via phantom line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 : Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 : Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 : Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13202 : Network termination [NT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 : ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 : Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1329 : Asynchronous transfer mode, ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 : Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 : Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13367 : Hierarchical multiplexing, add-drop multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet

Abstract

A video enable answering machine having many new features including customized video announcement messages, caller ID based video announcement messages, and time based video announcement messages.

Claims

1. A telephone service method, comprising the steps of:

receiving incoming data for first and second pieces of customer premises equipment in a single multiplexed signal from a telephone switch over a telephone connection;

demultiplexing said signal;

converting a first portion of said incoming data to a communications protocol of said first piece of customer premises equipment;

transmitting said first portion of said incoming data to said first piece of customer premises equipment;

transmitting a second portion of said incoming data to said second piece of customer premises equipment, wherein said steps of transmitting said first and second portions of said incoming data are performed in accordance with priorities assigned to said first and second pieces of customer premises equipment;

assigning a first priority level to incoming transmissions;

assigning a second priority level to outgoing transmissions; and

allocating the transmission capacity of said telephone connection according to said first and second priority levels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting the second portion of said incoming data is performed using an Ethernet interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting the second portion of said incoming data is performed using an ISDN interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone connection includes a hybrid fiber, twisted-pair interconnection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step of receiving incoming data is performed by receiving incoming data from a facilities management platform.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said facilities management platform is interconnected with any one of a synchronous optical network, an interspan backbone, a public switch telephone network and a network server platform.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone connection includes a wireless connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a telephone.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said telephone is a cordless telephone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment include a set-top box.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a home security device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include utility management devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a facsimile machine.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment includes a videophone.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment includes a computer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of allocating the transmission capacity of said telephone connection includes dynamically allocating an available bandwidth according to the first and second priority levels.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of demultiplexing includes reformatting said signal with an appropriate protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of demultiplexing includes reconstructing data packets and separating voice, data and signaling information therefrom.

19. A telephone service method, comprising the steps of:

receiving incoming data for first and second pieces of customer premises equipment in a single multiplexed signal from a telephone switch over a telephone connection;

demultiplexing said signal;

transmitting a first portion of said incoming data to said first piece of customer premises equipment;

transmitting a second portion of said incoming data to said second piece of customer premises equipment;

receiving a multicast signal from said telephone switch;

selectively filtering said multicast signal according to predefined preferences of a telephone customer; and

delivering to said first piece of customer premises equipment the selectively filtered portion of said multicast signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of transmitting the second portion of said incoming data is performed using an Ethernet interface.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of transmitting the second portion of said incoming data is performed using an ISDN interface.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the telephone connection includes a hybrid fiber, twised-pair interconnection.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein step of receiving incoming data is performed by receiving incoming data from a facilities management platform.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said facilities management platform is interconnected with any one of a synchronous optical network, an interspan backbone, a public switch telephone network and a network server platform.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the telephone connection includes a wireless connection.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a telephone.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said telephone is a cordless telephone.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment include a set-top box.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a home security device.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include utility management devices.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the first pieces of customer premises equipment include a facsimile machine.

32. The method of claim 19, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment includes a videophone.

33. The method of claim 19, wherein the second pieces of customer premises equipment includes a computer.

34. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of allocating the transmission capacity of said telephone connection includes dynamically allocating an available bandwidth according to the first and second priority levels.

35. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of demultiplexing includes reformatting said signal with an appropriate protocol.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said step of demultiplexing includes reconstructing data packets and separating voice, data and signaling information therefrom.

37. A method for creating virtual telephone lines, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digital signal over a twisted-pair wire connection from a telephone switch;

identifying videophone data, within said digital signal, that is intended for a videophone;

identifying digital telephone data, within said digital signal, that is intended for a digital telephone;

identifying video data, within said digital signal, that is intended for a television set-top box;

identifying analog telephone data, within said digital signal, that is intended for an analog telephone;

transmitting said videophone data to a videophone;

transmitting said digital telephone data to a digital telephone;

transmitting said video data to a television set-top box;

converting said analog telephone data to analog form; and

transmitting said analog telephone data, in analog form, to an analog telephone.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said digital signal is received by a digital subscriber line modem in packet format in a digital portion of a frequency spectrum of said digital subscriber line modem.