System and method for distributing enhanced telephony service to customer premises equipment

• US 6,546,098 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Conexant Systems Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Henderson, P. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/337,459
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 379/344, 379/345, 379/325, 379/326, 379/397, 379/413.02, 379/413.03
• US Class Current: 379/397
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/027 Frequency division multiplex systems

Abstract

A telephony services distribution system includes a voice/data server that receives and transmits telephony data in accordance with a suitable digital communication protocol. The voice/data server is associated with a customer premise that supports a number of enhanced telephony devices, which may include wired and/or wireless telephone devices, videophone devices, facsimile devices, or the like. The customer premise may also support any number of conventional POTS telephony instruments. The voice/data server and the enhanced telephony devices communicate signaling data therebetween via a signaling technique such as the V.21 modem protocol. The signaling information conveys data associated with the status of the enhanced telephony devices, calling party and called party identification, characteristics of the incoming and outgoing calls, and/or data related to any number of operating parameters and characteristics of the system. The telephony services distribution system enables a single twisted pair to support calls associated with a plurality of telephone numbers and a plurality of enhanced telephony instruments to receive calls associated with different telephone numbers. The system is capable of regulating, monitoring, and controlling communications in response to a called party identification or a calling party identification.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a connector configured to establish contact with a first wire and a second wire, said first wire and said second wire being selected from a plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires;

wherein said first wire of said plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires is used as a common wire in combination with each of the other telephone wires.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires include two twisted pairs of telephone wires, including said first wire, said second wire, a third wire and a fourth wire, and wherein said first wire is used as a common wire in combination with each of said second wire, third wire and fourth wire.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said two twisted pairs of telephone wires are capable of supporting three telephone numbers.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires include three twisted pairs of telephone wires, including said first wire, said second wire, a third wire, a fourth wire, a fifth wire and a sixth wire, and wherein said first wire is used as a common wire in combination with each of said second wire, third wire, fourth wire, a fifth wire and a sixth wire.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said three twisted pairs of telephone wires are capable of supporting five telephone numbers.

6. A device capable of using a plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires including an N number of telephone wires to support an M number of telephone numbers, wherein 1<

M<

N and N>

2, said device comprising;

one or more connectors configured to establish contact with said N number of telephone wires;

wherein one of said N number of telephone wires is used as a common wire in combination with each of M number of other telephone wires to support said M number of telephone numbers by said device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of N−

1 telephone wires to support five telephone numbers.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of four other telephone wires to support four telephone numbers.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of three other telephone wires to support three telephone numbers.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each two other telephone wires to support two telephone numbers.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein N=4 and said common wire is combined with each of N−

1 telephone wires to support three telephone numbers.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein N=4 and said common wire is combined with each of two other telephone wires to support two telephone numbers.

13. A method of using a plurality of twisted pairs of telephone wires including an N number of telephone wires to support an M number of telephone numbers, wherein 1<

M<

N and N>

2, said method comprising;

establish contact with said N number of telephone wires;

selecting one of said N number of telephone wires as a common wire; and

using said common wire in combination with each of M number of other telephone wires to support said M number of telephone numbers by said device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of N−

1 telephone wires to support five telephone numbers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of four other telephone wires to support four telephone numbers.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each of three other telephone wires to support three telephone numbers.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein N=6 and said common wire is combined with each two other telephone wires to support two telephone numbers.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein N=4 and said common wire is combined with each of N−

1 telephone wires to support three telephone numbers.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein N=4 and said common wire is combined with each of two other telephone wires to support two telephone numbers.