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

• US 6,724,870 B1
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mindspeed Technologies Inc. (MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henderson, Michael P., Olafsson, Sverrir
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US10/328,830
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.02, 379/93.05, 379/199, 379/93.08, 379/211.04, 379/229, 379/413.04, 379/383, 379/386, 379/413.03, 370/352, 375/231
• US Class Current: 379/93.02
• 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 server for use to support a first telephone number and a second telephone number over a single twisted pair coupled to both a first device and a second device operating in 4 KHz POTS bandwidth, said first device being configured to support said first telephone number and said second device being configured to support said second telephone number, said server comprising:

a call mapping element configured to receive a telephone call and map said telephone call to one of said first telephone number and said second telephone number; and

a signaling element configured to transmit a signal to said first device and said second device over said single twisted pair within 4 KHz POTS bandwidth;

wherein said signal includes information indicative of said one of said first telephone number and said second telephone number.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein said call mapping elements maps said telephone call to said first telephone number, wherein said first device obtains said information from said signal and generates a ring in response to said information, and wherein said second device obtains said information from said signal and ignores said information.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein said signal is a V.21 signal.

4. The server of claim 1 further comprising a memory in communication with said call mapping element, wherein said memory includes telephone number information relating to each of said telephone numbers, and wherein said telephone number information includes call restriction parameters.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate the times during which each of said telephone numbers can place or receive calls.

6. The server of claim 4, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate one or more devices designated to ring in response to said telephone call.

7. The server for use to support a first telephone number and a second telephone number over a single twisted pair coupled to both a first device and a second device operating in 4 KHz POTS bandwidth, said first device being configured to support said first telephone number and said second device being configured to support said second telephone number, said server comprising:

a signaling element configured to receive a signal from one of said first device and said second device over said single twisted pair within 4 KHz POTS bandwidth, said signal including information indicative of said one of said first device and said second device; and

a call mapping element configured to receive said information from said signaling element and map one of said first telephone number and said second telephone number to said one of said first device and said second device.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein said call mapping elements maps said first telephone number to said first device based on said signal.

9. The server of claim 7, wherein said signal is a V.21 signal.

10. The server of claim 7 further comprising a memory in communication with said call mapping element, wherein said memory includes telephone number information relating to each of said telephone numbers, and wherein said telephone number information includes call restriction parameters.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate the times during which each of said telephone numbers can place or receive calls.

12. A server for use to support a plurality of telephone numbers over a single twisted pair coupled to a plurality of telephony devices operating in 4 KHz POTS bandwidth, said server comprising:

a signaling element configured to receive a signal within 4 KHz POTS bandwidth from one of said plurality of telephony devices, said signal including information indicative of said one of said plurality of telephony devices; and

a call mapping element configured to receive said information from said signaling element and map an available one of said plurality of telephone numbers to said one of said telephony plurality of devices.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein said channels are supported by a discrete multi-tone technique.

14. The server of claim 12 further comprising a memory in communication with said call mapping element, wherein said memory includes device information relating to each of said telephony devices, and wherein said device information includes call restriction parameters.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate the times during which each of said telephony devices can place or receive calls.

16. A method of supporting a first telephone number and a second telephone number over a single twisted pair coupled to both a first device and a second device operating in 4 KHz POTS bandwidth, said first device being configured to support said first telephone number and said second device being configured to support said second telephone number, said method comprising:

receiving a telephone call;

mapping said telephone call to one of said first telephone number and said second telephone number; and

transmitting a signal to said first device and said second device over said single twisted pair within 4 KHz POTS bandwidth;

wherein said signal includes information indicative of said one of said first telephone number and said second telephone number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said mapping maps said telephone call to said first telephone number, and wherein said method further comprising:

obtaining said information by said first device from said signal;

generating a ring by said first device in response to said information,

obtaining said information by said second device from said signal; and

ignoring said information by said second device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said signal is a V.21 signal.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said mapping is performed by a server having a memory in communication with said mapping, wherein said memory includes telephone number information relating to each of said telephone numbers, and wherein said telephone number information includes call restriction parameters.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate the times during which each of said telephone numbers can place or receive calls.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said call restriction parameters indicate one or more devices designated to ring in response to said telephone call.