Hybrid type telephony system

• US 7,058,044 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Tanimura, Takuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hyun, Soon D.
• Application Number:
  US09/784,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20010015971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/261, 370/265, 370/270, 370/271, 370/352, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/389, 370/390, 370/392, 370/401, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.11, 379/221.14, 379/900
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice

Abstract

The hybrid type telephony system capable of establishing a connection between conventional type telephone sets contained in an exchange unit and LAN type telephone sets contained in an IP network, the system comprising: a gateway circuit connected between the exchange unit and the IP network and performing voice data format conversion, and a central control unit connected to the LAN of the IP network for establishing a communication path to the exchange unit via a control bus, controlling switching of IP packets of the IP network, managing IP address information of the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit via the LAN, and controlling connection between the LAN type telephone sets and connection between the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit.

Claims

1. A hybrid type telephony system capable of establishing a connection between conventional type telephone sets contained in an exchange unit and LAN type telephone sets contained in an IP network, the system comprising:

a gateway circuit connected between the exchange unit and the IP network and performing voice data format conversion,

a central control unit connected to a LAN of the IP network for establishing a communication path to the exchange unit via a control bus, controlling switching of IP packets of the IP network, managing IP address information of the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit via the LAN, and controlling connection between the LAN type telephone sets and connection between the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit, and

wherein the control bus forms a communications path for enabling the central control unit to control a time-division switch for the conventional type telephone sets and an IP switch for the LAN type telephone sets.

3. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the LAN type telephone sets have IP address information of the central control unit, upon a call to one of the LAN type telephone sets from another of the LAN type telephone sets, the another of the LAN type telephone sets transmits a call requesting packet to the central control unit via the LAN according to the IP address information of the central control unit, inquires the central control unit about a destination IP address, and fetches the destination IP address to establish communication.

5. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 3, wherein upon a connection between one of the LAN type telephone sets and one of the conventional type telephone sets, the central control unit reports the IP address of the gateway circuit to the one of the LAN type telephone sets and the IP address of the one of the LAN type telephone sets to the gateway circuit, so as to establish a communication path between the one of the conventional type telephone sets and the gateway circuit.

7. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from one of the conventional telephone sets or the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

9. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from one of the conventional telephone sets or the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

11. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from the one of the conventional telephone sets or the one of the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

13. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the IP address of the central control unit is set in each of the LAN type telephone sets in advance of any call initiated by any of the LAN type telephone sets.

14. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

the time-division switch provided in the exchange unit for providing time division data transfer among the conventional type telephone sets,

wherein the central control unit controls the time-division switch by way of the control bus, to allow data to be sent to the one of the conventional type telephone sets via the gateway unit and the time-division switch along the communication path established between the one of the conventional type telephone sets and the gateway circuit.

15. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central control unit controls establishment of connections for all calls made between any two of the LAN type telephone sets, between any two of the conventional type telephone sets, and between any one of the LAN type telephone sets and any one of the conventional type telephone sets.

16. The hybrid telephone system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a maintenance and management terminal that is communicatively connected to the central control unit via the control bus,

wherein the maintenance and management terminal is configured to perform maintenance and management for the hybrid telephony system, so that the central control unit can set control data and monitor control.

2. A hybrid type telephony system capable of establishing a connection between conventional type telephone sets contained in a private branch exchange unit and LAN type telephone sets contained in an IP network, the system comprising:

a gateway circuit connected between the private branch exchange unit and the IP switch and performing voice data format conversion,

a central control unit connected to a LAN of the IP switch for establishing a communication path to the private branch exchange unit via a control bus, controlling switching of IP packets of the IP network, managing IP address information of the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit via the LAN, and controlling connection between the LAN type telephone sets and connection between the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit, and

wherein the control bus forms a communications path for enabling the central control unit to control a time-division switch for the conventional type telephone sets and an IP switch for the LAN type telephone sets.

4. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the LAN type telephone sets have IP address information of the central control unit, upon a call to one of the LAN type telephone sets from another of the LAN type telephone sets, the another of the LAN type telephone sets transmits a call requesting packet to the central control unit via the LAN according to the IP address information of the central control unit, inquires the central control unit about a destination IP address, and fetches the destination IP address to establish communication.

6. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 4, wherein upon a connection between one of the LAN type telephone sets and one of the conventional type telephone sets, the central control unit reports the IP address of the gateway circuit to the one of the LAN type telephone sets and the IP address of the one of the LAN type telephone sets to the gateway circuit, so as to establish a communication path between the one of the conventional type telephone set sets and the gateway circuit.

8. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from one of the conventional telephone sets or the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

10. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from one of the conventional telephone sets or the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

12. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the central control unit assigns a single extension representation telephone number for the plurality of conventional type telephone sets and the plurality of LAN type telephone sets as a single group and, upon a call from the one of the conventional telephone sets or the one of the LAN type telephone sets using the extension representation telephone number, performs a call-incoming processing to all the telephone sets in the group.

17. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

the time-division switch provided in the private exchange unit for providing time division data transfer among the conventional type telephone sets,

wherein the central control unit controls the time-division switch by way of the control bus, to allow data to be sent to the one of the conventional type telephone sets via the gateway unit and the time-division switch along the communication path established between the one of the conventional type telephone sets and the gateway circuit.

18. The hybrid telephony system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the central control unit controls establishment of connections for all calls made between any two of the LAN type telephone sets, between any two of the conventional type telephone sets, and between any one of the LAN type telephone sets and any one of the conventional type telephone sets.

19. The hybrid telephone system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a maintenance and management terminal that is communicatively connected to the central control unit via the control bus,

wherein the maintenance and management terminal is configured to perform maintenance and management for the hybrid telephony system, so that the central control unit can set control data and monitor control.

20. A hybrid type telephony system comprising:

a time-division switch in which conventional type telephone sets are connected;

an IP switch in which LAN type telephone sets are connected;

a gateway circuit which performs converting between a first voice format to connect the conventional type telephone sets and a second voice format to connect the LAN type telephone sets;

a LAN which connects the gateway circuit and the IP switch;

a control bus which connects the time-division switch, the IP switch, and the gateway circuit; and

a central control unit, connected to the LAN by way of the control bus, which establishes a communication path of the time-division switch, performs a switching control of IP packets in the IP switch, and controls the gateway circuit and manages IP address information of the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit via the LAN, and which controls connection between the LAN type telephone sets and the gateway circuit.

21. A device comprising:

a time-division switch configured to process voice calls to and from a first type of telephone set;

an Internet Protocol (IP) switch configured to process voice calls to and from a second type of telephone set;

a gateway circuit configured to convert signals between the first type of telephone set and the second type of telephone set; and

a central control unit connected to the time-division switch, the IP switch, and the gateway circuit via a control bus and being configured to manage the time-division switch, the IP switch, and the gateway circuit to allow for voice communications between the first type of telephone set and the second type of telephone set.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the first type of telephone set includes an analog telephone and the second type of telephone set includes an LAN-type telephone set.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein, when managing, the central control unit is configured to:

lookup an IP address of a destination second type of telephone set.