Voice communications system

• US 7,733,849 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Usuba, Shinji, Kuboki, Hiroshi, Aoyagi, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr.; Otis L
• Application Number:
  US11/165,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20060023700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/355
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

Voice communications apparatus is connected to a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, to communicate over the public switched telephone network. The apparatus includes a filter converting signals such as to satisfy signal conditions prescribed for the telephone network. The apparatus also includes a terminal class determiner for determining the class of the telephone set connected, and a circuit for changing at least the sampling frequency at which the analog signals from the telephone set are sampled. This establishes high quality in broadband voice communications. The terminal class determiner may automatically determine the class of the telephone set at any timing of a call sequence by detecting a band component of the signals from the telephone set, a predetermined frequency of a signal intermittently transmitted from the telephone set or the characteristics of the telephone set.

Claims

1. A voice communications system comprising either a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interposed in communication between said telephone set and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said telephone set comprised; and

a second circuit operative in response to the class determined for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said telephone set comprised and said voice communications apparatus,

wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set, said first circuit providing said database with a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised, or information on a response signal or a change in the response signal to acquire the class of said comprised telephone set from said database, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

2. A voice communications system comprising either a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interposed in communication between said telephone set and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said telephone set comprised; and

a second circuit operative in response to the class determined for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said telephone set comprised and said voice communications apparatus,

wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set, said second circuit providing said database with at least one of a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said comprised telephone set obtained by said first circuit, information on a response signal or a change in the response signal, and information representing the determined class to acquire contents of a change in the characteristics from said database to change the property of the in-channel signal, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

3. A voice communications system comprising either a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interconnected to said comprised telephone set and interposed in communication between said telephone set comprised and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said comprised telephone set connected; and

a second circuit for providing said comprised telephone set with a change command for changing characteristics corresponding to the class determined;

said comprised telephone set including a third circuit responsive to the change command for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said voice communications apparatus and said telephone set comprised,

wherein there is provided on the broadband communications network a database for retrieving data relevant to the class of a telephone set, said second circuit providing said database with at least one of a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said comprised telephone set obtained by said first circuit, information on a response signal or a change in the response signal, and information representing the determined class to acquire the change command from said database to output the command to said telephone set comprised, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said database has the change command stored therein, the change command being formed on a basis of frequency characteristics measured in advance from a subscriber line interface to an earphone and frequency characteristics measured in advance from a microphone to the subscriber line interface of a telephone set.

5. A voice communications system comprising either a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interconnected to said comprised telephone set and interposed in communication between said telephone set comprised and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said comprised telephone set connected; and

a second circuit for providing said comprised telephone set with a change command for changing characteristics corresponding to the class determined;

said comprised telephone set including a third circuit responsive to the change command for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said voice communications apparatus and said telephone set comprised,

wherein said first circuit sends out a signal to said telephone set comprised or changes a characteristic value of a connection line to said comprised telephone set to obtain a response signal of said comprised telephone set to determine the class of said comprised telephone set on a basis of the response signal or a change in the response signal.

7. The system according to claim 5, further comprising a fourth circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said third circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said fourth circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.

6. A voice communications system comprising either a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, and voice communications apparatus interconnected to said comprised telephone set and interposed in communication between said telephone set comprised and at least one of a public switched telephone network and a broadband communications network, wherein said voice communications apparatus includes:

a first circuit for determining a class of said comprised telephone set connected; and

a second circuit for providing said comprised telephone set with a change command for changing characteristics corresponding to the class determined;

said comprised telephone set including a third circuit responsive to the change command for changing a property of an in-channel signal transmitted between said voice communications apparatus and said telephone set comprised,

wherein there is provided on the broadband transmission network a database for retrieving data corresponding to the class of a telephone set, said first circuit providing said database with a signal from said telephone set comprised or information on a characteristic value managed by said telephone set comprised, or information on a response signal or a change in the response signal to acquire the class of said comprised telephone set from said database, the response signal being obtained from said comprised telephone set by sending out a signal to said telephone set comprised or by changing a characteristic value of a connection line to said telephone set comprised.

8. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a fourth circuit for obtaining information on a class of another telephone set as a counterpart of said comprised telephone set through the public switched telephone network or the broadband communications network;

said third circuit being responsive to the determined class and the information obtained by said fourth circuit to change the property of the in-channel signals.