Multimedia information exchanging system and equipment therefor

• US 4,955,019 A
• Filed: 10/25/1989
• Issued: 09/04/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tohru, Hoshi, Morita, Takashi, Mizuhara, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/427,957
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 370/67, 370/85.2, 370/85.7, 370/85.9, 370/65.4, 370/55.1, 380/825.5
• US Class Current: 370/384
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/08 Intermediate station arrangements, e.g. for branching, for tapping-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence

Abstract

A multimedia information exchanging system in a digital exchange network that has an exchange system in which channels are selectively assigned for communication among a plurality of subscribers. This system has many pieces of subscriber line terminating equipment each of which is provided on the subscriber side of each subscriber line and which connects at least one terminal device to the subscriber line through subchannels. The system permits simultaneous multiple communications between multiple pairs of terminal devices by sending request information from a first piece of subscriber line terminating equipment to a second piece of subscriber line terminating equipment--the request information calling for at least one of the subchannels available for use in a channel established between the two pieces of subcriber line terminating equipment--and by connecting the subchannels conforming to the request to one of the terminal devices accommodated in each of the first and second pieces of subscriber line terminating equipment.

Claims

1. A method of exchanging information in a digital network having a plurality of subscriber lines, a plurality of subscriber line terminating equipments connected to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices, respectively, and an exchange system to which said subscriber lines are connected, for selectively establishing a channel between two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, said channel being divided into a plurality of subchannels for parallel communication among a plurality of pairs of terminal devices accommodated in two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, comprising the steps of:

sending a call setup information from a first one of said subscriber line terminating equipments to the other one according to a request from a first terminal device accommodated in said first one of said subscriber line terminating equipments, said call setup information indicating at least one of the subchannels available for use in said channel established between two of said subscriber line terminating equipments; and

connecting said subchannel indicated by said call setup information to said first terminal device and a second terminal device accommodated in the other one of two of said subscriber line terminating equipments by means of the control operation of two of said subscriber line terminating equipments during the period which said first or second terminal device require.

2. A method of exchanging information as set forth in claim 1, wherein communications between multiple pairs of terminal devices are simultaneously executed through said subchannels in a channel.

3. A method of exchanging information as set forth in claim 1, wherein bit position in a channel constitute the subchannels.

4. A method of exchanging information as set forth in claim 1, wherein the subscriber lines each accommodate at least one of said channel and a call control signal channel for transmitting call control signals between said exchange system and said subscriber line terminating equipment;

said exchange system can transmit at least a part of a call control signal on said call control signal channel between two of the subscriber line terminating equipments, and said call setup information is transmitted included in said part of call control signal channel, when a terminal device request said subscriber line terminating equipment to setup a call and use subchannels.

5. A method of exchanging multimedia information as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of updating management information which shows a state of use of said subchannels and the terminal devices accommodated in each of the first and second subscriber line terminating equipments.

6. A subscriber line terminating equipment provided between a plurality of terminal devices and a digital subscriber line of the digital exchange network for exchanging said subscriber line, comprising:

subchannel connecting means dividing the channel in the subscriber line into a plurality of subchannels and connecting at least one specified one of said subchannels to a specified one of said terminal devices; and

means to supply a signal which specifies subchannels to said subchannel connecting means according to the request of communication with another terminal device which is connected to another subscriber line terminating equipment; and

means for connecting said subchannel connecting means in the exchanged subscriber line to said subchannel conforming to said request.

7. A subscriber line terminating equipment as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

means to send a call setup information containing a subchannel indication information of a call control signal channel in said subscriber line; and

control means to receive another call setup information which is received from another subscriber line terminating equipment through said subscriber line and specify a subchannel conforming to said another call setup information.

8. A subscriber line terminating equipment as set forth in claim 6, wherein the subchannels correspond to the bit position in the channel and the subchannel connecting means consists of a means to extract received data or voice from subchannel corresponding to the indicated bit position information in a call setup information which is already received through a call control signal channel and feed it to the terminal device specified in said call setup information and a means to insert transmitting data or voice from the terminal device into said indicated bit position.

9. A subscriber line terminating equipment as set forth in claim 6, wherein the subscriber line accommodates at least one said channel and a call control signal channel, said exchange network can transfer at least a part of the call control signal on the call control signal channel to another subscriber line terminating equipment, and said control means sends and receives the call setup information through said call control signal channel.

10. Subscriber line terminating equipment as set forth in claim 6, wherein the control means further manages information showing the status of use of said subchannels and the terminal devices and refers to this information to select a subchannel to be used.

11. A multimedia information exchanging system in a digital exchange network with an exchange system in which channels in subscriber lines are switched for communication among a plurality of subscribers, comprising:

subscriber line terminating equipments each of which is connected to the subscriber side of the respective subscriber line and which connects a plurality of terminal devices to said channels in the subscriber line through subchannels;

means to send a call setup information from a first subscriber line terminating equipment to a second subscriber line terminating equipment;

means for sending a request information according to a request from a terminal device connected to said subscriber line terminating equipment, said request information indicating at least one of the subchannels available for use in a channel switched between said first and second subscriber line terminating equipments through said exchange system; and

means in said subscriber line terminating equipments for connecting the subchannels in said switched channel conforming to said request.

12. A method of exchanging multimedia information in a digital network having a plurality of subscriber lines, a plurality of subscriber line terminating equipments connected to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices, respectively, at least one of said terminal devices using a medium different from that of another terminal device, and an exchange system to which said subscriber lines are connected, for selectively establishing a channel between two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, said channel being divided into a plurality of subchannels for parallel communication among a plurality of pairs of terminal devices accommodated in two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, comprising the steps of:

sending a call setup information from a first one of said two subscriber line terminating equipments to the other one according to a request from a first terminal device accommodated in said first one of said subscriber line terminating equipments, said call setup information indicating at least one of the subchannels available for use in said channel established between two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, and indicating a medium to be used in the available subchannels; and

connecting said subchannel indicated by said call setup information to said first terminal device and a second terminal device accommodated in the other one of two said subscriber line terminating equipments by means of the control operation or two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, during the period which said first or second terminal device requires.

13. A method of exchanging multimedia information as set forth in claim 12, wherein communications between said plurality of pairs of terminal devices are simultaneously executed through said subchannels in a channel.

14. A method of exchanging multimedia information as set forth in claim 12, wherein bit positions in a channel constitute the subchannels.

15. A method of exchanging multimedia information as set forth in claim 12, wherein each of said subscriber lines accommodates at least one information channel for transmitting said multimedia information and at least one control signal channel for transmitting control signals, said exchange system operates to transmit the control signals through said control signal channel between two of the subscriber line terminating equipments, and said call setup information is sent out onto said control signal channel by one of said two subscriber line terminating equipments when a terminal device request said subscriber line terminating equipment to setup a call or use subchannels.

16. A multimedia information exchanging system in a digital exchange network comprising:

a plurality of subscriber lines for forming an information channel and a control channel thereon, respectively;

a plurality of terminating equipments connected to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices, respectively; and

a switch means, to which said subscriber lines are connected, for selectively establishing said information channel between two of said terminating equipments, said information channel including a plurality of subchannels available for a plurality of simultaneous communications;

each of said terminating equipments having;

a control means connected to the subscriber line for transmitting, through a control channel on said subscriber line, a call control signal to request said switch means to establish an information channel between the terminating equipment and another one of said plurality of terminating equipments and to inform said another one terminating equipment of information of subchannel designation when a first one of terminal devices under the terminating equipment requests to communicate with a second one of terminal devices connected to said another one terminating equipment if the information channel has not been established and for transmitting a user call control signal to said control channel to inform said another one terminating equipment of information of subchannel designation if said information channel has been established;

a connection means controlled by said control means for coupling said first terminal device with at least one idle subchannel in said information channel after said information channel has been established and for coupling one of said terminal devices under the terminating equipment with at least one idle subchannel when a user call control signal from said another one terminating equipment has been received by said control means, said idle subchannel being selected in accordance with said information of subchannel designation.

17. A method of communicating information in a digital network having a plurality of subscriber lines, a plurality of subscriber line terminating equipments connected to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices respectively, and a switching means, to which each of said subscriber line terminating equipments is connected through a control channel formed on the subscriber line, for establishing an information channel between two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, said information channel having a plurality of subchannels, said method comprising the steps of:

sending a call control signal from one of said two subscriber line terminating equipments to said switching means through the control channel to establish an information channel between said one subscriber line terminating equipment and the other one of two said subscriber line terminating equipments;

sending a user call control signal from said one subscriber line terminating equipment to said other one subscriber line terminating equipment through said control channel to inform of at least one subchannel for use in communication between a first one of terminal devices under said one subscriber line terminating equipment and a second one of terminal devices under said other one subscriber line terminating equipment if said first terminal device requests said communication after said information channel has been established; and

coupling at least one idle subchannel indicated in said user call control signal with said first terminal device and said second terminal device at two of said subscriber line terminating equipments, respectively.

18. A method of exchanging information in a digital network having a plurality of subscriber lines, a channel switch for exchanging said subscriber lines to establish channels, and a plurality of subscriber line terminating equipments connected respectively to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices, through a plurality of subchannels comprising each of said channels, said method comprising the steps of:

sending from one of the subscriber line terminating equipments a first control information indicating at least a destination address, to said channel switch, for selectively establishing a channel with a subscriber line terminating equipment corresponding to said destination address;

sending a second control information indicating at least one of the subchannels to be used, from one of the subscriber line terminating equipments of the established channel to the other one of the subscriber line terminating equipments through said established channel, for communicating between a first terminal device connected to said one of the subscriber line terminating equipments of the established channel and a second terminal device connected to said other one of the subscriber line terminating equipments, when said first terminal device request said communication after said information channel has been established; and

connecting at least one idle subchannel indicated in said second control information with said second terminal device, thereby establishing a communication route between said first terminal device and said second terminal device through said established channel.

20. A method of exchanging information in a digital network as set forth in claim 18, wherein, said first control information and said second control information are sent through a control channel formed in said established channel.

21. A method of exchanging information in a digital network as set forth in claim 18, wherein, said first control information further indicates one of the subchannels to be used.

19. A method of exchanging multimedia information in a digital network having a plurality of subscriber lines, a channel switch for exchanging said subscriber lines to establish channels, and a plurality of subscriber line terminating equipments connected respectively to said subscriber lines at the subscriber side to accommodate a plurality of terminal devices, through a plurality of subchannels comprising each of said channels, at least one of said terminal devices using a medium different from that of another terminal device, said method comprising the steps of:

sending from one of the subscriber line terminating equipments a first control information indicating at least a destination address, to said channel switch, for selectively establishing a channel with a subscriber line terminating equipment corresponding to said destination address;

sending a second control information indicating at least one of the subchannels to be used, and indicating a medium to be used in said subchannel to be used, from one of the subscriber line terminating equipments of the established channel to the other one of the subscriber line terminating equipments through said established channel, for communicating between a first terminal device connected to said one of the subscriber line terminating equipments of the established channel and a second terminal device connected to said other one of the subscriber line terminating equipments, when said first terminal device request said communication after said information channel has been established; and

connecting at least one idle subchannel indicated in said second control information with said second terminal device, thereby establishing a communication route between said first terminal device and said second terminal device through said established channel.