Communication access chassis with general purpose computing platform

• US 6,249,527 B1
• Filed: 03/07/1997
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Landry, Todd, Verthein, William, Schoo, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Neill, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T.
• Application Number:
  US08/813,173
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/402, 370/423, 370/463, 370/465, 370/467, 370/466, 370/257
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/028 Subscriber network interface devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/03 Power distribution arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2201/802 in data transmission systems

Abstract

A communication access chassis having a general purpose computing platform provides communication access between remote users and computer network via the public telephone network. The general purpose computing platform is connected to an internal chassis bus complex transmitting incoming calls between a telephone line interface and a signal conversion system and between the signal conversion system and a local area network interface. The computing platform has a conventional microprocessor and local or peripheral memory storage devices and implements a commercially available open network operating system such as Windows NT™. By virtue of the ability of the general purpose computing platform to run network server programs locally, i.e., in the communication chassis, server functionality that has been provided only by remote computers on a local area network in the prior art is incorporated into the communications chassis itself, providing for improved network management, increased network security and reduced access and processing time, all in a manner transparent to the remote user.

Claims

1. A network access server embodied in a communication access chassis processing calls from a plurality of remote users via a digital telephone line simultaneously and connecting said remote users to a computer network, said communication access chassis comprising, in combination,

a telephone interface connected to said digital telephone line for receiving said calls from said remote users;

a network interface connecting said chassis to said computer network and routing said calls onto said computer network;

a signal conversion system coupled to said telephone interface for conversion of telephone signals from said remote users into a digital format compatible with signal processing requirements of a general purpose computer,

at least one internal chassis bus transmitting data between said telephone interface and said signal conversion system and between said signal conversion system and said network interface; and

a general purpose computing platform installed in said communications chassis running a commercially available general purpose computer operating system, said general purpose computing platform further comprising an interface providing direct communication access between said general purpose computing platform and said internal chassis bus, thereby enabling said general purpose computing platform to receive and terminate said incoming calls from said telephone interface.

2. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said chassis comprises a plurality of slots receiving cards incorporating therein said telephone interface, said network interface and said signal conversion system, and wherein said communications chassis further comprises at least one card insertable into said one of said slots having incorporated therein said general purpose computing platform.

3. The network access server of claim 2, wherein said communication chassis is changeable in state between a powered state in which electrical power is supplied from a power source to said communication chassis and an unpowered state in which said power from said power source is removed from said communication chassis, and wherein

said at least one card having said general purpose computer platform incorporated therein may be operably inserted into or removed from a slot in said communication chassis during said powered state.

4. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said computing platform comprises an IBM PC compatible computer.

5. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said computing platform further comprises a hard disk memory.

6. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said computing platform further comprises an external data storage expansion bus connecting said general purpose computer platform to at least one memory.

7. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said operating system comprises an operating system derived from a UNIX operating system.

8. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said operating system comprises Solaris 86.

9. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said operating system comprises Windows NT.

10. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said operating system comprises Novell Netware.

11. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said operating system comprises BSDI UNIX.

12. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said network interfaces to the Internet.

13. The network access server of claim 12, wherein said plurality of remote users comprise a plurality of computers connected to a local area network.

14. The network access server of claim 1, wherein said card having integrated thereon said general purpose computing platform further comprises an external disk drive for receiving a diskette, said external disk drive operatively connected to said computing platform.

15. The communication access chassis of claim 1, wherein said chassis further comprises at least one port for receiving a cable to a user interface for said communications chassis, said at least one port operatively connected to said general purpose computing platform.

16. A modular network access server processing calls representing digital information between a multiplexed digital telephone line and a network so as to enable a remote data terminal connected to said digital telephone line to communicate via said network access server with a host computer on said network, comprising:

a chassis housing having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of cards;

a telephone interface incorporated into at least one said cards and installed in said chassis housing, said telephone interface comprising circuitry for demultiplexing a plurality of simultaneous incoming calls from said multiplexed digital telephone line, said incoming calls containing incoming data;

a network interface incorporated into at least one of said cards and installed in said chassis housing, said network interface receiving outgoing data from said network and for transmitting said incoming data onto said network;

at least one internal chassis bus transmitting said outgoing data and said incoming data between said telephone interface and said network interface;

a signal conversion system coupled to said telephone interface for conversion of telephone signals from said remote users into a digital format compatible with signal processing requirements of a general purpose computer, comprising a plurality of modems incorporated onto at least one of said cards and installed in said chassis housing and coupled via said at least one internal chassis bus to said network interface and said telephone interface; and

a general purpose computing platform installed in said communication chassis, said general purpose computing platform coupled to at least one of said telephone interface, said at least one internal chassis bus, and said network interface, said general purpose computing platform comprising a central processing unit and memory storing information accessible to said remote data terminal and running a commercially available general purpose computer operating system.

17. The modular network-access server of claim 16, wherein said general purpose computing platform is coupled to said internal chassis bus, and wherein said server further comprises means for termination of a call to said chassis at said general purpose computer platform without transmission of said call through said network interface onto said network if said memory stores information that is of interest to said remote data terminal.

18. The modular network access server of claim 17, wherein said network access server is changeable in state between a powered state in which electrical power powers said network access server from a convention power source and an unpowered state in which power from said conventional power source is removed from said network access server, and wherein

said general purpose computing platform is incorporated into a card insertable into said chassis housing, and wherein said card may be operably inserted into or removed from a slot in said network access server chassis during said powered state.

19. The modular network-access server of claim 16, wherein internal chassis bus comprises a time division multiplexed bus transmitting digital data between said at least one modem of said plurality of modems and said telephone interface and a parallel bus transmitting digital data between said modem and said network interface, and

wherein said general purpose computing platform is operatively coupled to both said time division multiplexed bus and said parallel bus.

20. The modular network-access server of claim 16, wherein said general purpose computing platform has at least one port for connecting a user interface to said general purpose computing platform.

21. The modular network-access server of claim 16, wherein said memory is connected to said general purpose computing platform via a peripheral bus.

22. A modular network access server for processing a plurality of simultaneous incoming calls representing digital information form a plurality of remote data terminals and coupling said remote data terminals to a computer network, said network access server for installation in a communication system comprising a multiplexed digital telephone line connecting said remote data terminals and said server, comprising, in combination:

a chassis housing;

a telephone interface installed in said chassis housing, said telephone interface receiving a plurality of incoming calls from said multiplexed digital telephone line and demultiplexing said calls;

a signal conversion system installed in said chassis housing comprising at least one digital signal processor for converting signals from a form suitable for transmission along said digital telephone line into a digital form compatible with signal processing requirements of a general purpose computer;

an internal chassis bus comprising a time division multiplexed bus installed in said chassis housing transmitting said incoming calls from said remote data terminals from said telephone interface to said signal conversion system and a parallel bus; and

a general purpose computing platform, installed in said chassis housing, connected to said signal conversion system via said parallel bus, said general purpose computing platform comprising a central processing unit and a memory and running a commercially available general purpose computer operating system;

a network interface connecting said chassis to a local area network or a wide area network,

said internal chassis bus complex enabling a plurality of calls from said remote data terminals to terminate at said communication chassis in said general purpose computer platform without transmission of said calls through said communications chassis onto said local or wide area network connected to said chassis if said memory contains information that is of interest to said remote data terminals, thereby reducing the traffic load on said local or wide area network.

23. The modular network-access server of claim 22, wherein said general purpose computing platform runs a commercially available operating system.

24. The modular network-access server of claim 22, wherein said general purpose computing platform comprises an IBM PC compatible computer.

25. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said general purpose computing platform further comprises a hard disk memory.

26. The modular network-access server of claim 22, wherein said computing platform further comprises an external data storage expansion bus connecting said general purpose computing platform to at least one memory.

27. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said operating system comprises an operating system derived from a UNIX operating system.

28. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said operating system comprises Solaris 86.

29. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said operating system comprises Windows NT.

30. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said operating system comprises Novell Netware.

31. The modular network-access server of claim 23, wherein said operating system comprises BSDI UNIX.

32. The modular network-server of claim 22, wherein said general purpose computing platform is integrated into a card insertable into said chassis housing, and wherein said card has integrated thereon an external disk drive for receiving a diskette, said external disk drive operatively connected to said central processing unit.

33. The modular network-server of claim 24, wherein said card further comprises at least one port for receiving a cable to a user interface, said at least one port operatively connected to said general purpose computing platform.

34. The modular network-access server of claim 22 wherein said network interface connects said modular communication access server to the Internet.

35. The modular network-access server of claim 22 wherein said plurality of remote data terminals are connected to each other over a local area network.