Accessory interface bus for telephone headset adapter
First Claim
1. A telecommunication system comprising:
- a telephone headset;
a headset adapter configured to be coupled to the telephone headset and having an accessory interface bus for transmitting and receiving communications packets, the headset adapter being configured to be coupled to a base telephone; and
an accessory for the telephone headset configured to be coupled to the accessory interface bus of the headset adapter, wherein the accessory is independently and directly controlled and monitored by the headset adapter when the headset accessory is in communication with the headset adapter via the transmission of communications packets between the accessory and the headset adapter over the accessory interface bus, the accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the accessory interface bus to the accessory.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An accessory interface bus for a telecommunications headset adapter or base unit, which controls and monitors the operations of various headset accessories coupled to the interface bus, is disclosed. The accessory interface bus allows the telecommunications headset adapter to detect when a new accessory is coupled to the bus. The interface bus may be implemented within a headset adapter base in a telecommunications system that includes the headset adapter base, a telecommunications headset coupled to the adapter base, and various headset accessories coupled to the adapter base. The interface bus transmits control and status signals between the headset adapter base and the various headset accessories to directly control and monitor operations for each headset accessory coupled to the interface bus. The control and monitoring of a given headset accessory may include activating or deactivating, resetting, and/or simulating a button press of a button located on the accessory.
108 Citations
78 Claims
-
1. A telecommunication system comprising:
-
a telephone headset; a headset adapter configured to be coupled to the telephone headset and having an accessory interface bus for transmitting and receiving communications packets, the headset adapter being configured to be coupled to a base telephone; and an accessory for the telephone headset configured to be coupled to the accessory interface bus of the headset adapter, wherein the accessory is independently and directly controlled and monitored by the headset adapter when the headset accessory is in communication with the headset adapter via the transmission of communications packets between the accessory and the headset adapter over the accessory interface bus, the accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the accessory interface bus to the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. An adapter base for a telecommunications headset comprising:
-
an interface bus; and a micro-controller coupled to the interface bus for independently and directly controlling and monitoring at least one accessory to the telecommunications headset, the at least one accessory being configured to be coupled to the interface bus, wherein the micro-controller independently and directly controls and monitors the at least one accessory when the at least one accessory is in communication with the micro-controller through the bi-directional transmission of communications packets between the micro-controller and the at least one accessory via the interface bus, the adapter base being configured to be coupled to a base telephone, wherein the micro-controller transmits a status monitoring message from the adapter base over the interface bus to the at least one accessory. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
- 26. A telephone headset accessories interface bus for carrying control and monitoring information destined for a telephone headset accessory corresponding to a base telephone, the interface bus being configured to enable the telephone headset accessory to be coupled to a headset adapter via the interface bus, the interface bus enabling direct and independent control and monitoring of the telephone headset accessory by the headset adapter via the interface bus when the telephone headset accessory is in communication with the headset adapter, the telephone headset accessories interface bus being further configured to transmit and receive a plurality of communications packets between the telephone headset accessory and the headset adapter for directly and independently controlling and monitoring the telephone headset accessory by the headset adapter, wherein monitoring the telephone headset accessory comprises transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the telephone headset accessories interface bus to the telephone headset accessory.
- 33. An interface bus that carries a plurality of communications packets between a headset adapter and a headset accessory, the interface bus enabling the headset adapter to independently and directly control, monitor and test the headset accessory when the headset accessory is in communication with the headset adapter via the interface bus, the headset adapter being configured to be connected to a base telephone, the headset accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the interface bus to the headset accessory.
-
40. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for controlling and monitoring an accessory to a telecommunications headset using a headset adapter base and an interface bus, the executable program instructions including instructions for:
-
detecting whether an accessory is coupled to the interface bus; receiving a communication packet at the headset adapter base over the interface bus from the accessory and identifying from a rate bit in the communication packet a communication packet transmission rate; and transmitting a command or status request signal from the headset adapter base over the interface bus and to the accessory detected as being coupled to the interface bus to enable the headset adapter base to independently and directly control and monitor the operation of the accessory, the headset adapter base being configured to be connected to a base telephone, the accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter base over the interface bus to the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
-
-
51. A headset adapter for communicating with a headset accessory via an accessory interface bus, the headset accessory being configured to correspond to a base telephone, the accessory interface bus being configured to transmit a data packet for controlling, monitoring, or testing the operations of the headset accessory, the data packet including:
-
a synch pulse having a rate bit that defines a rate at which the data packet is being transmitted; a source address byte that represents a bus address of a device from which the data packet was transmitted; and a destination address byte that represents a bus address of the headset accessory to which the data packet is being transmitted, wherein the data packet transmitted over the accessory interface bus enables the headset adapter to directly and independently control, monitor and test the operations of the headset accessory, the headset accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the accessory interface bus to the headset accessory. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54)
-
- 55. A headset adapter for communicating with a plurality of telephone headset accessories via a telephone headset accessories interface bus utilizing a communications protocol implemented by the headset adapter and the headset accessories, the protocol including a plurality of commands to independently and directly perform control, monitoring or identification of any one of the plurality of accessories, the telephone headset accessories corresponding to a base telephone, the telephone headset accessories monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter over the telephone headset accessories interface bus to the telephone headset accessories.
-
62. A combination comprising:
-
an interface bus configured to have a telephone headset adapter base and a plurality of accessories for the headset adapter base coupled to the interface bus, the telephone headset adapter base corresponding to a base telephone, and a headset adapter base and a plurality of accessories, each of the headset adapter base and the accessories implementing a communications protocol to enable the telephone headset adapter base to independently control and monitor operations of the plurality of accessories via the interface bus, the communications protocol including at least one command selected from the group of commands comprising of; a command for turning an accessory on or off; a command for polling the interface bus in order to determine what accessories are coupled to the interface bus; a command for simulating operations as if a button, a switch or a an accessory had been activated; a command for simulating operations as if a button, a switch of a dial on the adapter base had been activated; a command for resetting an accessory; a command for determining the status of an accessory; a command for reading from or writing to a memory structure within an accessory; and a command for determining the identity and version of each accessory. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64)
-
-
65. A device, comprising:
a telephone headset adapter base for coupling a telephone headset to a telephone system, and including a digital interface bus adapted for coupling at least one accessory to the digital interface bus in order to transmit data packets between the telephone headset adapter base and the accessory, thereby allowing the telephone headset adapter base to independently and directly control and monitor operations of the accessory, the telephone headset adapter base implementing a communications protocol defining a packet structure for the data packets transmitted between the telephone headset adapter base and the accessory, via the interface bus, the communications protocol including commands that enable the headset adapter base to independently control an operation of the accessory and monitor the status of the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68)
-
69. A headset adapter base for testing a headset accessory coupled to the adapter base, the adapter base comprising:
-
a micro-controller, and an interface bus coupled to the micro-controller and adapted to be coupled to the headset accessory for transmitting and receiving communications packets back and forth between the micro-controller and the headset accessory, and when the headset accessory is in communication with the micro-controller, the communications packets enables the microcontroller to independently and directly test the headset accessory and verify proper operation of the headset accessory, the headset adapter base being configured to be coupled to a base telephone, wherein the headset accessory is monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter base over the interface bus to the headset accessory. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73)
-
-
74. A method for testing a headset accessory comprising:
-
coupling the headset accessory to a headset adapter base having an accessory interface bus and a micro-controller; and transmitting and receiving communications packets back and forth between the micro-controller and the headset accessory to independently and directly test the headset accessory and verify proper operation of the headset accessory by the headset adapter base, the headset adapter base being configured to be coupled to a base telephone, the headset accessory monitored by transmitting a status monitoring message from the headset adapter base over the accessory interface bus to the headset accessory. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78)
-
Specification