Integrated packetized voice and data switching system

A system for switching voice signals comprising:

• a plurality of means for converting said voice signals into voice packets;
• and
• a plurality of means, connected to said means for converting, for packet switching said voice packets, comprising:
• a plurality of input packet handlers and a plurality of output packet handlers;
• memory access means for controlling storing and reading of said voice packets, comprising a plurality of memory access controllers for storing consecutive words of a voice packet in consecutive members of a plurality of memory modules;
• means for distributing said voice packets from said plurality of input packet handlers to said plurality of memory access controllers and for distributing said voice packets from said plurality of memory access controllers to said plurality of output packet handlers;
• and
• circuit switch means for switching said voice packets between output packet handlers of said plurality of means for packet switching and ones of a plurality of communication paths;
• wherein said means for packet switching said voice packets comprise means for chaining voice packets in groups, each group for connection over one of said communication paths.

A network for switching first packets comprising data and second packets comprising voice signals, comprising:

• first data switching means for switching said first and said second packets, received in said first data switching means, to first and second outputs respectively;
• circuit switching means connected to said first outputs for further switching said first packets;
• and
• second data switching means connected to said second outputs for further switching said second packets.

A system for switching data and voice signals comprising:

• digital switching means connectable to customer lines for generating digital speech signals;
• means for generating speech channel identification information;
• means connected to said digital switching means for converting speech signals into voice packets and responsive to said speech channel identification information for generating headers to said voice packets;
• means for concentrating data traffic from and distributing traffic to said means for generating voice packets;
• means, connected via data links to said means for concentrating, for packet switching said voice packets comprising:
• a plurality of input packet handlers and a plurality of output packet handlers;
• memory means for storing said voice packets comprising a plurality of memory modules for storing consecutive words of a voice packet;
• means for chaining packets into groups destined for a common means for distributing and for communicating said chaining data to said output packet handlers;
• means, controlled by said input packet handlers for distributing said voice packets from said plurality of input packet handlers to said plurality of memory modules and, controlled by said output packet handlers, for assembling said chained groups of voice packets from said plurality of memory modules to said plurality of output packet handlers.

A method of switching voice signals comprising the steps of:

• converting said voice signals to voice packets;
• transmitting said voice packets to an input packet handler of a data switching means;
• transmitting data from said input packet handler to a plurality of memory access controllers of said data switching means for controlling storage of voice packets in a plurality of memory modules;
• chaining packets into groups having a common intermediate destination;
• and
• transmitting each of said groups from said plurality of memory access controllers to an output data handler of said data switching means for further transmission to one of said intermediate destinations.