US 5,467,390 A · Data transmission via a public switched telephone network

Abstract

A Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) linking an originating facility and a terminating facility through an originating switch connected to the originating facility and a terminating switch connected to the terminating facility where the terminating facility includes multi-format data terminal devices including a telephone terminal and an additional non-telephone data terminal where the telephone terminal and the non-telephone terminal each have an NPA-NXX-XXXX address, a method including the steps of (a) creating a message at the originating facility, (b) creating an address for the message comprising the NPA-NXX-XXXX address of the telephone station plus an added data characteristic indicative of the non-telephone terminal to which the message is directed, (c) transmitting the address through the originating switch to the terminating switch, (d) analyzing the address at the terminating switch and (e) connecting the message to the data terminal characterized by the added data set.

Claims8

Dependent claims

In a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) linking an originating facility for transmitting data of an NPA-NXX-XXXX address with an added data set and a terminating facility through an originating PSTN switch and a terminating PSTN switch wherein said terminating facility includes a telephone station terminal and at least one data terminal for outputting data in a non-audible format, said terminating facility having a distinct NPA-NXX-XXXX address, the improvement comprising:

(a) a customer premise (CPE) switch;
(b) a processor associated with said CPE switch;
(c) said telephone station terminal and at least a non-telephone data terminal being connected to said CPE switch;
(d) means at said terminating PSTN switch for transmitting to said CPE switch ring signals and signaling information;
(e) said terminating PSTN switch being arranged to transmit to said CPE switch the data of said NPA-NXX-XXXX address of said telephone station in addition to said added data set;
and
(f) muting means associated with said processor for preventing a first ringing indication from being detected by a called party at said telephone station terminal, while allowing a second ringing indication to be detected at said non-telephone data terminal;
wherein said CPE switch and associated processor are responsive only to said added data set to establish connection to said terminal having an output format corresponding to the characteristic of said added data set.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data transmission via a public switched telephone network

Life of this patent

Data transmission via a public switched telephone network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8