Dynamic selection of compression rate for a voice compression algorithm in a voice over data modem

A communication module for use with a personal computer, comprising:

• communications interface means connected for communicating to the personal computer for transferring data between the personal computer and the communications module;
• telephone line interface means for connection to a telephone line;
• voice interface means for receiving local voice signals from a local user and for conveying remote voice signals from a remote user to the local user;
• full-duplex conversion means connected to the voice interface means for converting the local voice signals into outgoing digital voice data and for converting incoming digital voice data into the remote voice signals;
• digital signal processor means connected to the full-duplex conversion means for compressing the outgoing digital voice data into compressed outgoing digital voice data having one of a plurality of selectable compression rates and for decompressing compressed incoming digital voice data into the incoming digital voice data at one of said plurality of said selectable compression rates;
• main control means connected for receiving the compressed outgoing digital voice data from the digital signal processor means, connected for receiving outgoing conventional digital data from the personal computer through the communications interface means, and operable for multiplexing the compressed outgoing digital voice data and the conventional digital data to produce multiplexed outgoing data;
• and
• the main control means further operable for receiving multiplexed incoming data which contains incoming conventional digital data multiplexed with the compressed incoming digital voice data, for demultiplexing the incoming conventional digital data and the compressed incoming digital voice data, and for sending the incoming conventional digital data to the personal computer through the communications interface means and for sending the compressed incoming digital voice data to the digital signal processor means;
• and
• the main control means further operable for negotiating the compression rate at various times during the transmission of conventional digital data multiplexed with the compressed digital voice data to change the compression rate.