System and method for ringing other subscriber telephones connected to a telephone line during data communications on the telephone line

A telecommunications system, comprising:

• a first conductor pair and a second conductor pair;
• a protector block coupled to a telephone line;
• a modular wiring device coupled between said protector block and said first and second conductor pairs, wherein the modular wiring device comprises a first modular telephone connector configured to be coupled to said protector block and a second modular telephone connector configured to be coupled to said second conductor pair, and wherein said modular wiring device is configured to connect said telephone line to said second conductor pair;
• a ring generator coupled to said first conductor pair for ringing one or more telephone instruments coupled to said first conductor pair;
• and
• a modem coupled to said second conductor pair and said ring generator, wherein said modem is operable to receive signals indicating an incoming call from a telephone network, wherein said signals indicating an incoming call are received from said second conductor pair transferred on said telephone line, wherein said modem includes control circuitry operable to control said ring generator to ring said one or more telephone instruments in response to said signals indicating an incoming call.

A telecommunications system, comprising:

• a wiring device coupled between a telephone line and a second of first and second conductor pairs, wherein said wiring device is configured to connect said telephone line to said second conductor pair;
• a ring generator;
• control circuitry coupled to said second conductor pair and said ring generator;
• a relay configured to couple the first conductor pair to (a) said ring generator in a first state and (b) said second conductor pair in a second state, wherein the ring generator is operable to ring one or more telephone instruments coupled to said first conductor pair when said relay couples the first conductor pair to the ring generator, and wherein when said relay electrically connects the first conductor pair to the second conductor pair said relay is operable to convey a ringing voltage transmitted on the telephone line to the first conductor pair in order to ring the one or more telephone instruments;
• wherein said control circuitry is operable to receive signals indicating an incoming call from a telephone network, wherein said signals indicating an incoming call are received from said second conductor pair transferred on said telephone line, wherein said control circuitry is operable, in said first state, to control said ring generator to ring said one or more telephone instruments in response to said signals indicating an incoming call.

A method for ringing a plurality of extensions on a premises, wherein the premises is operable to couple to a telephone line provided to the premises, wherein the premises includes first and second conductor pairs residing within the premises, wherein the telephone line is coupled to the second conductor pair, wherein one or more telephone instruments are coupled to the first conductor pair, the method comprising:

• a modem generating an off-hook condition on the second conductor pair and connecting to a remote data site using the telephone line;
• said modem performing data communications with the remote data site on the telephone line, wherein the data communications are transferred over the second conductor pair and the telephone line;
• a relay coupling the first conductor pair to a ring generator in response to the modem generating the off-hook condition on the second conductor pair, and electrically connecting the first conductor pair to the second conductor pair in response to the modem generating an on-hook condition on the second conductor pair;
• receiving signals indicating an incoming call, wherein said signals indicating an incoming call are received on the second conductor pair from the telephone line, wherein said receiving signals indicating an incoming call occurs during said performing data communications with the remote data site on the telephone line;
• controlling the ring generator to ring the one or more telephone instruments in response to the received signals indicating an incoming call;
• receiving a ringing voltage on the second conductor pair from the telephone line during a time when the modem is generating the on-hook condition on the second conductor pair;
• and
• the relay conveying the ringing voltage from the second conductor pair to the first conductor pair to ring the one or more telephone instruments.

A method for performing telecommunications in a system including a telephone line provided to a premises, wherein the system further includes first and second conductor pairs residing within the premises, one or more telephone instruments coupled to the first conductor pair, and a ring generator for ringing the one or more telephone instruments, the method comprising:

• coupling the telephone line to the second conductor pair;
• in a first mode:
• receiving signals on the second conductor pair from the telephone line, wherein said signals indicate an incoming call on the telephone line;
• and
• controlling said ring generator to ring the one or more telephone instruments in response to the received signals indicating said incoming call on the telephone line;
• in a second mode:
• receiving a ringing voltage on the second conductor pair transmitted from a telephone network through the telephone line and the second conductor pair;
• and
• passing the ringing voltage from the second conductor pair to the first conductor pair to ring the one or more telephone instruments.

A telecommunications system, comprising:

• a first conductor pair and a second conductor pair;
• a telephone line connected to said first conductor pair;
• a ring generator coupled to said second conductor pair for ringing a plurality of telephone instruments coupled to said second conductor pair;
• a modem coupled to said first conductor pair and said ring generator, wherein said modem is operable to receive signals indicating an incoming call from a telephone network, wherein said signals indicating an incoming call are received from said first conductor pair transferred on said telephone line, wherein said modem includes control circuitry operable to control said ring generator to ring said one or more telephone instruments in response to said signals indicating an incoming call;
• and
• a plurality of modular wiring devices, one for each of the telephone instruments, wherein each modular wiring device is configured to be placed at a telephone jack for its corresponding telephone instrument to switch the conductor pair to which the telephone instrument is coupled so that each of the telephone instruments are coupled to the second conductor pair and not the first conductor pair.