Method and system for interfacing a telephony network and a digital data stream

A multi-station telephone system comprising:

• a telephony network having plural telephony nodes, at least one of the telephony nodes operable to receive a digital data stream from the Internet, the digital data stream having first and second voice data sets;
• a digital converter associated with the telephony network, the digital converter operable to convert the first and second voice data sets into first and second voice signals;
• first and second frequency translators associated with the telephony network, the first frequency translator operable to transmit the first voice signal in a telephony network band to the telephony network, the second frequency translator operable to transmit the second voice signal in the telephony network band to the telephony network;
• and
• first and second telephone control modules, associated with the telephony network, the first telephone control module operable to provide the first voice signal to a first telephony device, the second telephone control module operable to provide the second voice signal to a second telephony device.

A method for interfacing a digital data stream with a telephony network, the telephony network having plural telephony devices, the method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting a digital data stream in the voice band through the Internet to the telephony network, the digital data stream having first and second data sets, the first data set having voice signal data associated with first telephony device, the second voice signal data associated with a second telephony device;
• converting the first data set to a first voice signal;
• converting the second data set to a second voice signal;
• transmitting the first voice signal to the first telephony device in a telephony network band, the telephony network band being located outside of the voice band;
• and
• transmitting the second voice signal to the second telephony device in the telephony network band.

A telephone system comprising:

• a telephony network operable to receive telephony signals in the voiceband;
• at least first and second telephony devices interfaced with the telephony network;
• a digital data stream interfaced with the telephony network through the Internet, the digital data stream having at least first and second telephony data sets;
• a digital converter interfaced with the telephony network, the digital converter operable to convert the telephony data sets into inbound telephony data signals, the digital converter further operable to transmit the inbound telephony data signals across the telephony network at a telephony network band, the telephony network band located outside the voiceband;
• and
• at least one telephone control module, the telephone control module associated with at least one telephony device, the telephone control module operable to receive one of the inbound telephony data signals in the telephone network band, the telephone control module further operable to translate the inbound telephony data signal to the voiceband for transmission to the at least one telephony device.

The method according to claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

• generating an outbound telephony signal in the voiceband with one of the associated telephony devices;
• converting the outbound telephony signal into an outbound data set;
• translating the outbound data set from the voiceband to the telephony network band;
• transmitting the outbound data set in the telephony network band to the telephony network;
• and
• inserting the outbound data set into the digital data stream.