Audio codec reselection for increased port density

A packet-switched network telephony gateway comprising:

• a port for sending audio data streams to and receiving audio data streams from a circuit-switched network, said port having a maximum audio data stream capacity of at least two data streams;
• at least two digital signal processors;
• a time-division-multiplexed data bus connected between said port and said digital signal processors, allowing any one of said digital signal processors to access any audio data stream received through said port;
• a packet switched network interface for packetizing and depacketing the data streams for communicating over a packet switched network;
• and
• a host processor that monitors the number of audio data streams handled by the gateway, associates each new audio data stream received through said port with one of said digital signal processors for compression, and dynamically associates each audio data stream received through said port with a codec selected from the set consisting of a first codec and a second codec that produce interoperably decompressable data streams according to a number of active audio channels established over the packet switched network.

A system comprising:

• means for sending audio data streams to and receiving audio data streams from a packet switched network through a port having a maximum audio data stream capacity of at least two data streams;
• means for monitoring the number of audio data streams currently handled by the port and dynamically associating audio data streams received through said port with a codec selected from a set consisting of a first codec and at least one alternate codec that produce interoperably decompressable data streams according to the number of audio data streams on the packet switched network handled by the port;
• means for compressing each audio data stream using the codec currently selected for that audio data stream;
• and
• means for packetizing and depacketing the compressed audio data stream.

An electronic storage medium containing software used for processing audio data streams, comprising:

• code for sending audio data streams to and receiving audio data streams from a packet switched network through a port having a maximum audio data stream capacity of at least two data streams;
• code for monitoring the number of audio data streams currently handled by the port and dynamically associating audio data streams received through said port with a codec selected from a set consisting of a first codec and at least one alternate codec that produce interoperably decompressable data streams according to the number of audio data streams on the packet switched network handled by the port;
• code for compressing each audio data stream using the codec currently selected for that audio data stream;
• and
• code for packetizing and depacketing the compressed audio data stream.