US 6,556,564 B2 · Scheduled internet protocol telephone instrument system

Abstract

A LAN telephone which makes voice telephone calls over a local area network (LAN) data network. Acoustic voice sounds are digitally encoded and transmitted as data, over the LAN. The disclosed telephone simultaneously receives LAN data packets and decodes them, translating the data into acoustic audio voice sounds. All communications with the network occur through the use of the LAN, including data for call control and for voice signals. The disclosed LAN telephone uses a packet scheduling technique to prevent packet collision, delay or loss. The scheduling technique relies on time of transmission and arrival to switch packets. Additionally, the disclosed LAN telephone is operable to receive power from a data switch, using LAN wiring. The instrument further includes a means for attaching peripheral devices through an electronic interface system, as well as an internal system for allowing the telephone to be moved, from one connection to another, without changing the telephone number. The instrument also provides a system for automatically changing the internal control software of the instrument, or of any connected peripheral. A system for connecting an external “speaker-phone” system is also disclosed, which gives the instrument's user the ability to place the voice audio source and pickup in a location that is convenient to the user and not necessarily co-located with the instrument itself.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A communications instrument for communicating over a computer network, comprising:

a network interface for attachment to said computer network;
a voice digitization subsystem, wherein said voice digitization subsystem is operable to convert voice data received from a user into a plurality of digitized voice samples;
a sample packetization subsystem, wherein said sample packetization subsystem is operable to organize at least a portion of said plurality of digitized voice samples into at least one data packet;
and
a scheduled transmission subsystem, wherein said transmission subsystem is operable to transmit said at least one data packet through said network interface in accordance with a time schedule, wherein said time schedule defines a point in time within a schedule interval at which said scheduled transmission subsystem begins transmission of said at least one data packet, wherein said schedule interval repeats periodically, and wherein said scheduled transmission subsystem is further operable to determine a start time of said schedule interval in response to receipt of a heartbeat packet by said communications instrument from said computer network.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Scheduled internet protocol telephone instrument system

Life of this patent

Scheduled internet protocol telephone instrument system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21