Systems and methods for multiple voice and data communications using intelligently bridged TDM and packet buses and methods for performing telephony and data functions using the same

With a system for providing telephone services to at least a first group of users, wherein each of the users is assigned a telephone number, the method comprising the steps of:

• enabling at least a first telephone for user assignment, wherein the first telephone may be assigned to a particular user telephone number;
• assigning at least a first user a first telephone number, wherein at a first point in time the first user is not assigned a telephone for initiating or receiving telephone calls;
• at a second point in time determining that the first user has entered via the first telephone first data requesting that the first telephone be assigned to the first telephone number;
• assigning the first telephone to the first telephone number, wherein telephone calls to the first telephone number are coupled to the first telephone, wherein for time prior to the second point in time there is no telephone number assigned to the first telephone and no telephone calls are coupled to the first telephone;
• wherein the system is coupled to a wide area communication network comprising a plurality of network resources, wherein the system provides voice and data communications to a plurality of users in an office and has at least a first packet bus coupled to a plurality of packet-based devices, at least one time division multiplexed bus (TDM) coupled to a plurality of telephony devices and selectively coupled to the first packet bus and the wide area communication network, a processor for control of the system and a switch/multiplexer controlled by the processor and the TDM bus, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
• transferring packetized data to and from the system with one or more of the packet-based devices, wherein data are transmitted over the first packet bus in packets;
• transmitting data over the TDM bus in frames, each of the frames having a plurality of slots for transmitting data, wherein the data transmitted over the TDM bus includes data for voice communications from one or more of the plurality of telephony devices;
• protocol processing at least certain data transmitted over the first packet bus in packets and selectively providing the protocol-processed data to the TDM bus;
• wherein the switch/multiplexer selectively controls the providing of data to and from particular slots of particular frames;
• wherein the processor selectively controls voice communications from one or more of the telephony devices over the TDM bus and packet-based communications over the first packet bus, wherein voice communications that stay in a circuit-switched form in the system occur over the TDM bus and the wide area communication network, and wherein packet-based communications are protocol-processed and selectively coupled to the wide area communication network via the TDM bus.