US 6,856,614 B1Granted

Method for a mixed voice and data device in a home communications network

AssigneeLara Networks, Inc.

InventorPeter C. P. Sun

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In the present invention a method is disclosed for communicating within and to the outside of a voice and data network. The voice and data network has applicability to a home or building where existing phone lines are used to interconnect multiple phones and computers within the network. Voice and data modules connect telephones and computers to the existing telephone wiring in a home or building. A link to wide area network allows phone calls to be placed between the network and the Public Service telephone network. All devices connected to the telephone wiring have their own ID and communicate by Tokens in Ethernet technology. This allows Ethernet packets to perform a plurality of communications between a plurality of devices connected to the network under the control of tokens. The communications is accomplished by passing packets containing voice and data signals between phones and computers internal to the network and to an external port to connect to outside of the network. The link to wide area network also allows connection to an ISP by converting from Ethernet packets to Internet packets and from Internet packets to Ethernet packets. The connection to the ISP also allows Internet Telephony without a special telephone or the use of a computer.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for a VDM device placing a call from within a network to a phone outside of network, comprising:

a) detecting dial tone from an internal phone that is a phone within a voice and data network,
b) determining call to be made to an outside phone that is a phone outside of said voice and data network,
c) storing address of link to wide area network (LTW) as destination address (DA) and storing dialed number,
d) sending request for connection packet to queue with DA as destination address and port ID as source address of the request for connection packet,
e) determining outside line availability and hanging up the internal phone if outside line not available,
f) sending a dialed number packet to queue with DA as destination address and port ID as source address of the dialed number packet,
g) detecting packet from the LTW,
h) detecting if outside line is busy and hanging up the internal phone if outside line is busy,
i) determining if connection made, sending dialing signal to the outside phone, if connection is not made, sending hang up packet to queue with DA as destination address if hang up signal from outside received, and returning to determining connection is made if hang up signal from outside is not received,
j) converting voice signal to Ethernet packet with DA as destination address if connection is made, and converting received voice packets to voice signals and send to the internal phone,
k) detecting hang up packet from the LTW and hanging up the internal phone,
l) detecting hang up of the internal phone, sending hang up packet to queue with DA as destination address, and hanging up the internal phone,
m) continuing to convert voice signal to Ethernet packet with DA as destination address and to convert received voice packets to voice signals and send to the internal phone if hang up packet not detected.

10 more elements

A method for a VDM device placing a call within a network, comprising:

a) detecting dial tone from one of a plurality of internal phones within a voice and data network,
b) determining call to be made to another internal phone within said voice and data network,
c) determining port address and storing as destination address (DA),
d) sending request to queue for a connection packet with DA as destination address and port ID as source address,
e) detecting packet from destination VDM;
if line busy, sending a busy signal to the one phone;
if the one phone is not hung up, continue to send busy signal to the one phone;
and if the one phone is hung up return to detecting dial from internal phones,
f) determining connection is made if line is not busy;
sending a ring back signal to the one phone if connection is not made, detecting packet from destination VDM if the one phone is not hung up and returning to determining if connection is made, otherwise sending hang up packet to queue with DA as destination address and returning to detecting dial from internal phones if the one phone is hung up,
h) converting voice signal to Ethernet packet if connection made and sending packet to queue with DA as destination,
i) converting received voice packets to voice signals and send to the one phone,
j) hanging up the one phone if hang up packet received and returning to detecting dial from internal phones,
k) sending hang up packet to queue with DA as destination address if hang up packet is not received and if the one phone is hung up, and returning to detecting dial from internal phones,
l) continuing to convert voice signals to Ethernet packets, sending Ethernet packets to queue with DA as destination address and continuing to convert received voice packets to voice signals if said hang up packet not received and the one phone hang up not detected.

12 more elements

A method for a VDM device receiving a call from within a voice and data network, comprising:

a) detecting voice packets requesting a connection,
b) storing source address in packets as destination address (DA) if connection requested,
c) returning to detecting voice packets if connection not requested,
d) sending packet with busy signal to queue if phone line not available with DA as destination address and port ID as source address,
e) sending packet with dialing signal to queue with DA as destination address' and port ID as source address if phone line is available,
f) sending ring signal to a phone,
g) sending packet with dialing signal to queue if the phone not picked up and if hang up packet not received,
h) returning to detecting voice packets if the phone not picked up and if hang up packet received,
i) sending packet with connected signal to queue with DA as destination address and port ID as source address if the phone is picked up,
j) converting voice signal to Ethernet packet with DA as destination address and device ID as source address,
k) converting received voice packet to voice signal and send to the phone or a computer,
l) hanging up the phone and returning to detecting voice packets if hang up packet received,
m) sending packet with hang up signal to queue with DA as destination address and port ID as source address if hang up packet not received but hang up signal from the phone is received,
n) converting voice signal to Ethernet packet with DA as destination address and port ID as source address, and converting received voice packet to voice signal and sending to the phone if hang up packet not received and if hang up signal from the phone is not received.

11 more elements

A method for home voice and data network communication, comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring a phone connected to a voice data module (VDM) for an outgoing call;
(b) if an outgoing call is detected for a destination outside the voice and data network, storing an address of a link to wide area network (LTW) as a destination address and storing a number dialed by the phone;
(c) if an outgoing call is detected for a destination inside the voice and data network, storing a port address of the destination as a destination address;
(d) if an outgoing call is detected in steps (b) or (c), sending a request for connection packet with the stored destination address as a packet destination address and a port ID of the VDM as a source address;
(e) monitoring an existing telephone wiring for voice packets with the VDM, the existing telephone wiring comprising a plurality of phone lines, each phone line being capable of supporting only one telephone service conversation;
(f) if a connection is requested by a voice packet, storing a source address of such a voice packet as a destination address, else returning to step (e);
and
(g) if a phone line connected to the VDM is not available, sending a packet with a busy signal with the stored destination address as a packet destination address and a port ID of the VDM as a source address.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/519,607Filed 6 Mar 2000 · us provisional application
Priority: 24 Dec 1999
Granted: 15 Feb 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 12/282
Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities: based on user interaction within the home
H04L 12/2803
Characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]: home automation networks
H04L 12/2856
Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks: access arrangements, e.g. Internet access
H04L 12/2872
Remote access server, e.g. BRAS: termination of subscriber connections