Voice/facsimile/modem call discrimination method for voice over packet networks

A method of discriminating voice, data, and facsimile calls communicated through a voice-over-packet network, comprising:

• providing an originating-side gateway, connected between an originating-side modem and a packet network;
• providing an answering-side gateway, connected between an answering-side modem and the packet network;
• identifying any one of an answer signal (ANS), a modified answer signal (ANSam), a V.8bis CRe/MRe tone, or V.21 flags communicated between answering modem and the originating modem, using the answering-side gateway that is capable of identifying each of said ANS signal, said ANSam signal, said V.8bis CRe/MRe tone, and said V.21 flags;
• with said answering-side gateway, converting said identified ANS signal, ANSam signal, V.8bis CRe/MRe tone, or V.21 flags to a format that may be conveyed over said packet network to said originating modem via the originating-side gateway;
• suppressing a voice path to said packet network, using said answering gateway, when said V.8bis CRe/MRe tone is identified;
• determining when said V.8bis CRe/MRe tone communication between said answering modem and said originating modem terminates;
• re-establishing said voice path when said V.8bis CRe/MRe tone terminates;
• suppressing said voice path to said packet network, using said answering gateway, when said ANS signal or said ANSam signal is detected;
• transitioning said answering gateway to a voice pass-through mode of operation when said ANS signal or said ANSam signal is detected;
• transitioning said answering gateway to a data mode using an LLMR processing operation when an LLMR indication is received from the originating-side gateway;
• transitioning said answering gateway to a V.34 facsimile processing mode of operation when said V.34 facsimile relay indication is received from the originating-side gateway;
• re-establishing said voice path to said packet network, using said answering gateway, when a termination of the communication of either of said ANS or ANSam signals occurs;
• and
• transitioning said answering gateway to a facsimile relay processing mode of operation when said V.21 flags are identified.

A system, comprising:

• a call-originating modem;
• a call-originating gateway, connected between the call-originating modem and a packet network;
• and
• a call-answering gateway, connected between a call-answering modem and the packet network,
• wherein the system discriminates between one of a voice mode, a facsimile mode, and a data mode of operation between the originating modem and the answering modem over the packet network using an ANS/ANSam tone from the answering gateway and V.8 call menu (CM) signal from the originating modem,
• the originating modem establishes a voice call to the answering modem and the originating gateway and the answering gateway enter the voice mode of operation,
• when an ANS/ANSam (ANS) tone indication is received by the originating gateway from the answering modem via the answering gateway, the originating gateway generates an ANS tone to the originating modem, enables a V.8 CM detector, and
• when the originating gateway, in voice mode, detects a V.8 CM synchronization sequence from the originating modem, the originating gateway suppresses the voice path to the packet network and decodes V.8 CM from originating modem to determine whether to transition to a facsimile mode or a data mode from the voice mode.