Intercom/wireless door bell for multi-handset telephone system

A cordless telephone system, comprising:

• a first transceiver on a doorbell module for transmitting and receiving RF messages with a base unit of the cordless telephone system;
• a paging button on the doorbell module, when pressed, initiating the first transceiver to transmit the RF messages to the base unit;
• and
• a camera unit, coupled to the doorbell module, for capturing an image when the paging button is pressed, and for transmitting the image to the base unit using a second transceiver on the camera unit wherein the image is compressed prior to transmission to the base unit,
• wherein the image is palettized and saved in a frame buffer prior to transmission,
• wherein each line in the palettized image is read from the frame buffer, and wherein a line identification number and address is incorporated into the line, thus forming line data representing the image.

A method of communication between a doorbell intercom system and a wireless telephone system, the doorbell intercom system comprising a video camera, the wireless telephone system comprising a base unit and at least one wireless handset, each of the base unit and the at least one wireless handset comprising speakerphones and displays, the method comprising:

• initiating a paging selection to establish a voice link between the doorbell intercom system and the wireless telephone system;
• alerting one or more of the base unit and the at least one wireless handset through the speakerphone by transmitting an RF message from the doorbell intercom system to the wireless telephone system;
• capturing an image;
• compressing the image;
• transmitting the compressed image to at least one of the base unit and the one or more cordless telephone handsets;
• palettizing the image prior to transmission;
• saving the palettized image in a frame buffer prior to transmission,
• reading each line in the palettized image from the frame buffer, and
• incorporating a line identification number and address into each line, thus forming line data representing the image.