Patent · US Expired

Bidirectional signalling mechanism for interfacing computing devices to the analog telephone network

US5627539A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
1References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 22, 1996
Grant dateMay 6, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 22, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04Q1/46
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A signalling mechanism is used by a telecom adapter for interfacing a telephone line to a computer so as to exchange signalling information, such as pulse dialing information, ring indication information, or both. In accordance with one embodiment, the telephone line is sampled to produce a series of data samples. A signal is produced indicative of whether or not a ring signal is currently present on the telephone line, and the signal is combined with at least one of the samples in a single data unit. The single data unit is then transmitted to the computer. In another embodiment, a single data unit is received from the computer and separated into a data sample position and a pulse dialing control position. In one mode of operation the data sample position is converted to an analog signal; in another mode of operation, pulse dialing control position of the single data unit is used to perform pulse dialing. By transmitting the single data unit containing the ring indication signal to the computer and contemporaneously receiving the single data unit containing the pulse dialing (on-hook/off-hook)control signal in respective independent data streams an efficient bidirectional signalli…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.