Patent · US Expired

Digital communication system with integral messaging and method therefor

US6122271A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
20References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 7, 1997
Grant dateSep 19, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 7, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J3/14
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A digital communications system (10) includes a transmitting apparatus (12) and a receiving apparatus (14). In addition to a primary information signal (16), messages and control signals (24) are communicated for use by the equipment. To avoid the use of dedicated frequency spectrum, control channel time slots, or the degradation of forward error correction of the encoded information signal, the transmitting apparatus determines the occurrence of a silence period (28) in the information signal, then inserts the message or control signal information into the silence period. The resulting composite signal is transmitted to the receiving apparatus where message and control information is removed for use by the receiving equipment, leaving the information signal intact.

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