Method and apparatus for communicating data over a telephone line using an acoustic modem
US6584182B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jun 24, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M11/06
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention provides systems and methods for the communication of data over telephone lines. A handset orientation tolerant bi-directional acoustic modem according to the invention includes a first transducer operable as a receiving unit under a first condition and as a transmitting unit under a second condition, a second transducer operable as a transmitting unit under the first condition and as a receiving unit under the second condition, and a controller capable of determining the presence of one of the first and the second condition. The presence of the first condition or second condition depends on how the microphone and the speaker of a telephone handset are aligned with respect to the two transducers. The acoustic modem determines the alignment by listening for a detectable dial tone, and then under the first or the second condition, the acoustic modem automatically transmits data to a central site for analysis.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.