Patent ID: 6304574
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
A method for routing data between a host connected to a computer network and a remote user connected to said host via a telephone line, the data associated with a higher level protocol for allowing the host to communicate with the remote user, said higher level protocol selected from the group of protocols consisting of the Point-to-Point Protocol and the Serial Line Interface Protocol, the method performed in a communications access system comprising a telephone line interface connected to said telephone line, a plurality of modems, each modem associated with a modem computing platform, and a network interface having a gateway computing platform, comprising the steps of:receiving said data destined for said remote user and directing said data from said network interface to one of said modems in said communications access system;distributing the processing of said higher level protocol for said data, such that said gateway computing platform performs a first portion of the processing of said higher level protocol and said modem computing platform in said modem performs a second portion of the processing of said higher level protocol; andsubsequently directing the data from said modem computing platform through said telephone line interface onto said telephone line for transmission to said remote user.