Patent ID: 6175565
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: H04L,H04M,Y10S

Abstract:
A system for use with a telephony terminal and a personal computer to provide telephone access to a computer-based communications network via said personal computer, said system comprising:application software in said personal computer to execute an operating system program;a serial telephone adapter connected between said telephony terminal and a serial communications port on said personal computer, said adapter having a receiver/transmitter to receive and transmit respectively telephony communications from and to said terminal, and a converter to convert said telephony communications from analog to digital and digital to analog;a system transfer protocol to coordinate transfer of telephony communications and control messages between said personal computer and said serial telephone adapter said protocol requiring that control messages from the personal computer to the serial telephone adapter be acknowledged by the serial telephone adapter before another control message is sent; andan interface in said adapter to connect said telephony terminal to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) if said computer-based communications network is not available for service.