Patent ID: 6674749
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
An improved communications system of the type in which:a public switched telephone network has communications devices of both circuit switched and packet transfer types at a plurality of customer premises which intercommunicate via at least one telco central office with communications devices of respective like types; the improvement comprising an access network including an access concentrator located at a first said customer premises, a remote concentrator located between said first said customer premises and a first said telco central office, and a transfer switch located at said first said telco central office; wherein said access concentrator is suitable for: accepting both switched signals from said circuit switched types of said communications devices and packet signals from said packet transfer types of said communications devices; and communicating both of said switched signals and said packet signals as a terminating node signal over a first internal interface to said remote concentrator; and wherein said remote concentrator is suitable for: accepting said terminating node signal from said access concentrator; and communicating said terminating node signal as a distributor node signal over a second internal interface to said transfer switch; and wherein said transfer switch is suitable for: accepting said distributor node signal from said remote concentrator; separating said switched signals from said distributor node signal for transmission onward to instances of said circuit switched types of said communications devices at another said customer premises than said first said customer premises; and separating said packet signals from said distributor node signal for routing onward to instances of said packet transfer types of said communications devices at another said customer premises than said first said customer premises.