System and method for ringing other subscriber telephones connected to a telephone line during data communications on the telephone line

A system and method for enabling a subscriber to receive incoming telephone calls on a telephone line and ring all of the telephones connected to a first conductor pair inside the subscriber's premises, wherein the first conductor pair would have normally been connected to the line. The telephones may be rung even when the subscriber is performing data communications with a remote data site on the telephone line. This obviates the necessity of the subscriber having to purchase a second telephone line for incoming calls while data communications are being performed, thus reducing access costs. The system and method shown advantageously employs a wiring device to reroute the telephone line from the first conductor pair connected to the phones to a second conductor pair normally not used. The system and method further employs a modem which receives telephone signals from the telephone line via the second conductor pair. The modem comprises a Central Office (CO) simulator circuit coupled to the first conductor pair which regenerates the telephone signals, such as a ringing voltage, to the telephones via the first conductor pair. When the modem is performing data communications with a remote data site, the remote data site also sends signals, such as data frames or IP packets, to the modem indicating that an incoming call has been placed to the telephone line. In response to the received signals, the modem controls the CO simulator to ring the extensions. The modem further comprises a relay which couples the first conductor pair to the second conductor pair when the modem is on hook with respect to the second conductor pair, thereby enabling normal speech communications to be performed by the subscriber on the telephone line. The relay couples the first conductor pair to the CO simulator when the modem is off hook with respect to the second conductor pair, thereby enabling the CO simulator to ring the telephones. In an alternate embodiment, the relay is comprised within an external wiring device coupled between the modem and conductor pairs and also includes a ring generator to alleviate the modem from having a ring generator for low power or real estate-constrained applications, such as in a notebook computer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to simultaneous voice and data communications
 on a single telephone line, and in particular to the ability to ring all
 of the telephones connected to the telephone line to notify a subscriber
 of an incoming call even while data communications are being performed on
 the telephone line.
 DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
 In many instances a user desires to connect to a remote data site to obtain
 data or perform other communications data operations. For example, a user
 who desires access to the Internet typically connects to an Internet
 access provider in order for the user to be able to connect to the
 Internet. In addition, many people who desire to work at home, referred to
 as telecommuters, desire to connect to the local area network (LAN) at the
 corporate office in order to retreive files, obtain data or perform other
 data access communications functions.
 When a home user desires to connect to a remote data site, the user data
 typically uses the standard POTS (plain old telephone service) telephone
 line in his home. Thus, the user uses an analog modem, such a V.34 modem,
 to connect through the POTS telephone line to the remote data site.
 However, when the telephone line is used for this purpose, and the user is
 connected through the POTS telephone line to the remote data site, the
 user is unable to receive telephone calls from other parties, since the
 telephone line is in use.
 Many home users who connect to the Internet or to other remote data sites
 typically purchase a second phone line from the telephone company to
 enable the user to receive or place telephone calls while the user is
 connected to the remote data site. Thus, the user purchases a second
 telephone line and uses this telephone line to connect to an Internet
 service provider or other remote data site. This use of the second
 telephone line for data connectivity leaves the primary telephone line
 available for incoming or outgoing phone calls.
 However, a second telephone line is somewhat expensive. For example, for a
 home user connecting to the Internet, the cost of the second telephone
 line is generally similar to the connection cost of the Internet service
 provider. Thus, the requirement of the second telephone line essentially
 doubles the Internet service fee the user is required to pay to obtain the
 Internet connection while maintaining the ability to receive incoming or
 place outgoing calls. In addition, when a user connects to another remote
 data site, such as a corporate office, the purchase of a second telephone
 line is an undesirable cost.
 Co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/708,267 titled "System And Method
 for Providing User Connectivity to a Remote Data Site on a Communication
 Line While Maintaining Telephone Connectivity on the Communication Line"
 filed Sep. 6, 1996 whose inventor is W. B. Barker, discloses a system and
 method which enables the user to connect to the remote data site on a
 communications line, wherein the user maintains the ability to receive or
 place telephone calls from/to other parties through the communications
 line while the user is connected to the remote data site on the
 communications line. In this system, incoming calls are received on the
 communication device or modem which is performing the data communications
 on the communications line. The incoming call is not received as a
 traditional ring signal from the telephone company central office (CO),
 but rather is received as a data packet from the remote data site. The
 data or information in the data packet indicates that a call is being
 received. The communication device then rings only the telephone connected
 to the communication device when an incoming call is received. The
 above-referenced patent application also discloses a system and method,
 which is the subject of the present application, wherein each of the
 telephones within the user's home rings to notify the user whenever
 another party places a telephone call through the communication line while
 the communication device is performing data communications on the
 communication line.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention comprises a system and method for enabling a
 subscriber to receive incoming telephone calls on a telephone line and
 ring all extensions associated with the telephone line. The telephones may
 be rung even when the subscriber is performing data communications with a
 remote data site on the telephone line. Also, due to the data
 communications being performed, the incoming call information is received
 in a data packet, not as a traditional ring signal from the telephone
 company central office. The present invention is operable to receive the
 call information in the data packet and ring other extensions. This
 obviates the necessity of the subscriber having to purchase a second
 telephone line for incoming calls while data communications are being
 performed, thus reducing access costs.
 The system comprises a telephone line for transferring telephone signals
 between a telephone network and a premises, and the system comprises first
 and second conductor pairs comprised within the premises for transferring
 telephone signals within the premises. The system further comprises a
 wiring device coupled between the telephone line and the conductor pairs,
 wherein the wiring device connects the telephone line to the second
 conductor pair. One or more telephone instruments are coupled to the first
 conductor pair, i.e., the normal wiring typically found in premises today.
 The system further comprises a communication device or modem coupled to
 both the first and second conductor pairs and coupled to the telephone
 line through the second conductor pair and wiring device.
 The invention is operable to ring all of the telephones connected to the
 first conductor pair inside the subscriber's premises. The first conductor
 pair would have normally been connected to the external telephone line.
 The system and method advantageously employs the wiring device to reroute
 the telephone line to the second conductor pair in the home instead of the
 first conductor pair to which the phones are connected. The second
 conductor pair is normally not used within a house with a single purchased
 telephone line, and is normally used to connect to a second purchased
 telephone line. The system and method further employs a modem which
 receives signals indicating an incoming telephone call from the telephone
 line via the second conductor pair and causes ring signals to be generated
 to the telephones connected to the first conductor pair in response to the
 signals indicating an incoming call. Preferably, the signals indicating an
 incoming call comprise one or more data packets.
 The modem includes a Central Office (CO) simulator circuit, which includes
 a ring generator, coupled to the first conductor pair which regenerates
 the telephone signals, such as a ringing voltage, to the telephones
 connected to the first conductor pair. In other words, the modem includes
 a ring generator coupled to the first conductor pair for ringing the
 telephones which are coupled to the first conductor pair. The modem
 further comprises a line interface circuit coupled to the second conductor
 pair. The line interface circuit comprises a switch coupled between the
 conductors of the second conductor pair and the modem. The switch closes,
 i.e., goes off hook, in order to complete a circuit with a CO at the far
 end of the telephone line. The switch closes to enable the modem to answer
 or place a call on the telephone line.
 The modem further comprises communications circuitry, such as a data pump
 and a codec, for performing data communications with the telephone network
 on the telephone line. Preferably, the modem is coupled to a computer,
 wherein the modem is operable to perform data communications between the
 computer and the telephone network. The modem further comprises a
 controller, such as a microcontroller or a task of the attached computer,
 operably coupled to the line interface and the communication circuitry.
 The controller is operable to control the ring generator to ring the one
 or more telephone instruments in response to signals indicating an
 incoming call received from the second conductor pair transferred on the
 telephone line which indicate an incoming call. The control circuitry is
 operable to control the ring generator to ring the one or more telephone
 instruments in response to the signals indicating an incoming call
 received from the second conductor pair through the telephone line while
 the modem is performing data communications with the telephone network.
 During data communications, the remote data site may transmit a data
 packet or signals which indicates an incoming call.
 The modem is also operable to perform voice communications between the one
 or more telephone instruments and the telephone network on the telephone
 line while simultaneously performing the data communications with the
 telephone network.
 The system further comprises a relay for selectively coupling the first
 conductor pair to either the second conductor pair or to the ring
 generator. The relay couples the first conductor pair to the second
 conductor pair when the switch is open, i.e., on hook, thereby enabling
 normal voice communications using the telephones as if the wiring device
 and modem were not present. The relay couples the first conductor pair to
 the ring generator when the switch is closed. Thereby, the modem is
 enabled to perform simultaneous voice and data communications on the
 telephone line, and the ring generator is thereby enabled to ring the
 telephones via the first conductor pair.
 In one embodiment, the relay is comprised within the modem. In another
 embodiment, the relay is comprised within a second wiring device coupled
 between the modem and the first and second conductor pairs. In the second
 wiring device embodiment, the ringing circuit may be comprised within the
 second wiring device rather than within the modem, or the second wiring
 device may comprise a ring booster circuit to assist in ringing the
 telephones. If the ringing circuit is comprised within the second wiring
 device, the computer provides a notification to the computer user that a
 call is incoming, since there is no ringing circuit in the modem to ring a
 telephone coupled directly to the modem. Preferably, the computer displays
 an indication on its display screen of the incoming call and/or beeps or
 synthesizes the sound of a ringing phone. This embodiment is particularly
 advantageous for power constrained or space constrained applications such
 as notebook computers. In an alternate embodiment, the computer receives
 the data packet, such as an IP packet, indicating the incoming phone call
 and controls the ring generator to ring the telephones in response to the
 packet, rather than the modem controlling the ring generator.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative
 forms specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and
 will herein be described in detail. It should be understood however, that
 drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the
 invention to the particular form disclosed. But, on the contrary, the
 invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternative
 following within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined
 by the appended claims.
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
 Incorporation by Reference
 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/708,267 titled "System And Method for
 Providing User Connectivity to a Remote Data Site on a Communication Line
 While Maintaining Telephone Connectivity on the Communication Line" filed
 Sep. 6, 1996, whose inventor was W. B. Barker, and which was assigned to
 Data Race, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though
 fully and completely set forth herein.
 FIG. 1--System of the Present Invention
 FIG. 1 illustrates a system which provides a user operating a user
 telephony communications device with connectivity to a remote data site
 over a communication line or telephone line. In the system of FIG. 1, the
 user maintains telephone connectivity with other parties through this
 communication line or telephone line while the user is connected to the
 remote data site on the communication line. In other words, the user can
 receive or place telephone calls made to the telephone number assigned to
 the communication line or telephone line while the user telephony
 communications device 104 is connected to the remote data site over the
 communication line or telephone line. Furthermore, all of the extensions
 associated with the telephone line may be caused to ring in response to
 the received telephone calls made to the telephone number assigned to the
 telephone line while the user telephony communications device 104 is
 connected to the remote data site over the telephone line.
 As shown, the system of FIG. 1 illustrates a remote user including a user
 telephony communication device, or modem, 104 configured to connect to a
 remote data site through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The
 remote user may be a home user, i.e., a user operating at his home. For
 example, the user may be a person at home desiring to connect through an
 Internet service provider to the Internet. The user may also be a
 telecommuter working at home desiring to connect to a local area network
 (LAN) at a corporate office or another data site. In general, the user is
 a person who desires to connect to a remote data site through a
 communication line or telephone line and who desires to be able to receive
 and/or place calls on that communication line or telephone line without
 having to purchase a second phone line from the telephone company.
 The remote data site correspondingly may be an Internet service provider, a
 corporate LAN, a telephone company central office, or any other location
 where data is stored or through which data may be accessed.
 As shown, the remote user will generally operate a computer system 102. The
 computer system 102 may be any type of data access device, including a
 general purpose computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a network
 computer, or television or other viewing device configured as an Internet
 access device or information access device.
 The computer system 102 connects through a user telephony communication
 device 104 to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The present
 invention may be used in any of various embodiments where voice calls are
 transferred with data on a connection, such as an internet connection.
 In one embodiment of FIG. 1, the user telephony communication device 104
 comprises a modem 104 which connects to the PSTN. The modem 104 preferably
 supports both voice and data capabilities. For example, in one embodiment
 the modem 104 is a digital simultaneous voice and data (DSVD) modem.
 However, in other embodiments, the user telephony communication device 104
 comprises a standard modem, ATM card, or other user telephony
 communications device 104 for connecting to the PSTN. The user telephony
 communication device 104 may be external to the computer system 102, or
 may be comprised in the computer system 102. As discussed further below,
 in this embodiment either the user telephony communication device 104 or
 the remote data site is configured to perform intelligent call forwarding
 operations to enable the user to be able to receive telephone calls on a
 telephone line 42 while performing data access operations using the
 telephone line 42.
 The remote user location also includes a telephone 106, which provides
 standard POTS or ISDN service. The telephone 106 may connect directly to
 the PSTN or may connect through the user telephony communication device
 104 to the PSTN. The user telephony communication device 104 may also be
 comprised in the telephone 106. The remote user location also includes one
 or more telephones, i.e., extensions.
 In the preferred embodiment, the user telephony communication device 104
 comprises communication logic for sending/receiving voice and/or data. The
 user telephony communications device 104 can also be broadly defined as
 comprising one or more of the communication device 104, the telephone 106,
 and/or the computer system 102 configured to operate as a telephony
 communications device.
 The user telephony communication device 104 connects to the PSTN through a
 communications line or communications media 42. In the preferred
 embodiment, the communications line 42 is a standard POTS telephone line.
 The communication line 42 may be a POTS telephone line, or other type of
 communication line.
 The communication line or telephone line 42 has an associated telephone
 number, i.e., the communication line or telephone line 42 has been
 assigned a telephone number by the telephone company central office within
 the PSTN. Thus, when other parties desire to call the user of the user
 telephony communications device 104, the other parties dial this number.
 As is well known in the art, when other parties dial this number, the
 central office determines if the telephone line 42 is available, i.e., not
 busy. If the line 42 is not busy, a ring generator in the central office
 generates ringing voltages on the telephone line 42. Any telephony devices
 connected to the telephone line 42 ring in response to the ringing
 voltage. However, the present invention employs a separate ring generator
 to generate the ringing voltage to ring the telephones at the remote user
 location.
 The remote user connects through the user telephony communication device or
 modem 104, through the PSTN to a remote data site. The remote data site
 includes one or more communication servers 122, also referred to as remote
 data site servers 122 or voice gateways 122. The one or more communication
 servers 122 perform intelligent call routing functions, as discussed
 below. The one or more communication servers 122 are configured to connect
 to the PSTN. Thus when the user telephony communication device 104
 connects through the PSTN to the remote data site, the user telephony
 communication device 104 connects to one of the one or more communication
 servers 122 at the remote data site. The one or more communication servers
 122 are preferably coupled together by a data bus and an audio bus. The
 audio bus is configured to carry speech and/or voice data.
 The one or more communication servers 122 connect to one or more data
 servers or data storage devices 124. For example, where the remote data
 site is an Internet service provider, the one or more communication
 servers 122 connect to the Internet. Thus, when the user connects to the
 Internet, the user telephony communication device 104 connects through the
 PSTN and through the one or more communication servers 122 to the
 Internet. If the remote data site is a corporate LAN, the one or more
 communication servers 122 connect to the corporate LAN, i.e., connect to
 one or more data servers or file servers on the corporate LAN.
 The system and method of the present invention is intended to be used in
 systems in which a remote user is allowed to connect through a single
 telephone line 42 through the PSTN to a remote data site, while enabling
 the user to be able to receive telephone calls from external parties on
 this same telephone line 42, thereby obviating the necessity for the
 remote user having to purchase a second phone line to receive telephone
 calls while the user is performing remote data access services, such as
 Internet access or access to the corporate LAN. Examples of such systems
 are the BeThere! system of DataRace Corporation and any ISP-related
 adaptations of BeThere!, and the Phone Doubler system of Ericsson. The
 system and method of the present invention may be used with systems such
 as BeThere! or Phone Doubler to advantageously ring the other extensions
 in the user location to notify the user of incoming telephone calls.
 During operation of the system, the user telephony communications device
 104 dials an access number of the remote data site and establishes a data
 connection with the remote data site, such as a V.42 connection, or
 Internet Protocol (IP) connection, in order to perform data communications
 with the remote data site. An example of such data communications is the
 subscriber "surfing the net." A call forwarding operation is performed,
 preferably by either the user telephony communication device 104 or a
 communication server 122 at the remote data site. The call-forwarding
 operation is performed prior to or during the data connection in order to
 call-forward telephone calls that would normally be received at the user's
 or subscriber's home, wherein the call forwarding operation routes or
 forwards these calls to the remote data site. The call forwarding
 operation operates to forward calls that would normally be received at the
 subscriber's home to one of a plurality of direct inward dial (DID) voice
 lines which are received at the remote data site from the PSTN. The call
 forwarding operation may comprise a standard call forwarding operation,
 such as using "72#", or the operation may comprise use of other telephony
 features such as call diversion to another number in the case of a busy
 line.
 When another party makes a call to the telephone number to attempt to call
 the user or subscriber at home, the call is call forwarded to the remote
 data site. When the remote data site receives the forwarded voice
 telephone call on a Direct-Inward-Dial (DID) line of the remote data site,
 the communications server 122 at the remote data site operates to route
 this call through a respective inbound dial-up data line, which the user
 is currently using, through the PSTN, through the user's single telephone
 line, to the user telephony communication device 104 of the user to which
 the call is originally placed.
 Preferably, the communications server 122 at the remote data site comprises
 one or more modems capable of performing simultaneous voice and data
 communications with the subscriber's telephony communications device 104.
 Preferably, the communication server 122 instructs its modem to transmit
 one or more data frames, or data packets, to the subscriber's telephony
 communications device 104 over the telephone line 42 to notify the
 telephony communications device 104 of the routed call. Preferably, the
 data packets comprise information indicating a telephone call is being
 placed to the telephone line 42. The subscriber's modem 104 receives the
 packet and provides an indication to the subscriber that a call has been
 received. In one embodiment, the indication comprises the modem 104
 ringing the telephone 106. Examples of the indication are the computer 102
 providing the indication, such as a beep, a visually detectable display on
 the computer's screen, or a sound generated by the computer 102 simulating
 a telephone ringing. Thus, the subscriber can receive voice telephone
 calls on the single telephone line while also performing data
 communications using this single telephone line.
 FIG. 2
 Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is shown of a telecommunications
 system including a modem 104 which does not embody the present invention.
 This diagram serves to illustrate advantages of the present invention. The
 telecommunications system comprises a telephone line 42 coming from the
 PSTN into the protector block 34 of a home or other premises. The system
 further comprises first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44,
 respectively. The first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44 transfer
 telephone signals within the house. The first conductor pair 46 is
 connected to the telephone line 42. Typically, the first and second
 conductor pairs 46 and 44 are comprised within a single cable having a
 connector which plugs into a jack in the protector block. The cable
 connector and jack are configured to connect the telephone line and
 conductor pairs as described.
 One or more telephone instruments, 13A through 13N (referred to
 collectively as 13), are coupled to the first conductor pair 46. Since the
 first conductor pair 46 is coupled to the telephone line 42, the
 telephones 13 are also coupled to the telephone line 42. The telephones 13
 are rung by a ringing signal generated by a ring generator provided within
 a Central Office (CO) of the PSTN at the far end of the telephone line 42.
 A line interface 32 of the modem 104 comprises a switch which closes (goes
 off hook) to place a call to the remote data site. The modem 104 places
 the call to the remote data site and establishes a data connection with
 the remote data site in order to perform data communications with the
 remote data site. When the switch closes, a circuit is completed with the
 CO at the far end of the telephone line 42. In the closed circuit
 condition, the CO can not generate a ring signal on the telephone line 42
 to place a call on the telephone line 42. In other words, the CO can not
 place a call on the telephone line 42 since the telephone line 42 is
 "busy", i.e., off hook, when the modem 104 and remote data site are in
 data communication.
 As previously described, when a third subscriber places a call to the
 telephone line phone number, the call is forwarded to the remote data
 site. When the remote data site wants to route the call to the telephone
 line number, the remote data site must notify the modem 104 by some other
 means than having the CO at the far end of the telephone line 42 generate
 a ringing voltage on the telephone line 42, since the telephone line 42 is
 busy. Thus, as previously described, the modem in the communication server
 122 preferably transmits a data packet to the modem 104 which includes an
 indication of an incoming call. The data packet may include, for example,
 an Internet Protocol (IP) data packet, or a data frame, such as a V.42
 protocol data frame.
 Control circuitry in the modem 104, such as the controller 24, receives the
 data packet and acts to provide the subscriber with an indication of the
 incoming call. In one embodiment, the controller 24 controls a ring
 generator in a CO simulator circuit 30 to ring a second telephone 106
 coupled to the ring generator in the CO simulator 30. In another
 embodiment, the controller 24 provides an indication of the incoming call
 to the computer 102. In response, the computer 102 provides an indication
 to the user such as beeping the speaker of the computer 102, displaying a
 visual indication of the incoming call on the display screen of the
 computer 102, or simulating the sound of a telephone ringing, for example.
 However, as may be readily observed, the modem 104 has no means to ring the
 other telephone 13 extensions in the house. This may be problematic if the
 subscriber is not in sufficient proximity to the computer 102 and/or
 telephone 106 to receive the indication of the incoming phone call. Thus,
 a system and method is desired which enables each of the other telephones
 13 coupled to the first conductor pair 46 to ring. Such a system and
 method will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 through 6.
 FIGS. 3 through 6--Telephone Wiring Embodiments to Ring Other Extensions
 Referring now to FIG. 3, an illustration of a home which is coupled to a
 standard POTS telephone line 42 is shown. The telephone line 42 comes from
 the PSTN to a protector block 34 on the outside of the home or premises.
 Typically, homes wired prior to 1990 receive Station-D house wiring
 comprising two wire pairs. The first wire pair is a red/green wire pair.
 The second pair is a yellow/black wire pair. In homes which only subscribe
 to one telephone line, the yellow/black pair is unused. Typically, homes
 wired subsequent to 1990 receive twisted pair cable comprising two, three
 or four wire pairs. The first pair is a blue/white and white/blue wire
 pair. The second pair is an orange/white and white/orange wire pair.
 As mentioned above, the present invention includes a novel system and
 method for rewiring the home so that other telephone instruments ring when
 a telephone call is routed from the remote data site to the home user on
 the single telephone line. In this embodiment, the modem 104 of FIG. 1
 operates to regenerate the telephony signals, such as a ringing signal,
 for the telephones in the house. The present invention employs a wiring
 device 38, preferably coupled to the protector block 34, for
 advantageously wiring the telephone line 42 to a second conductor pair
 within the home.
 Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram is shown of a telecommunications
 system including the wiring device 38 of FIG. 3 and the modem 104 of FIG.
 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The
 telecommunications system comprises a telephone line 42 coming from the
 PSTN into the protector block 34 of a home or other premises. The system
 further comprises first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44,
 respectively. The first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44 transfer
 telephone signals within the house. Under normal operating conditions,
 i.e., when the wiring device 38 of the present invention is not employed,
 the first conductor pair 46 is connected to the telephone line 42, as
 shown in FIG. 2. Typically, the first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44
 are comprised within a single cable having a connector which plugs into a
 jack in the protector block. The cable connector and jack are configured
 to connect the telephone line and conductor pairs as described.
 According to the present invention, the wiring device 38 is coupled between
 the two conductor pair cable connector and the protector block jack.
 Preferably, the wiring device 8 couples the telephone line 42 to the
 second conductor pair 44 as shown.
 Referring briefly to FIG. 5, one embodiment of the wiring device 38 is
 shown. The wiring device 38 comprises a device, comprising a male and
 female modular telephone connector. Preferably, the male connector couples
 to the protector block 34 and the female connector couples to a cable
 housing the conductor pairs 46 and 44 wired inside the house. FIG. 5
 illustrates the wiring device 38 connecting the incoming red/green pair of
 wires of the telephone line 42 to the second (yellow-black) conductor pair
 44 inside the house.
 Thus, the wiring device 38 switches the telephone line 42 from being
 connected to the first conductor pair 46, as it normally would be, to
 being connected to the second conductor pair 44. An embodiment is
 contemplated in which separate wiring devices may be placed at each of the
 telephone jacks within the premises for switching the first and second
 conductor pairs. However, the wiring device 38 advantageously requires
 only a single wiring device to perform the switching.
 Referring again to FIG. 4, one or more telephone instruments, or handsets,
 13A through 13N (referred to collectively as 13), are coupled to the first
 conductor pair 46. As previously discussed, in the absence of the wiring
 device 38, the telephone line 42 is normally coupled to the first
 conductor pair 46. Thus, the telephones 13 would normally be coupled to
 the telephone line 42 via the first conductor pair 46 through the
 protector block 34. As a result, the telephones 13 would be rung by a
 ringing signal generated by a ring generator provided within a Central
 Office (CO) of the PSTN. However, with the employment of the wiring device
 38, the telephones 13 are now decoupled from the CO.
 The modem 104 is coupled to the first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44.
 Preferably, the modem is also coupled to the computer 102 of FIG. 1. The
 modem 104 performs data communications between the computer 102 and the
 communications server 122 of FIG. 1 on the telephone line 42 as described
 previously. A telephone instrument 106 of FIG. 1 is coupled to the modem
 104. The modem 104 also performs voice communications on the telephone
 line 42 between a subscriber speaking on the telephone instrument 106 and
 a second subscriber coupled to the communications server 122 as described
 previously.
 The modem 104 comprises a line interface circuit 32 coupled to the second
 conductor pair 44. Preferably, the line interface 32 comprises various
 circuits commonly used in telephony devices such as a "hook" switch, surge
 suppression circuits, impedance matching circuits, a ringing voltage
 detector circuit, and telephony interface transformer. When the computer
 102 desires to connect to the remote data site, the switch in the line
 interface 32 closes (goes off hook) to create a closed circuit with the CO
 at the other end of the telephone line 42 for the purpose of making a
 telephone call. When the switch closes (hook goes off hook), the line
 interface 32 draws current on the second conductor pair 44, as will be
 discussed below. A full-duplex analog signal passes through the line
 interface 32 between the telephone line 42 and a data pump 20 coupled to
 the line interface 32.
 Data pumps are well known in the art of modem design. In one embodiment,
 the data pump 20 is a Lucent Technologies M-1634. The data pump performs
 the functions, among others, of modulating digital data for transmission
 as an analog signal on the second conductor pair 44 and demodulating
 modulated data received from the second conductor pair 44 into digital
 data. Preferably, the data pump 20 comprises an interface for transferring
 data frames, or data packets, between an interface comprised in a
 controller 24.
 The controller 24 performs various control functions of the modem 104.
 Preferably, the modem 104 is a Digital Simultaneous Voice-Data (DSVD)
 modem, and the controller 24 demultiplexes simultaneously transmitted,
 i.e., multiplexed, speech and data frames received from a far end DSVD
 modem comprised in the communications server 122. The controller 24 is
 operable to receive compressed speech frames, i.e., voice encoded speech,
 from the data pump 20 and provide the data frames to a codec 28 coupled to
 the controller 24. The controller 24 is also operable to receive
 compressed speech frames from the codec 28 and provide the compressed
 speech frames to the data pump 20. Preferably, the controller 24 is also
 operably coupled to the computer 102. In one embodiment, the controller 24
 is coupled to the computer 102 by an expansion bus, such as an Industry
 Standard Architecture (ISA) or Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
 bus, through bus interface circuitry. The controller 24 receives data from
 and sends data to the computer 102 for exchange with the communications
 server 122.
 In particular, the controller 24 is operable to execute instructions to
 control the codec 28 and data pump 20 to provide the user a means to
 receive telephone calls on the telephone line 42 while performing data
 transfers with the communications server 122 on the telephone line 42. The
 controller 24 comprises any processor device which is capable of executing
 a stored program of instructions including a task within computer 102.
 Preferably, the controller 24 comprises a processor, such as a
 microprocessor core and peripheral devices, such as the asynchronous
 serial interface. In one embodiment, the controller 24 is a Zilog Z80182
 microcontroller.
 Preferably, the stored program instructions which the controller 24
 executes are comprised within a memory (not shown), such as a read-only
 memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH
 memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory
 (SRAM), among others, or a combination thereof. The memory is used to
 store programs instructions and data executed by the controller 24. The
 memory comprises frame buffers used to buffer frames received from the
 data pump 20 before being provided to the codec 28, and to buffer frames
 received from the codec 28 before being provided to the data pump 20.
 Preferably, the asynchronous serial port on the controller 24 receives
 bytes or blocks of data, and the controller 24 places the bytes or blocks
 of data into one of the frame buffers until an entire frame has been
 placed into the buffer. The memory may be comprised within or without the
 controller 24.
 Codecs, such as codec 28, are well known in the art of voice encoded
 speech. Preferably, the codec 28 comprises an AT&T 1635. The codec 28
 performs, among others, encoding of speech received from the telephone 106
 and providing the compressed speech frames to the controller 24. The codec
 28 further receives compressed speech frames from the controller 24 and
 decodes the compressed speech frames back into analog voice signals which
 are provided to the telephone 106 for reproduction to the subscriber.
 In one embodiment, a compressed speech frame comprises 39 characters, or
 bytes. Of the 39 bytes, 32 of the bytes comprise voice encoded speech, 5
 of the bytes comprise standard protocol control bytes, such as v.42
 protocol bytes, and 2 bytes comprise voice frame specific control bytes.
 Preferably, the standard protocol bytes comprise error checking and/or
 error correction bytes, such as cyclic redundancy code (CRC) bytes. The
 voice encoded speech bytes comprise parameters which specify an encoded
 representation of the speech received by the codec 28 from the telephones
 106 and 13 or received from the remote data site via the telephone line
 42.
 As discussed previously, the communications server 122 sends one or more
 data frames to the modem 104 to notify the modem 104 of an telephone call
 placed to the telephone line 42 telephone number. Preferably, the data
 frame conforms to the compressed speech frame format just described.
 Preferably, a code indicating the incoming telephone call is placed by the
 communication server 122 in one or both of the 2 voice frame specific
 control bytes or is placed in one or more of the 5 standard protocol
 control bytes.
 The codec 28 is coupled to a Central Office (CO) simulator circuit 30. The
 CO simulator 30, also referred to as a telephone instrument interface
 circuit herein, simulates a portion of the operations of the CO of the
 PSTN. This is necessary since the employment of the wiring device 38
 causes the telephones 106 and 13 to no longer be coupled to the CO. In
 particular, the CO simulator 30 comprises circuitry for detecting on hook
 and off hook conditions generated by telephone 106 and/or telephones 13.
 The CO simulator 30 communicates the detection of on and off hook
 conditions to the controller 24. Preferably, the CO simulator 30 comprises
 a ring generator for ringing the telephones 13 and 106.
 A relay 22 is coupled to the CO simulator 30, the first conductor pair 46,
 and the second conductor pair 44 as shown. When the switch in the line
 interface 32 is open, i.e., the modem 104 is not in use, the relay 22
 connects the first conductor pair 46 to the second conductor pair 44. Thus
 in an on-hook condition, the telephones 106 and 13 are connected to the
 telephone line 42, through the first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44,
 to operate as they would in the absence of the wiring device 38 and modem
 104. In particular, when the CO generates a ringing voltage on the
 telephone line 42, the ringing voltage reaches the telephones 106 and 13
 to ring their ringers. Likewise, when the telephones 106 and 13 generate
 off-hook or on-hook conditions, i.e., open or closed circuits, the
 conditions are sensed by the CO at the far end of the telephone line 42.
 Furthermore, voice signals travel through the first conductor pair 46,
 through the relay 22, through the second conductor pair 44, through the
 wiring device 38, and through the telephone line 42 between the CO and
 telephones 106 and 13. It is noted that this function of the relay 22 is
 advantageous in the event of a loss of power to the modem 104, whereby the
 telephones 13 are operable to function as they would in the absence of the
 wiring device 38 and modem 104.
 When the switch in the line interface 32 is closed, i.e., the modem 104 is
 in use, the relay 22 connects the first conductor pair 46 to the CO
 simulator 30, rather than the second conductor pair 44. When the CO
 simulator 30 is connected to the telephones 106 and 13, the ring generator
 in the CO simulator 30 is capable of ringing the telephones 13 and 106.
 The ring generator is controlled by the controller 24 to ring the
 telephones 13 and 106 at the appropriate time. In particular, when the
 controller 24 detects signals indicating that a call is coming in on the
 telephone line 42, such as a data packet indicating an incoming call, the
 controller 24 instructs the CO simulator ringing circuit to generate a
 ringing signal, i.e., a ringing voltage. Preferably, when the controller
 24 is performing data communications with the communications server 122,
 the communications server 122 transmits a data packet to the modem 104
 which includes command codes indicating a ring signal, as previously
 discussed. That is, the communications server 122 attempts to place a call
 to the modem 104 to perform voice communications by sending a data frame
 including the appropriate command code understood by the modem 104 to be a
 ring signal. The relay 22 advantageously prevents the CO simulator 30 from
 being coupled to the actual CO in the PSTN.
 In one embodiment, the relay 22 comprises a double pole double throw relay
 as shown in FIG. 6. The relay 22 may comprise electromechanical,
 electrical, or preferably, optoelectronic relay devices. Preferably, the
 relay 22 is controlled by a line current sensing circuit 31. The circuit
 31 senses current draw by the line interface 32 on the second conductor
 pair 44. When current draw is sensed, the relay 22 connects the first
 conductor pair 46 to the CO simulator 30, and thus to the telephones 13
 and 106. However, when current draw is not sensed, the relay 22 connects
 the first conductor pair 46 to the second conductor pair 44, thereby
 connecting the telephones 106 and 13 to the telephone line 42. FIG. 6 also
 shows a modular connector used to connect the first and second conductor
 pairs 46 and 44 to the modem 104.
 Although the relay 22 and relay control circuit 31 are shown to be
 comprised within the modem 104 in FIG. 4, it is noted that the relay 22
 and relay control circuit 31 may be comprised outside of the modem 104. In
 one embodiment, the relay 22 and relay control circuit 31 are comprised
 within a second wiring device, which is coupled between the modem 104 and
 the first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44.
 Preferably, the second wiring device further comprises a ring generator or
 ring booster circuit for ringing the telephones 13. The relay 22 is
 coupled between the first conductor pair 46 and the ring generator. This
 embodiment advantageously alleviates the ring generator in the CO
 simulator 30 from having a powerful enough ring generator to ring all of
 the telephones 13 in the event that there are many telephones 13.
 Furthermore, where the telephone instrument 106 does not have a ringer,
 e.g., a headset telephone device comprising only a speaker and microphone,
 the CO simulator 30 is alleviated from having a ring generator at all.
 This is particularly advantageous where the modem 104 is comprised within
 an environment allowing restricted power consumption or space. An example
 of such an environment is in a notebook computer. In one embodiment, the
 modem 104 is a PCMCIA modem, for example. Preferably, the subscriber is
 notified of an incoming call by the computer 102 to which the modem 104 is
 coupled. For example, the computer 102 may beep, simulate the sound of a
 telephone ringing, and/or notify the subscriber in a graphical manner on
 the computer screen of the incoming call.
 FIG. 7--Alternate Embodiment
 Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram is shown of a telecommunications
 system including the wiring device 38 of FIG. 3 according to an alternate
 embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 7 is similar
 to that of FIG. 4, and corresponding circuit portions are numbered
 identically for simplicity and clarity. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the
 relay 22 and relay control circuit 31 are comprised in a second wiring
 device 54, as shown. The second wiring device 54, is coupled between the
 modem 104 and the first and second conductor pairs 46 and 44.
 Preferably, the second wiring device 54 further comprises a ring generator,
 included in a CO simulator 30, for ringing the telephones 13. The relay 22
 is coupled between the first conductor pair 46 and the ring generator. The
 second wiring device 54 couples the second conductor pair 44 to the modem
 104.
 In this embodiment, the modem 104 may be a conventional modem as are well
 know in the art of modem design. In particular, the conventional modem
 does not necessarily comprise the CO simulator 30 and relay 22, and/or
 codec 28. Rather, the modem 104 is capable of performing data
 communications between the computer 102 and the remote data site. That is,
 the modem 104 is capable of receiving a data stream from the computer 102,
 modulating the data stream, and transmitting the modulated data stream on
 the telephone line 42 to the remote data site. Conversely, the modem 104
 is capable of receiving a modulated data stream from the telephone line 42
 and demodulating the received modulated data stream into a data stream to
 provide to the computer 102.
 In this embodiment, the first subscriber speaks into a microphone 52 of the
 computer 102 and listens via a speaker 50 of the computer 102. Preferably,
 the microphone 52 and speaker 50 are comprised as part of a sound card or
 other audio device of the computer 102. The audio device receives the
 first subscriber's speech and transforms the speech into digital voice
 data. Preferably, the computer 102 transforms the digital voice data into
 another format, such as encoded and/or compressed voice data. The
 subscriber's speech may be encoded by various techniques, such as GSM
 encoding techniques, voice encoding techniques, etc.
 The computer 102 then multiplexes the encoded voice data with other data
 into a data stream. The other data is the data of the data communications
 being performed between the computer 102 and the remote data site, such as
 Internet data. The multiplexed data stream is then provided to the modem
 104. The modem 104 transmits the data stream to the remote data site.
 Preferably, the computer 102 packetizes the data stream into a stream of
 data packets, such as Internet Protocol (IP) packets, and provides the
 data packet stream to the modem 104 for modulation and transmission to the
 remote data site. Thus, the encoded voice is transmitted in packets, such
 as IP packets or other packets, to the remote data site. The
 communications server 122, or voice gateway 122 of FIG. 1, at the remote
 data site receives the stream of data packets and de-multiplexes the
 Internet data from the encoded voice data. The voice data is then
 transmitted by the communications server 122 to the second subscriber
 through the PSTN. The Internet data is provided to the data server 124,
 i.e., the Internet.
 Conversely, the communications server 122 receives voice signals from the
 second subscriber and converts the voice signals into data. The
 communications server 122 also receives data from the data server 124. The
 communications server 122 multiplexes the voice and data into a data
 stream and sends the data stream to the modem 104 on the telephone line
 42. The modem receives the data stream and provides it to the computer
 102. The computer 102 de-multiplexes the Internet data and speech data. If
 the speech data is encoded, preferably, the computer processor decodes the
 speech. The computer 102 provides the decoded speech to the audio device
 which plays the speech on the computer's speaker 50.
 Thus, the first subscriber performs voice communications with the second
 subscriber coupled to the communications server 122 through the PSTN on
 the telephone line 42 while performing data communications with the remote
 data site on the telephone line 42.
 Where the remote data site is an ISP, when the subscriber dials up the ISP,
 an Internet connection is established between the subscriber and the ISP,
 such as a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Serial Line Internet Protocol
 (SLIP) connection. When the Internet connection is established, the ISP
 creates an IP address for the subscriber. When the ISP receives a
 telephone call directed at the subscriber but which was forwarded to the
 ISP, as previously described, the ISP matches the incoming call to the
 created IP address. The ISP then sends a signal indicating the incoming
 call to subscriber's computer 102. Preferably, the signal indicating the
 incoming call comprises data in one or more data packets, such as IP
 packets. The computer 102 receives the packet indicating the incoming call
 and notifies the subscriber of the incoming call. Preferably, the computer
 102 notifies the subscriber of the incoming call visibly, such as via an
 icon on the computer's display screen, or audibly, such as via the speaker
 50.
 Furthermore, when the computer 102 receives the packet indicating the
 incoming call, the computer 102 controls the ringer in the wiring device
 54 to generate a ringing voltage to ring the telephone extensions 13.
 Thus, the subscriber may advantageously be notified of the incoming call
 in the event that the subscriber is not situated so as to detect the
 notification of the incoming call from the computer 102, such as the
 visual or audible notification. That is, rather than the modem 104
 detecting the data packet indicating the incoming call and in response
 controlling the ring generator, as in the embodiment of FIG. 4, in the
 embodiment of FIG. 7, the computer 102 detects the data packet indicating
 the incoming call and in response controls the ring generator to ring the
 extensions 13.
 Various means are contemplated for the computer 102 to control the ring
 generator to ring the telephones 13. Exemplary means are recited here for
 illustration purposes, although other means may be apparent to one skilled
 in the art. The computer 102 may control the ring generator by means of an
 interface, such as a serial, parallel, Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE
 1394 or other such interface coupled between the computer 102 and the
 wiring device 54, as shown. Furthermore, the computer 102 may control the
 ring generator through the modem 104. Furthermore, the computer 102 may
 include an expansion card which couples to an expansion slot in the
 computer 102, wherein the expansion card interfaces to the ring generator
 to control the ring generator in response to being programmed by the
 computer 102. Preferably, the various operations described which are
 performed by the computer 102 are performed, at least in part, by software
 executing on the computer 102.
 In one embodiment, the remote data site provides information to the
 subscriber's computer 102 which identifies the caller of the incoming
 call. When the computer 102 provides the subscriber with the indication of
 the incoming call, the computer 102 also identifies the caller who placed
 the incoming call, such as on the computer's display screen or audibly via
 the speaker 50. Thus, the subscriber may advantageously selectively answer
 the call.
 Conclusion
 Therefore, a system is shown which enables a subscriber to receive incoming
 telephone calls on a telephone line and ring all of the telephones
 connected to a first conductor pair inside the subscriber's premises,
 wherein the first conductor pair would have normally been connected to the
 line. The telephones may be rung even when the subscriber is performing
 data communications with a remote data site on the telephone line. This
 obviates the necessity of the subscriber having to purchase a second
 telephone line for incoming calls while data communications are being
 performed, thus reducing access costs. The system and method shown
 advantageously employs a wiring device to reroute the telephone line from
 the first conductor pair, which is connected to the telephones, to a
 second conductor pair, which is normally only used to connect to a second
 telephone line if purchased. The system and method further employs a modem
 which receives telephone signals from the telephone line via the second
 conductor pair. The modem comprises a Central Office simulator circuit
 coupled to the first conductor pair which regenerates the telephone
 signals, such as a ringing signal, to the telephones via the first
 conductor pair in response to an indication of an incoming call on the
 second conductor pair.
 Although the system and method of the present invention has been described
 in connection with the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to be
 limited to the specific form set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is
 intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as
 can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as
 defined by the appended claims.