Patent ID: 6987480

Claim:
A method of providing communications among a plurality of audio communications systems used onboard ships, the method comprising the steps of: providing a single headset having a left speaker, a right speaker, and a microphone for providing an operator with voice transmission; providing an audio hardware interface comprising: a central processing module for performing input/output control; a network control module for a Wide Area Network WAN; a digital signal processing module for storing, converting, and compressing analog audio signals into a digital signal stream; a switch control module for switching of audio signal between the WAN and the communications systems; an input/output process module for connecting the communications systems; and a time encoder module for performing a global positioning GPS time stamping of audio packets; connecting the audio hardware interface between the plurality of audio communications systems and the single headset for switching discrete audio communications signals from the plurality of audio communications systems and routing the discrete audio signals to one of the left speaker and the right speaker, and from the microphone of the headset in response to a command from an operator; providing an operator control interface comprising a push buttons styled display for viewing by the operator and manual selection of discrete audio communications signals for operating with the headset; providing a graphical user interface operable with the audio hardware interface for controlling the routing and switching of the audio signals, wherein the graphical user interface including scenario control buttons for selection of a desired virtual frequency channel of the WAN for inputs to one of the left speaker and the right speaker and for selection of the audio communication systems selected from a group comprising of a tactical radio telephone system, an interphone system, a sound power telephone system, and a surface ship telephone system; operating the graphical user interface for connection to a first audio communications system and routing a first discrete audio signal to one of the left speaker and the right speaker of the headset; operating the graphical user interface for connection to a second audio communications system and routing a second discrete audio signal to one another of the left speaker and the right speaker of the headset; operating the graphical user interface for connection of the microphone of the headset to a third audio communications system; selecting control buttons of the graphical user interface for communications between the headset and the WAN wherein the communications includes sending and receiving network packets of information across the WAN; and time encoding of a recording of voice communications using the global positioning system for time stamping of audio packets transmitted and received via WAN.