Patent ID: 6934278

Claim:
A multimedia interface circuit having ports for interchangeably connecting any one of a plurality of multimedia signal sources including a telephone to a network comprising, a telephone communication interface circuit, including a telephone interface, for receiving a telephone signal from said telephone, for determining if said telephone signal is analog or digital, and for interfacing said telephone signal to said multimedia interface circuit, a signal conditioner receiving the output of said telephone communication interface circuit for providing a compressed and packetized digital telephone signal as an output, a phone environment simulator communicating with said signal conditioner to add an artificially simulated phone environment to said digital telephone signal, a network communication circuit receiving said signal conditioner output for communicating said signal conditioner output to said network, a video port for receiving and transmitting video signals, said signal conditioner receiving the output of said video port, said signal conditioner for compressing and packetizing said video signal, said network communication circuit receiving said video signal output of said signal conditioner, said network communication circuit capable of providing said signal conditioner video output signal to said network, wherein any one of said plurality of multimedia signal sources connected to said multimedia interface circuit can be connected via said network to any of said plurality of multimedia signal sources connected to another said multimedia interface circuit.