Patent ID: 8644303

Claim:
In a communication system coupled to a wide area communication network, a system for providing voice and data communications comprising: a first packet network, wherein packetized data is transferred between the communication system and one or more packet-based devices; at least one time division multiplexed (TDM) network, wherein data is transmitted in frames, each of the frames having a plurality of slots for transmitting data, wherein data transmitted via the TDM network includes data for voice communications to and from one or more of a plurality of telephony devices, wherein the TDM network is selectively coupled to the first packet network and the wide area communication network; a processor and a control bus interface circuit that controls transfer of packetized data to and from the system, and transmittal of the data for voice communications to and from the one or more of the plurality of telephony devices; wherein the processor controls processing of the packetized data and the data for voice communications within the system; wherein a switch/multiplexer selectively controls the providing of data to and from particular slots of particular frames; wherein the processor selectively controls voice communications from one or more telephony devices over the TDM network and packet-based communications over the first packet network, wherein voice communications that stay in a circuit-switched form in the system occur over the TDM network and the wide area communication network.