Patent ID: 7606963

Claim:
A multimedia interface device for the transfer of information in a communications network, wherein the multimedia interface device comprises: at least one first connection means to which at least one first communications device, called a first sending device, can get connected by means of a first communications link compliant with a first protocol; at least one second connection means to which at least one second communications device, called a second sending device, can get connected by means of a second communications link compliant with a second protocol; means of connection to a single remote device by means of a single cable constituted by at least one pair, said remote device called a switching device comprising at least switching means between at least two ports, the switching means comprising input memories and transmission memories and being configured to systematically transmit packets stored in each input memory to a respective transmission memory to route packets through the switching device; means to mix the information sent out by said at least two devices into only one stream of information in the form of segments, each segment containing information representing an address of an input memory of the switching means, and being able to contain part of the information sent out by the first device and/or by the second device; and means to transfer the stream of information in the form of segments on said at least one pair of said cable to the switching device to which it is connected according to a third protocol different from the first and second protocols.