Patent ID: 7366179

Claim:
A digital telecommunication apparatus comprising: a first port configured to be coupled to a digital communication network; a second port configured to be coupled to a time division multiplexed (TDM) digitized voice communication link; a third port configured to be coupled with a cell-based communication path, over which cell-based digital communications are conducted with a host processor; and a multi-protocol communication interface coupled to said first, second and third ports, and being operative to interface digital communication signal traffic received at said first port and TDM digitized voice signal traffic received at said second port, as cell-based digital communication signals for application to said third port and transport therefrom over said cell-based communication path to said host processor, and to interface each of cell-based digital communication signal traffic and cell-based digitized voice communication signals, received at said third port from said host processor via said cell-based communication path, and destined for delivery to a communication circuit served by said digital communication network, as digitized communication signals for application from said first port to said digital communication network, wherein said multi-protocol communication interface further includes a TDM voice communication link-to-digital communication network transport path, which is operative to interface TDM digitized voice signals, received at said second port from said TDM digitized voice communication link and destined for delivery to a voice communication circuit served by said digital communication network, with said third port and transport therefrom over said cell-based communication path as cell-based digitized voice signals to said host processor, and to interface cell-based digitized voice signals, supplied to said third port over said cell-based communication path from said host processor and destined for delivery to said voice communication circuit served by said digital communication network, as digitized communication signals for application from said first port and transport via said digital communication network to said voice communication circuit, and wherein said TDM voice communication link-to-digital communication network transport path includes a TDM voice communication link input path, coupled between said second and third ports, and being operative to interface TDM digitized voice signals received at said second port as said cell-based digitized voice signals for transport from said third port over said cell-based communication path to said host processor, and a digital communication network output path, coupled between said third and first ports, and being operative to interface cell-based digitized voice signals and digital data traffic, as supplied to said third port via said cell-based communication path from said host processor, as digitized communication signals for application from said first port to said digital communication network.