Patent ID: 6928072

Claim:
A communications system comprising: a subscriber switching system provided at a subscriber switching station for exchanging telephone calls; a LAN associated with the subscriber switching system, the LAN not being directly connected to an Internet; branching means provided at the subscriber switching station, the branching means having a common terminal point, a first branching terminal point and a second branching terminal point, the common terminal point being connected with a subscriber line at a side of the subscriber switching system, the first branching terminal point being connected with the subscriber switching system, and the second branching terminal point being connected with the LAN, the common terminal point and the first branching terminal point being used in combination for establishing a first path for conventional telephone communications using the subscriber switching system, and the common terminal point and the second branching terminal point being used in combination for establishing a second path for data communications transferred over the LAN; and, at least one information providing server connected to and associated with the LAN, for providing a communication terminal with information through the LAN and the subscriber line.