Patent ID: 7751347

Claim:
A data converging appliance, for converging at least one media format with at least one other media format, comprising: a) a first data input/output (I/O) port for receiving and transmitting data of a first data type to and from a first device having a first device type and being adapted to send and receive data of said first data type, said first device being operably connected to said first I/O port; b) a second data (I/O) port for receiving and transmitting data of a second data type to and from a second device having a second device type and being adapted to send and receive data of said second data type, said second device being operably connected to said second I/O port; c) a third data (I/O) port for receiving and transmitting data of at least one of said first data type and said second data type to and from a third device adapted to send and receive data of at least one of said first data type and said second data type, said third device being operably connected to said third I/O port; and d) means for formatting data disposed between at least two of said first, second, and third I/O ports for formatting data from at least one of said first, second and third devices into a form compatible with at least one other of said first, second, and third devices, thereby allowing synchronous delivery of a plurality of formatted data types; at least two of said first, second, and third devices being used substantially simultaneously by a single user for concurrently sending and receiving data of said first and second data types on at least two respective ones of said first, second, and third devices.