KR20030096881A - Multi-port multi-channel bi-directional communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device is proposed, which is designed for use with an information platform with audio I / O capabilities such as PCs, public information stations, mobile phones, network video phones, PDAs and the like. At least one network connection port (such as RJ45 port) and at least one dial for an information platform that is optionally connected to the Internet or PSTN to provide VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone functionality or dial-up phone functionality. -Up-phone connection port (such as RJ11 port). The proposed communication device is characterized by the fact that the VoIP phone function and the dial-up function can be performed in a bidirectional manner; VoIP phone functionality allows for static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone connectivity.

Description

Multi-port multi-channel bi-directional communication device

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to network-based telephony technology, and in particular, an information platform having audio I / O capabilities, such as a personal computer (PC), a public information station, a mobile phone, a network video phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like. Internet or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone functionality or dial-up phone functionality. Multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device having at least one network connection port (such as RJ45 port) and at least one dial-up phone connection port (such as RJ11 port) for an information platform to be selectively connected to a network It is about.

Typical dial-up telephony is based on a public switched telephone network (PSTN) system, which connects a caller's telephone unit to a receiver's telephone unit and uses analog circuitry to transmit and process telephone signals. However, today, digital technology has been integrated into the PSTN system, enabling the use of digital circuits for the transmission and processing of telephone signals.

With the advent of the Internet, a new technology called Voice over Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows telephone users to connect to each other over the Internet rather than the typical PSTN system. In VoIP, callers only need to use a data processing unit with audio I / O and internet connectivity such as a PC or IP phone to dial up the recipient's telephone number over the Internet.

Currently, Internet access methods include ASDLs (asymmetric digital subscriber lines), cable modems, dial-up connections, and the like. Among these methods, the ASDL method uses one single telephone line to transmit high-frequency IP signals and low-frequency dial-up telephone signals, separate these two other signals separately, and transmit them to the PC unit and the dial-up telephone unit, respectively. A gateway unit is used to do this, whereby the dial-up telephone unit can perform a dial-up phone function while the PC unit can perform a VoIP phone function.

However, common techniques can only provide unidirectional switching capability for VoIP telephony, where the common techniques are static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP addresses. Bidirectional exchange capability is not allowed because it cannot provide phone connectivity.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus capable of providing a bidirectional VoIP phone and a dial-up phone connection function.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device capable of providing static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone access functionality. To provide.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus which allows a user to selectively use as a VoIP phone or a dial-up phone.

The multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device of the present invention is an information platform having audio I / O capabilities, such as a personal computer (PC), a public information station, a mobile phone, a network video phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like. Is designed to be used in conjunction with an Internet platform and optionally connects to the Internet or a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to provide dial-up phone functionality. At least one network connection port (such as RJ45 port) and at least one dial-up phone connection port (such as RJ11 port).

In the multi-port multi-channel two-way communication device of the present invention, the VoIP phone function and the dial-up phone function can be performed in a bidirectional manner, and the VoIP phone function is static-to-dynamic and dynamic- It allows for dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone access capability.

The invention will be more fully understood by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application structure of a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal structure of a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is described in detail, for example.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an application structure of a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus 100 of the present invention. As shown, the communication device 100 of the present invention is an information platform having audio I / O capabilities, such as a personal computer (PC), a public information station, a mobile phone, a network video phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like. platform, and having at least one network connection port, such as RJ45 port 101, and at least one dial-up phone connection port, such as RJ11 port 102, wherein a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone For the purpose of allowing the information platform 10 to be selectively connected to the Internet 20 or the PSTN system 30 to provide functionality or dial-up phone functionality, the RJ45 port 101 is an ATU-R unit 20A. And the RJ11 port 102 are used for the connection to the PSTN system 30, while the Internet connection is provided through an Internet connection facility such as ATU-C unit 20B.

When the user selects to use the VoIP phone function, the communication device 100 of the present invention operates to connect the information platform 10 to the Internet 20, and thereafter, via the Internet 20, the PC 21, the PDA ( 22), mobile phone 23, IP phone 24, network video phone 25, public information station 26, etc., to any IP-based telephone unit in the world.

On the other hand, when the user chooses to use the dial-up phone function, the communication device 100 of the present invention operates to operate the desktop telephone unit 31 or GSM (global system for mobile communication) or GPRS (global packet radio service). The information platform 10 is connected to the PSTN system 30 for connection to common dial-up telephone units around the world, such as mobile phones 32 of the type.

In addition to an outgoing call, the communication device 100 of the present invention may receive an incoming call from any telephone unit around the world via the Internet 20 or via the PSTN system 30. . In other words, the communication device 100 of the present invention may provide a bidirectional phone connection function for a user.

2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the communication device 100 of the present invention. As shown, the communication device 100 of the present invention comprises: (a) at least one network connection port, such as an RJ45 port 101; (b) at least one dial-up phone connection port, such as RJ11 port 102; (c) an audio interface 103; (d) keypad 110; (e) switching unit 120; (f) an indication unit 130; (g) IP gateway 140; (h) an IP router 150 and (i) an incoming signal detection unit 160.

The network connection port 101 may be, for example, an RJ45 port or an equivalent, and for the purpose of connecting the communication device 100 of the present invention to the Internet 20, this connection port is the communication device 100 of the present invention. ) Is used to externally connect to Internet access facilities such as ATU-R unit 20A and ATU-C unit 20B.

Dial-up connection port 102 may be, for example, an RJ11 port or equivalent, which is used to externally connect communication device 100 of the present invention to PSTN system 30.

In order to receive an output audio signal from the information platform 10 or to send an incoming call to the information platform 10, the audio interface 103 externally communicates the communication device 100 of the present invention to the information platform 10. Used to connect, the information platform may be a PC, or a public information station, or a mobile phone, or a network video phone, a PDA, or the like. In addition, the audio interface 103 is used to convert the audio signal format of the incoming call into a signal format that can be accepted by an operating system such as Windows or Unix running on the information platform 10.

The keypad 110 includes a VoIP phone key 111 and a dial-up phone key 112, where the VoIP phone key 111 allows the user to manually switch the communication device 100 of the present invention. It operates in phone mode, while dial-up phone key 112 allows the user to manually switch communication device 100 of the present invention to operate in dial-up phone mode.

The switching unit 120 includes a first I / O port 120a, a second I / O port 120b, and a third I / O port 120c, the first I / O port 120a being an IP A second I / O port 120b is connected to the RJ11 port 102 and a third I / O port 120c is connected to the audio interface 103. The switching unit 120 is controlled by the keypad 110 so that when the VoIP phone key 111 is pressed by the user, the switching unit has a third I / O port 120c connected to the first I / O port 120a. While connected, it operates in such a way that the third I / O port 120c is connected to the second I / O port 120b when the dial-up phone key 112 is pressed.

The instruction unit 130 includes a VoIP phone indicator 131 and a dial-up phone indicator 132; Here the VoIP phone indicator 131 will light up when the communication device 100 of the present invention operates in VoIP phone mode, and the dial-up phone indicator 132 indicates that the communication device 100 of the present invention is a dial-up phone. It will light up when operating in mode.

During operation, the user can use the keypad 110 to switch between the VoIP phone operating mode and the dial-up operating mode; That is, when the VoIP phone key 111 is pressed, the keypad switches the communication device 100 of the present invention to operate in the VoIP phone mode, whereas when the dial-up phone key 112 is pressed, the dial- Switch the communication device 100 of the present invention to operate in the up phone mode.

In the VoIP phone mode operation, the keypad 110 operates the indicating unit 130 to light up the VoIP phone indicator 131, while operating the switching unit 120 to operate the first I / O port 120c for the first time. To the I / O port 120a, thereby connecting the audio interface 103 to the IP gateway 140. This is information for transmission to a receiver (PC 21, PDA 22, mobile phone 23, IP phone 24, network video phone 25 or public information station 26) via the Internet 20. Output audio signals from the platform 10 are transmitted to the RJ45 port 101 sequentially through the audio interface 103, the switching unit 120, the IP gateway 140, and the IP router 150. In addition, during operation of this mode, the user can use the IP address configuration module 151 to configure the IP address for the recipient of each outgoing call so that the output audio signal from the information platform 10 is an IP router. May be transmitted to the receiver designated by 150. This allows for static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone access.

On the other hand, in the dial-up phone mode operation, the indicating unit 130 is operated to light up the dial-up phone indicator 132, while the switching unit 120 is operated to reset the third I / O port 120c. 2 is connected to the I / O port 120b, whereby the audio interface 103 is connected to the RJ11 port 102. For transmission to the receiver (desktop telephone unit 31 or mobile telephone 32) via the PSTN system 30, the output audio signal from the information platform 10 is connected to the audio interface 103 and the switching unit 120. To be transmitted to the RJ11 port 102 sequentially.

In addition to the ability of issuing outgoing calls, the communication device 100 of the present invention can also receive incoming calls, including VoIP phone calls and dial-up phone calls; That is, the communication device 100 of the present invention is a PC 21, a PDA 22, a mobile phone 23, an IP phone 24, a network video phone 25 or a public information station (via the Internet 20). Incoming calls from 26 may be received as well as incoming calls from desktop telephone unit 31 or mobile phone 32 via PSTN system 30 as shown in FIG. 1.

Each time the device 100 of the present invention receives an incoming call, it is first detected by the incoming signal detection unit 160 to check whether the incoming call is a VoIP phone call or a dial-up phone call.

If the incoming call is a VoIP phone call, the incoming signal detection unit 160 will light up the VoIP phone indicator 131 to operate the indication unit 130 to inform the user of this condition. In response, the user can immediately press the VoIP phone key 111 to operate the switching unit 120 such that the third I / O port 120c is connected to the first I / O port 120a and thereby. Due to this, the audio interface 103 is connected to the IP gateway 140, so that the incoming signal can be transmitted to the information platform 10.

On the other hand, if the incoming call is a dial-up phone call, the incoming signal detection unit 160 will light up the dial-up indicator 132 to operate the indicating unit 130 to inform the user of this condition. In response, the user can immediately press the dial-up phone key 112 to operate the switching unit 120 such that the third I / O port 120c is connected to the second I / O port 120b and Thus, the audio interface 103 is connected to the RJ11 port 102, so that the incoming signal can be sent to the information platform 10.

In one embodiment of the invention, the VoIP phone indicator 131 and the dial-up phone indicator 132 are disposed next to the VoIP phone key 111 and the dial-up phone key 112, respectively, and thus one of them. When is lit, the user can quickly press the corresponding one of the VoIP phone key 111 and the dial-up phone key 112.

In another embodiment, the incoming signal detection unit 160 and the switching unit 120 may be designed such that the incoming signal detection unit 160 automatically operates the switching unit 120 to switch based on the type of the incoming call. Can be; That is, when the incoming call is an IP phone call, the incoming signal detection unit 160 automatically operates the switching unit 120 to connect the third I / O port 120c to the first I / O port 120a. On the other hand, when the incoming call is a dial-up phone call, the incoming signal detection unit 160 automatically operates the switching unit 120 to connect the third I / O port 120c to the second I / O port ( Will be connected to 120b).

In conclusion, the present invention is a multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device designed for use with an information platform with audio I / O capabilities such as PCs, public information stations, mobile phones, network video phones, PDAs and the like. The device can perform VoIP phone function or dial-up phone function. The communication device of the present invention is characterized by that the VoIP phone function and the dial-up phone function can be used in a bidirectional manner; VoIP phone functionality allows for static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone connectivity. The present invention is therefore more advantageous for use than the prior art.

The present invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments. However, it is understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to include various modifications and similar devices. Accordingly, the claims will be accorded the broadest description so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims (4)

Multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device for use with information platform with audio I / O capability to selectively connect the information platform to the Internet or PSTN system to perform VoIP phone function or dial-up phone function. In the multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device, (a) a network connection port for connection to the Internet; (b) a dial-up phone connection port for connection to a PSTN system; (c) an audio interface for access to the information platform; (d) a keypad including a VoIP phone key and a dial-up phone key; (e) a first I / O port, a second I / O port, and a third I / O port, wherein the first I / O port is connected to a network connection port and the second I / O port is dialed up A switching unit connected to the phone connection port, the third I / O port connected to an audio interface; (f) an indication unit, used to indicate whether the multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication apparatus is currently operating in the VoIP phone mode or the dial-up phone mode; (g) an IP gateway that can be switchably connected to the audio interface by the switching unit to provide an IP gateway function for the output signal from the audio interface; (h) Connect to an IP gateway to provide IP routing for output signals from the IP gateway, and assign IP addresses to IP routers to provide static-to-dynamic and dynamic-to-dynamic IP address phone access capabilities. An IP router comprising an IP address shape module for the purpose; And (i) an incoming signal detection unit connected to receive an incoming call from a network connection port and an incoming call from a dial-up phone connection port, and for detecting whether each incoming call is an IP phone call or a dial-up phone call; Including; If it is an IP phone call, the incoming signal detection unit operates the indicating unit to light up the VoIP phone indicator, whereas if it is a dial-up phone call, the incoming signal detecting unit operates the indicating unit to light up the dial-up phone indicator. Multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device. The multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device according to claim 1, wherein the network connection port is an RJ45 port. The multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device according to claim 1, wherein the dial-up phone connection port is an RJ11 port. The multi-port multi-channel bidirectional communication device of claim 1, wherein the information platform is one of forms including a PC, a public information station, a mobile phone, a network video phone, and a PDA.