Rolm Company

Siemens Business Communication Systems, Inc.

Norman Endick

Larry A Stell

William F Dunn, Jr

John C Krause

Tave P Dunn

Joel Q Adams

David C Black

Michael K Kounnas

James B Koehler

Diep N Le

A method and apparatus for connecting remote options to a digital telephone base. Physical and communications protocols for connections and a flexible control scheme which can be as simple or elaborate as a given option requires are provided. The digital telephone includes an option bay connection, having a hierarchical control protocol. The option bay connection makes available several types of information, including: local analog audio, analog voice, digital voice, digital data and telephone control streams.

Option bus

A method and apparatus for connecting a programmable computing device to a digital telephone via an adapter. The digital telephone includes an option bay connection, having a hierarchical control protocol. The option bay connection makes available several types of information including local analog audio, and analog voice, digital voice, digital data and telephone control streams. The adapter passes the telephony control data to and from a programmable computing device such as a personal computer, enabling an application operating on the computing device to control or monitor the operation of the telephone. The adapter includes a microcontroller and an interface for a serial port and can thus be connected to the serial port of the programmable computing device.

Option bus adapter

A system and method of synchronizing visual indicators in digital telephone including at least one attached auxiliary device. Visual indicators on the base telephone and the auxiliary device are first set to an initial state. Later, as various telephony features are activated, corresponding ones of the visual indicators on the base telephone and the auxiliary device are operated at predetermined cadences. When the cadence control mechanism (and thus the visual indicators) of the base telephone reaches a predetermined state, a state machine in the base telephone sends a synchronization message to the auxiliary device and then continues to operate the visual indicators on the base telephone at their predetermined respective cadences. Upon receipt of the synchronization message, the auxiliary device sets its cadence control mechanism to the predetermined state, thus synchronizing them with their like cadence counterparts in the base digital telephone. The auxiliary device then continues to operate its visual indicators at their predetermined respective cadences.

Method of synchronizing LEDS between a digital telephone and remote

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Norman Endick