Nortel Networks Corporation

Northern Telecom Limited

Avaya Inc.

Robert Barrie Turnbull

David Jeffrey Westergaard

Alan D Eyre

Brian Clifford McKinney

Bruce W Yee

Michael J Lucas

Alexander Jeffrey Feldman

Robbie Gordon Roberts

David Render

Michel J Brisebois

Timothy Augustus Kuechler

Kristin J Travis

Aaron James Bobick

Susan J McGarry

Michael Pothier

Nathan Lynn Peacock

Piotr T Goszczynski

Timothy Augustines Kuechler

Kejin Huang

Jason Frannea

Trystan Johnson

Telephone handset

Key extension module for telephone

Telephone set

A method and apparatus for a first network device to identify the VLAN for which the first network device is a member. In response to the broadcasting of a discovery request message by the first network device, a second network device transmits a first data message including VLAN information relating to the VLANs configured on the network. From the VLAN information, the first network device determines the VLAN ID of the VLAN in which the first network device is a member.

Method and apparatus for VLAN ID discovery

A method and apparatus for producing an audio tag in response to calling line identification information. The method includes the steps of, receiving calling line identification information from a telephone line, searching a directory, using at least some of the calling line identification information as a search parameter to locate a directory record corresponding to at least some of the calling line identification information, communicating information held in the directory record or in the calling line identification information to a text to speech converter to produce the audio tag.

Text-to-speech driven annunciation of caller identification

A multi-line key telephone system not having a key service unit includes three analog telephone lines to which up to eight, three-line telephones may be connected to provide enhanced service features with cost-effectiveness. System reliability is maintained, notwithstanding a power dependency of the telephones, by including POTS telephones to provide uninterrupted essential telephone service in the event of a power outage. Both data and voice communications between two or more of the three-line telephones is achieved by converting an input digital bit stream from either a digital or analog source into a corresponding out-of-band binary FSK radio frequency output signal that is transceivingly communicated between the three-line telephones as data packets within a TDM frame. The out-of-band signal thus permits analog voice communications on the same line to proceed without interference. A telephone initiating a communications session acts as a master station, establishing inter-station communications synchronous at the frame level and asynchronous at the packet level. The called telephone functions as a slave station in a second time slot synchronized to a first time slot in the TDM frame received from the master. Temporary storage of data in firmware buffers and controlled timing at both the master and slave permits these stations to function within their respective TDM frame time slots.

Key telephone system without common control

A multi-line key telephone system not having a key service unit includes three analog telephone lines to which up to eight, three-line telephones may be connected to provide enhanced service features with cost-effectiveness. System reliability is maintained, notwithstanding the power dependency of the telephones, by including POTS telephones to provide uninterrupted essential telephone service in the event of a power outage. Both data and voice communications between two or more of the three-line telephones is achieved by converting an input digital bit stream from either a digital or analog source into a corresponding out-of-band binary FSK radio frequency output signal that is transceivingly communicated between the three-line telephones as data packets within a TDM frame. The out-of-band signal thus permits analog voice communications on the same line to proceed without interference. A telephone initiating a communications session acts as a master station, establishing inter-station communications synchronous at the frame level and asynchronous at the packet level. The called telephone functions as a slave station in a second time slot synchronized to a first time slot in the TDM frame received from the master. Temporary storage of data in firmware buffers and controlled timing at both the master and slave permits these stations to function within their respective TDM frame time slots.

A multi-line key telephone system not having a key service unit includes three analog telephone lines to which multiple telephone stations may be connected for enhanced communications between stations. Each station is connected by a modem to a single telephone line and includes a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) communicating with the modem, a microprocessor and a digital signal processor for effecting voice and data transfers and communicating time division multiplex protocol control to another telephone station on the same line. The UART includes a synchronizer with a master clock for defining positions of voice and data packets within a TDM frame having a predetermined data bit structure, and a receiver for acquiring a first valid packet header and start bit and issuing a sync pulse to adjust the master clock to conform to the timing of a new communication session. A receive data register in the UART temporarily stores data packets indexed to a first position within a TDM frame, and a receive voice buffer accumulates and temporarily stores voice packets indexed to a second position within the TDM frame. Transmitted data and voice packets are initially accumulated and stored as data and voice bytes in respective transmit data and voice registers of the UART from which the bytes are coupled to a transmitter for packetizing and subsequent transmission to the telephone line via the modem under control of the synchronizer.

A method of operating a subscriber terminal to provide a flexible tapeless personalized auto-attendant telephone by means of measuring ring cadence of an incoming telephone call; and selecting one outgoing message in response to the ring cadence and playing it after a predetermined number of rings. The method also provides for the selection of group greetings and mailboxes automatically, for example, based on CLID and name match in a directory.

Flexible, tapeless, personalized auto-attendant telephone

A circuit for use with a SCWID adjunct to remove A.C. in-band signaling tones from the voice path to a telephone apparatus serially connected to the adjunct. The A.C. signal component is carried on top of the D.C. voltage used to power the telephone. The circuit includes means to monitor the D.C. voltage level and to pass this voltage substantially unchanged to the telephone. The A.C. signal in the form of a FSK tone, received from the central office, is used by the adjunct to provide a subscriber with call feature information such as the identity of a calling party while the telephone is off-hook.

Method and apparatus for removing FSK in-band signaling

A method of operating a microprocessor controlled telephone set having a microcomputer, user-data memory, and a plurality of function-keys, comprising the steps of: accessing said user data memory by defining a set of utility functions in a physical access module; translating a logical access request originated by a user of said telephone set to a corresponding utility function; and generating a logical access request in response to activation of a function-key.

Method of operating a microprocessor controlled telephone set

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

Robert Barrie Turnbull