The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 01, 1998
Michael Sean McCormack, Gloucester, MA (US);
Diana Fayngersh Lee, Concord, MA (US);
Paul Francis Dryer, Tewksbury, MA (US);
Steven Victor Weeks, North Andover, MA (US);
3Com Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A telecommunication apparatus and method for providing packets to at least one of a first and a second network are described. A telephone set connects the first network to the second network. In one embodiment, the telephone set includes two MAC devices. Each MAC device is in electrical communication with one of the two networks via a communication path. In another embodiment, a packet switching device provides the separate communication paths to the two networks. The telephone set forwards packets received from one network to the other network, generates packets from signals locally inputted into the telephone set and forwards such generated packets to at least one of the networks, and performs actions prescribed by packets received by and addressed to the telephone set. Packets addressed to the telephone set may or may not be forwarded.