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:
Jun. 08, 2004
Filed:
Sep. 25, 2002
Royal Dean Howell, Trimble, MO (US);
William Lyle Wiley, Olathe, KS (US);
Sprint Communications Company, L.P., Overland Park, KS (US);
Abstract
An interworking system and method connects calls through the use of an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch and interworking units. The ATM switch and interworking units may either be controlled by a signaling processor or not controlled by the signaling processor for particular calls to make connections. In some instances the signaling processor processes call signaling to determine connections for calls and transports control messages to the ATM switch and the interworking unit identifying the connections. The interworking unit interworks user communications from time division multiplex (TDM) formats to ATM for the selected ATM connections, and the ATM switch cross connects the user communications for the other selected ATM connections. In other instances, either of the ATM switch or the interworking unit may automatically cross connect or interwork the user connections to a connection without receiving a control message from the signaling processor that identifies the connection.