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Claims  |
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The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A telecommunication system for bidirectional communication of voice and
visual data via a plain old telephone system (POTS) connection,
comprising:
an agent station having:
(a) agent visual data generating means for generating agent visual data;
(b) agent visual data display means for displaying visual data;
(c) an agent telephone;
(d) agent modem means for:
(1) transmitting visual data from said agent visual data generating means
into said POTS, including tone generator means for generating signal tones
on said POTS associated with said agent visual data including a start tone
to indicate that visual data is about to be transmitted, flag signals, and
rate signals to indicate the rate at which said visual data will be
transmitted on said POTS; and
(2) receiving visual data from said POTS and transmitting it to said agent
visual data display means, including tone detector means for detecting the
start tone, flag signals and rate signals associated with said visual data
received from said POTS;
(e) agent directional coupler means positioned between said POTS, said
agent telephone, and said agent modem means for transmitting signals
bidirectionally between said POTS and said agent telephone, for
transmitting signals from said POTS to said agent modem means, and for
inhibiting signal transfer between said agent telephone and said agent
modem means;
(f) agent by-pass relay means positioned between said POTS and said agent
directional coupler means for connecting and disconnecting said agent
directional coupler and said agent telephone to and from said POTS; and
(g) agent microcontroller means for actuating said agent by-pass relay
means to disconnect said agent telephone from said POTS in response to
being signalled by said agent modem means that a start tone has been
received, and for responding to said rate signals received by said agent
modem means by generating signals to set said agent modem means to receive
data at the rate indicated by said received rate signals, and then
reconnecting said agent telephone to said POTS after said visual data has
been received; and
a subscriber station having:
(a) subscriber visual data generating means for generating subscriber
visual data;
(b) subscriber visual data display means for displaying visual data;
(c) a subscriber telephone;
(d) subscriber modem means for:
(1) transmitting subscriber visual data from said subscriber visual data
generating means into said POTS, including tone generator means for
generating subscriber signal tones on said POTS associated with said
subscriber visual data including a subscriber start tone to indicate that
visual data is about to be transmitted, subscriber flag signals, and
subscriber rate signals to indicate the rate at which said subscriber
visual data will be transmitted on said POTS; and
(2) receiving agent visual data from said POTS and transmitting it to said
subscriber visual data display means, including tone detector means for
detecting the agent start tone, agent flag signals and agent rate signals
associated with said agent visual data received from said POTS;
(e) subscriber directional coupler means positioned between said POTS, said
subscriber telephone, and said subscriber modem means for transmitting
signals bidirectionally between said POTS and said subscriber telephone,
for transmitting signals from said POTS to said subscriber modem means,
and for inhibiting signal transfer between said subscriber telephone and
said subscriber modem means;
(f) subscriber by-pass relay means positioned between said POTS and said
subscriber directional coupler means for connecting and disconnecting said
subscriber directional coupler and said subscriber telephone to and from
said POTS; and
(g) subscriber microcontroller means for actuating said subscriber by-pass
relay means to disconnect said subscriber telephone from said POTS in
response to being signalled by said subscriber modem means that said agent
start tone has been received, and for responding to said agent rate
signals received by said subscriber modem means by generating signals to
set said subscriber modem means to receive data at the rate indicated by
said agent rate signals, and then reconnecting said subscriber telephone
to said POTS after said agent visual data has been received.
2. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein said agent modem means
is set up to receive and demodulate said subscriber visual data and to
send demodulated visual data to said agent microcontroller means, and
wherein said agent microcontroller means is programmed to receive said
demodulated subscriber visual data, to form the demodulated subscriber
visual data into sets, and to transmit the sets of demodulated subscriber
visual data to said agent visual data display means, and to recognize the
end of a transmission of subscriber visual data.
3. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein said agent station
further comprises agent local disconnect relay means positioned between
said agent directional coupler means and said agent telephone for
connecting and disconnecting said agent directional coupler means to and
from said agent telephone, wherein said agent local disconnect relay means
is connected to said agent microprocessor means, and wherein said agent
microprocessor means is programmed to actuate said agent local disconnect
relay means to disconnect said agent directional coupler means from said
agent telephone in response to said subscriber start tone on said POTS.
4. The telecommunication system of claim 3, wherein said agent station
further comprises agent local power supply/tone generator means connected
to said agent local disconnect relay means for providing local power and
local audio tone to said agent telephone when said agent local disconnect
relay means is actuated to disconnect said agent telephone from said POTS.
5. The telecommunication system of claim 4, wherein said agent station
includes agent high pass filter means positioned between said agent
directional coupler means and said agent modem means for establishing a
low frequency limit and for blocking frequencies lower than said low
frequency limit from reaching said agent modem means.
6. The telecommunication system of claim 5, wherein said agent station
includes agent limiter means for establishing a high amplitude limit and
for prohibiting signal amplitudes high than said high amplitude limit from
reaching said agent modem means.
7. The telecommunication system of claim 6, wherein said agent modem means
includes agent automatic gain control means positioned between said agent
limiter means and said agent tone detector means for adjusting amplitude
of signals within limits acceptable to said agent tone detector means.
8. The telecommunication system of claim 7, wherein said agent station
includes agent isolation relay means connected to said agent
microcontroller means and positioned between said agent directional
coupler means and said agent high pass filter means for isolating said
agent modem means from said agent directional coupler means, said agent
microcontroller means being programmed to actuate said agent isolation
relay means to isolate said agent modem means from said agent directional
coupler means when said subscriber start tone is detected on said POTS.
9. The telecommunication system of claim 8, wherein said agent station
includes agent summing means positioned between said agent high pass
filter means and said agent limiter means and between said agent by-pass
relay means and said agent limiter means for connecting said agent modem
means to said agent by-pass relay means, and for summing the signal output
by said agent modem means with the output of said agent high pass filter
means.
10. The telecommunication system of claim 9, wherein said agent by-pass
relay means has a default mode in which said agent directional coupler
means is connected to said POTS when said agent by-pass relay means is not
powered, and wherein said agent local disconnect relay means has a default
mode in which said agent telephone is connected to said agent directional
coupler means when said agent local disconnect relay means is not powered.
11. The telecommunication system of claim 10, wherein said agent isolation
relay means has a default mode in which said agent modem means is
connected to said agent directional coupler means when said agent
isolation relay means is not powered.
12. The telecommunication system of claim 11, wherein said agent modem
means includes agent data transmitting means for transmitting an agent
acknowledgement signal to said subscriber station upon receipt of said
subscriber visual data by said agent station.
13. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber modem
means detects a telephone ring signal on said POTS and goes off-hook and
said subscriber station further comprises memory means for receiving and
storing said agent visual data for later delivery to said subscriber
visual data display means.
14. The telecommunication system of claim 1, including an automatic
answering and voice recording machine connected to said subscriber
telephone for automatically going off-hook in response to a telephone ring
signal on said POTS and for recording voice communications on said POTS.
15. A telecommunication system for sequentially transmitting voice and
visual communications via a plain old telephone system (POTS) connection,
comprising:
an agent station having:
(a) agent visual data generating means for generating agent visual data;
(b) agent transfer means connected to said agent visual data generating
means for transmitting said agent visual data into said POTS; and
(c) agent tone generator means for generating signal tones on said POTS
associated with said agent visual data including:
(1) an agent start tone to indicate that agent visual data is about to be
transmitted;
(2) agent flag signals; and
(3) agent rate signals to indicate the rate at which said agent transfer
means will transmit said agent visual data on said POTS; and
a subscriber station having:
(a) subscriber visual data display means for displaying agent visual data
from said agent station;
(b) a subscriber telephone;
(c) subscriber modem means for receiving said agent visual data and
transmitting it to said subscriber visual data display means, and
including means for detecting said agent start tone, said agent flag
signals and said agent rate signals;
(d) subscriber directional coupler means positioned between said POTS, said
subscriber telephone, and said subscriber modem means for transmitting
signals bidirectionally between said POTS and said subscriber telephone,
for transmitting signals from said POTS to said subscriber modem means,
and for inhibiting signal transfer between said subscriber telephone and
said subscriber modem means;
(e) subscriber by-pass relay means positioned between said POTS and said
subscriber directional coupler means for connecting and disconnecting said
subscriber directional coupler and said subscriber telephone to and from
said POTS; and
(f) subscriber microcontroller means for actuating said subscriber by-pass
relay means to disconnect said subscriber telephone from said POTS in
response to being signalled by said subscriber modem means that said agent
start tone has been received, and for responding to said agent rate
signals received by said subscriber modem means by generating signals to
set said subscriber modem means to receive data at the rate indicated by
said agent rate signals, and then reconnecting said subscriber telephone
to said POTS after said agent visual data has been received.
16. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said subscriber modem
means is set up to receive and demodulate said agent visual data and to
send demodulated visual data to said subscriber microcontroller means, and
wherein said subscriber microcontroller means is programmed to receive
said demodulated agent visual data, to form the demodulated agent visual
data into sets, to transmit the sets of demodulated agent visual data to
said subscriber visual data display means, and to recognize the end of a
transmission of agent visual data.
17. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said subscriber
station further comprises subscriber local disconnect relay means
positioned between said subscriber directional coupler means and said
subscriber telephone for connecting and disconnecting said subscriber
directional coupler means to and from and said subscriber telephone means,
and wherein said subscriber local disconnect relay means is connected to
said subscriber microprocessor means and said subscriber microprocessor
means is programmed to actuate said subscriber local disconnect relay
means to disconnect said subscriber directional coupler means from said
subscriber telephone in response to said agent start tone on said POTS.
18. The telecommunication system of claim 17, wherein said subscriber
station further comprises subscriber local power supply/tone generator
means connected to said subscriber local disconnect relay means for
providing local power and local audio tone to said subscriber telephone
when said subscriber local disconnect relay means is actuated to
disconnect said subscriber telephone from said POTS.
19. The telecommunication system of claim 17, wherein said subscriber
by-pass relay means has a default mode in which said subscriber
directional coupler means is connected to said POTS when said subscriber
by-pass relay is not powered, and wherein said subscriber local disconnect
relay means has a default mode in which said subscriber telephone is
connected to said subscriber directional coupler means when said
subscriber local disconnect relay means is not powered.
20. The telecommunication system of claim 15, further comprising subscriber
limiter means for establishing a high amplitude limit and for prohibiting
signal amplitudes higher than said high amplitude limit from reaching said
subscriber modem means.
21. The telecommunication system of claim 20, wherein said subscriber modem
means includes subscriber automatic gain control means positioned between
said subscriber limiter means and said subscriber tone detector means for
adjusting amplitude of signals within limits acceptable to said subscriber
tone detector means.
22. The telecommunication system of claim 15, further comprising subscriber
high pass filter means positioned between said subscriber directional
coupler means and said subscriber modem means for establishing a low
frequency limit and for blocking frequencies lower than said low frequency
limit from reaching said subscriber modem means.
23. The telecommunication system of claim 22, wherein said subscriber
transfer means includes subscriber isolation relay means connected to said
subscriber microcontroller and positioned between said subscriber
directional coupler means and said subscriber high pass filter means for
isolating said subscriber modem means from said subscriber directional
coupler means, said subscriber microcontroller being programmed to actuate
said subscriber isolation relay means to isolate said subscriber modem
means from said subscriber directional coupler means when said agent start
tone is detected on said POTS.
24. The telecommunication system of claim 23, wherein said subscriber
isolation relay means has a default mode in which said subscriber modem
means is connected to said subscriber directional coupler means when said
subscriber isolation relay means is not powered.
25. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said start tone has a
duration of about 200 milliseconds.
26. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said subscriber modem
means includes subscriber data transmitting means for transmitting a
subscriber acknowledgement signal to said agent station upon receipt of
said agent visual data by said subscriber station.
27. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said agent transfer
means includes:
agent modem means for modulating said agent visual data from said agent
visual data generating means and sending the modulated visual data into
said POTS, for modulating said agent flag signals and sending said agent
flag signals into said POTS, and for generating tones for use as said
agent start tone and for use as said agent rate signals; and
agent microcontroller means connected to said agent modem means for
generating said agent flag signals, for controlling actuation and
deactuation of said agent modem means to modulate and send said agent flag
signals, and for controlling actuation and deactuation of said agent modem
means to generate and send said agent start tone and said agent rate
signals.
28. The telecommunication system of claim 27, wherein said agent modem
means includes first agent tone generator means for producing a tone
having a first frequency and second agent tone generator means for
producing a tone having a second frequency, and wherein said subscriber
modem means includes first subscriber tone detector means for detecting a
tone having said first frequency and second subscriber tone detector means
for detecting a tone having said second frequency.
29. The telecommunication system of claim 28, wherein said agent
microcontroller means is programmed to actuate said first agent tone
generator and said second agent tone generator simultaneously to produce
simultaneous tones having said first frequency and said second frequency,
respectively, to comprise said agent start tone.
30. The telecommunication systems of claim 28, wherein said first frequency
and said second frequency are both in the range of about 300 to 3,300 Hz.
31. The telecommunication system of claim 28, wherein said first frequency
is about 2,312.5 Hz.
32. The telecommunication system of claim 28, wherein said second frequency
is about 2,912.5 Hz.
33. The telecommunication system of claim 27, wherein said flag signal
includes six bytes of data.
34. The telecommunication system of claim 27, wherein a byte of said flag
signal comprises a 01111110 byte.
35. The telecommunication system of claim 27, wherein said agent
microcontroller means is programmed to actuate said agent modem means to
modulate and transmit data after said agent modem means produces said
agent start tone and then sequentially to produce said agent flag signal
for modulation and transmission by said agent modem means.
36. The telecommunication system of claim 27, wherein said agent modem
means and said subscriber modem means both have selectable low, medium,
and high data transmitting and receiving rates.
37. The telecommunication system of claim 36, wherein said low data
transmitting and receiving rate is about 300 bits per second.
38. The telecommunication system of claim 36, wherein said medium data
transmitting and receiving rate is about 4,800 bits per second.
39. The telecommunication system of claim 36, wherein said high data
transmitting and receiving rate is about 9,600 bits per second.
40. The telecommunication system of claim 36, wherein said agent
microcontroller is programmed to actuate said agent modem means for
transmitting said agent flag signals at said low rate.
41. The telecommunication system of claim 40, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is programmed to actuate said subscriber modem means
to receive and demodulate data in response to said agent start signal.
42. The telecommunication system of claim 41, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is programmed to actuate said subscriber modem means
to receive and demodulate data at said low rate in response to said agent
start signal.
43. The telecommunication system of claim 42, wherein said agent
microcontroller means is programmed to reconfigure said agent modem means
after said agent flag signals are transmitted to produce and transmit said
agent rate signal on said POTS.
44. The telecommunication system of claim 43, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is programmed with a time limit and is programmed to
determine whether said agent rate signal is received by said subscriber
modem means within said time limit from when said subscriber
microcontroller means reconfigures said subscriber modem means to actuate
first and second subscriber tone detector means and, if not, to return
said subscriber station to a voice mode by outputting signals to actuate
said subscriber by-pass relay means, said subscriber local disconnect
relay means, and said subscriber isolation relay means to reconnect said
subscriber telephone to said POTS, to disconnect said subscriber visual
data receiving means from said POTS, and to disconnect said subscriber
local power supply/tone generator means from said subscriber telephone.
45. The telecommunication system of claim 41, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is programmed with a time limit and is programmed to
determine whether said agent flag signals are received by said subscriber
modem means within said time limit from when said subscriber
microcontroller means reconfigures said subscriber modem means to receive
data and, if not, to return said subscriber station to a voice mode by
outputting signals to actuate said subscriber by-pass relay means, said
subscriber local disconnect relay means, and said subscriber isolation
relay means to reconnect said subscriber telephone to said POTS, to
disconnect said subscriber visual data receiving means from said POTS, and
to disconnect said subscriber local power supply/tone generator means from
said subscriber telephone.
46. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said subscriber modem
means detects a telephone ring signal on said POTS and goes off-hook and
said subscriber station further comprises memory means for receiving and
storing said agent visual data for later delivery to said subscriber
visual data display means.
47. The telecommunication system of claim 15, including an automatic
answering and voice recording machine connected to said subscriber
telephone for automatically going off-hook in response to a telephone ring
signal on said POTS and for recording voice communications on said POTS.
48. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said subscriber
visual display means includes an agent computer with source data
generating means for generating a source display of visual source data,
and reformatting means for capturing designated portions of said source
display and for converting the captured portions into a target display of
said agent visual data, which target display has different visual content
and appearance than said source display.
49. The telecommunication system of claim 48, wherein said agent visual
data generating means includes agent visual data display means connected
to said agent computer for displaying said source display in a visually
perceptible manner, and wherein said agent computer includes a data
interface port connected to said agent transfer means, an interface
circuit for feeding said agent visual data to said data interface port and
to said agent transfer means, and agent send actuating means for actuating
said reformatting means to capture said designated portions of said source
display and to convert them to said target display and for actuating said
interface circuit to feed said target display as agent visual data to said
agent transfer means.
50. The telecommunication system of claim 48, wherein said reformatting
means is actuateable to copy data in designated portions of said source
display and to insert said data into designated portions of said target
display.
51. The telecommunication system of claim 48, wherein said reformatting
means includes conditional criteria for comparing to data in said
designated portions of said source display and screening means for
prohibiting copying of data that does not meet said conditional criteria
into said target display.
52. The telecommunication system of claim 48, wherein said reformatting
means includes conditional criteria for comparing to data in said
designated portions of said source display and to substitute character
strings for insertion into said target display instead of said data in
said designated portions of said source display that meet said conditional
criteria.
53. The telecommunication system of claim 48, wherein said agent computer
includes auxiliary agent data entry means for entering additional data
into said target display that is not in said source display.
54. The telecommunication system of claim 53, wherein said auxiliary agent
data entry means includes a keyboard connected to said agent computer.
55. The telecommunication system of claim 15, wherein said agent tone
generator means produces an agent termination character at the end of each
agent visual data.
56. The telecommunication system of claim 55, wherein said agent
microcontroller means is programmed to select said low data transmitting
and receiving rate when said agent visual data is shorter than a threshold
data length and to select a data transmitting and receiving rate that is
faster than said low data transmitting and receiving rate when said agent
visual data is at least as long as said threshold data length.
57. The telecommunication system of claim 56, wherein said threshold data
length is about four characters.
58. The telecommunication system of claim 56, wherein said agent
microcontroller means is programmed to detect said agent termination
character, to determine the length of said agent visual data preceding
said agent termination character, to compare the length of said agent
visual data to said threshold data length, and to actuate said agent modem
means to produce said agent rate signal that is indicative of the selected
data transmitting and receiving rate.
59. The telecommunication system of claim 58, wherein said agent rate
signal comprises simultaneous tones having both said first and said second
tone frequencies to indicate said high data transmitting and receiving
rate.
60. The telecommunication system of claim 58, wherein said agent rate
signal comprises a single tone having said first tone frequency to
indicate said low data transmitting and receiving rate.
61. The telecommunication system of claim 58, wherein said agent rate
signal comprises a single tone generated at said second tone frequency to
indicate said medium data transmitting and receiving rate.
62. The telecommunication system of claim 55, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is programmed to recognize said agent termination
character as being indicative of the end of said agent visual data and to
generate a subscriber acknowledgement signal in response to said agent
termination character and to send said subscriber acknowledgement signal
to said subscriber modem means for modulation and transmission on said
POTS.
63. The telecommunication system of claim 62, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is also programmed to generate a success report in
response to said agent termination character for display on said
subscriber visual data display means.
64. The telecommunication system of claim 62, wherein said subscriber
microcontroller means is also programmed to recognize when said agent
termination character is not at the end of said agent visual data received
by said subscriber transfer means and to generate an error report for
display on said subscriber visual data display means.
65. The telecommunication system of clai | | |
