Combined telephone pbx and computer data router with pooled resources

Abstract

System resources are pooled and allocated in an optimal manner to handling telephone voice traffic or to handling computer data traffic. A combination of mechanisms is used to achieve higher statistical multiplexing on a network interface by dynamically adjusting the multiplexing. The system: 1) Provides homogeneous access to DS0 trunk resource by both voice and data traffic, resulting in a larger resource pool. 2) Partially normalizes the class of service characteristics of data traffic to make it more predictable and can dynamically adjust the bandwidth such that requests for resources can be honored with a higher success rate, and 3) Maintains multiple qualities of service for multiple voice and data streams drawing from a single resource pool. Data traffic is normalized into flows, each of which has an assigned priority and bandwidth is allocation to each of the flows.

1 . A modular system for interconnecting telephones and computers, said system having a plurality of modules which are interconnected by an Inter Chassis Bus (ICB), said modules including, 
 a port for connection to said ICB,    station input ports for local loops,    trunk input ports for connection to a central telephone switch,    Ethernet input ports for connection to a LAN network,    an Integrated Data Services Network (ISDN) port for connection to an ISDN line,    a first DSP for handling calls on said station input ports,    a second DSP for handling calls on said truck input ports,    A RISC processor for managing the entire system and for allocating resources to specific calls, said RISC processor including a filtering program and a bandwidth adjustment program,    whereby the resources of said system can be efficiently allocated to individual telephony calls or data flows.    
   
   
       2 . The system recited in  claim 1  including a software architecture which allows for multiple service types to combine their resources into a larger, shared resource pool.  
   
   
       3 . The system recited in  claim 1  including means for partially normalizes the class of service characteristics of voice and data traffic, such that the requests for resources for each service are easier to schedule from a single pool.  
   
   
       4 . The system recited in  claim 1  including means to maintain multiple qualities of service for services drawing from a single resource pool.  
   
   
       5 . The system recited in  claim 1  including means to provide the multiple qualities of service on integrated voice and data platforms.  
   
   
       6 . The system recited in  claim 1  including means to improve shared resources multiplexing on integrated voice and data platforms.  
   
   
       7 . A switching system for efficiently transmitting calls from DS0 channels on a first unit to DS0 channels on a second unit through a public telephone system, 
 said system including an electronic medium having embedded thereon:    a flow classification program which classifies data packets into flows and which assigns a bandwidth to each flow,    a filtering program which filters each data flow to account for any mismatch between the bandwidth between which packets in said flow are offered to said system and the bandwidth which is available for said flow whereby some portion of some data traffic is dropped in accordance with a specified priority.    
   
   
       8 . A modular telephone and data switching system that includes a plurality of chassis, each chassis including, 
 means for interconnecting said chassis by means of an Inter Chassis Bus (ICB),    a RISC processor in each chassis,    local loop connection means including a first DSP processor for connecting to local loops,    trunk connection means including a second DSP processor for connecting to trunk lines,    an Ethernet controller for connecting to computers,    a Random Access Memory (RAM) for holding data and programs,    a data bus for connecting for data flow between said units,    a synchronous voice bus for connecting said local loop connection means, said trunk connection means and said ICB.    
   
   
       9 . An electronic medium for use in a system for transmitting calls from DS0 channels on a first unit to DS0 channels on a second unit through a public telephone system, said electronic medium having embedded thereon: 
 a flow classification computer program which classifies data packets into flows and which assigns a bandwidth to each flow,    a filtering computer program which filters each data flow to account for any mismatch between the bandwidth between which packets in said flow are offered to said system and the bandwidth which is available for said flow whereby some portion of some data traffic is dropped in accordance with a specified priority.