Voice-over-IP telephone devices and systems

Abstract

A method is provided for operating a network telephone device coupled to a PSTN. When an emergency telephone number is dialed or when power fails, the network telephone device makes a telephone call through the PSTN instead of through a modem dial-up connection to a network telephone service.

1 . A method for dialing an emergency telephone number from a network telephone device coupled to a public switching telephone network (PSTN), comprising: 
 monitoring numbers dialed from the network telephone device;    if a number dialed is the emergency telephone number, operating the network telephone device in an analog mode where a telephone call is made through the PSTN; and    if the number dialed is not the emergency telephone number, operating the network telephone device in at least a digital mode where the telephone call is made through a modem dial-up connection to a network telephone service    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said operating the network telephone device in an analog mode comprises routing analog telephone signals between an analog telephone and the telephone network without network telephone call processing.  
     
     
         3 . A method for dialing a telephone number from a network telephone device coupled to a public switching telephone network (PSTN), comprising: 
 monitoring a power supply to the network telephone device;    if the power supply fails, operating the network telephone device in an emergency mode where a telephone call is made through the PSTN instead of through a modem dial-up connection to a network telephone service;    if the power supply does not fail, operating the network telephone device in at least a digital mode where the telephone call is made through the modem dial-up connection to the network telephone service.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said operating the network telephone device in an analog mode comprises ( 1 ) bypassing network telephone call processing and signaling circuitry and ( 2 ) coupling an analog telephone to the PSTN.  
     
     
         5 . A network telephone device, comprising: 
 a subscriber line/loop interface circuit (SLIC);    a telephony processor coupled to the SLIC, the telephony processor converting outgoing telephone signals from the SLIC into outgoing data packets, the telephony processor further converting incoming data packets into incoming telephone signals to the SLIC;    a dial-up modem coupled to the telephony processor, the dial-up modem comprising a first port for coupling to a telephone network, the dial-up modem converting the outgoing data packets from the telephony processor into outgoing modem signals to the telephone network, the dial-up modem further converting incoming modem signals from the telephone network to the incoming data packets to the telephony processor; and    a switch having a second port for coupling to an analog telephone, a third port coupled to the SLIC, and a fourth port coupled to the first port of the dial-up modem for coupling to the telephone network, wherein the switch couples the second port and the third port in normal operations, and the switch couples the second port and the fourth port in power failures.    
     
     
         6 . A network telephone device, comprising: 
 a subscriber line/loop interface circuit (SLIC) for coupling to an analog telephone;    a telephony processor coupled to the SLIC, the telephony processor converting outgoing telephone signals from the SLIC into outgoing data packets, the telephony processor further converting incoming data packets into incoming telephone signals to the SLIC;    a dial-up modem coupled to the telephony processor and to a telephone network, the dial-up modem converting the outgoing data packets from the telephony processor into outgoing modem signals to the telephone network, the dial-up modem further converting incoming modem signals from the telephone network to the incoming data packets to the telephony processor; and    a personal computer (PC) card interface coupled to the telephony processor, the PC card interface for receiving a PC card.    
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , further comprising the PC card, wherein the PC card is selected from the group consisting of a wireless PC card for communicating with a wireless computer network and a network adapter for communicating with a wired compute network.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the wireless computer network is selected from the group consisting of a Wi-Fi network and a WiMAX network.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the wired computer network comprises an Ethernet network.  
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the computer network includes a broadband connection to the Internet.