Keith Raniere's Intelligent Switching System Patent
For use in a teleconferencing system, a user station comprising:
a data port connectable to a user modem capable of transmitting and receiving data signals, a modem loopback impedance, a telephony circuit capable of transmitting and receiving voice communications signals, and a mode selector for alternately connecting the data port and the telephony circuit to a communication path, the mode selector having a data mode position connecting the data port to the communication path and a voice mode position connecting the telephony circuit to the communication path and connecting the data port to the modem loopback impedance, such that in the data mode, data signals can pass between the data port and the communication path, and in the voice mode, voice communications signals can pass between the telephony circuit and the communication path and data signals can loopback to the user modem and wherein the mode selector is responsive to a user control signal from a user digital computer to switch from a data mode to a voice mode and defaults to the data mode in the absence of the user control signal.