Network telephone device, external connection card and communication method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10362175-B2
Application number	US-201715679167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A network telephone device, an external connection card, and a communication method therefor are provided. The network telephone device includes a controller, a network connection port, a network transmission module and a relay. The relay is coupled between the controller and at least two of a plurality of pins of the network connection port. While an external network cable connected to the network connection port is not capable of supplying power over Ethernet (POE) or a power supply mode of the POE is a first mode of the POE, the relay connects a transmit node and a receive node of the controller to the at least two of the pins respectively. The controller and an external device connected to the external network cable transmit signals compatible with a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) interface to transmit data or instructions with each other through the at least two of the pins of the network connection port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network telephone device, comprising:
a controller, configured to process signals compatible with a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface and comprising a transmit node and a receive node;
a network connection port, comprising a plurality of pins;
a network transmission module, coupled to all or some of the pins of the network connection port; and
a relay, coupled between the controller and at least two of the pins of the network connection port,
wherein when a power supply mode of an external network cable connected to the network connection port is a first mode of powering over the Ethernet, the relay connects the transmit node and the receive node of the controller respectively to the at least two of the pins of the network connection port, and the controller and an external device connected to the external network cable transmit the signals compatible with the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface to transmit data or instructions with each other through the at least two of the pins.

2. The network telephone device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network transmission module performs Ethernet transmission with four of the pins of the network connection port, and a type of the Ethernet is 100BASE-T or 10BASE-T.

3. The network telephone device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the relay is connected to a fourth pin, a fifth pin, a seventh pin, and an eighth pin of the network connection port,
when the external network cable connected to the network connection port is incapable of supplying power over the Ethernet or the power supply mode of the external network cable is the first mode of powering over the Ethernet, the relay connects the transmit node of the controller to the fourth pin and the fifth pin of the network connection port, and connects the receive node of the controller to the seventh pin and the eighth pin of the network connection port.

4. The network telephone device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply mode switcher, coupled to the network connection port to determine whether the power supply mode of the external network cable is the first mode of powering over the Ethernet,
when the power supply mode switcher determines that the power supply mode of the external network cable is not the first mode of powering over the Ethernet, a control signal is transmitted to the relay to disconnect the transmit node and the receive node of the controller from the at least two of the pins.

5. The network telephone device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network transmission module comprises:
a transformer, coupled to a first pin, a second pin, a third pin, and a sixth pin of the network connection port; and
a network transmission IC, performing network telephone communication through signals at the first pin, the second pin, the third pin, and the sixth pin of the network connection port provided by the transformer.

6. The network telephone device as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising:
a network power supply control IC, supplied with power by the external network cable connected to the network connection port to supply power to the network telephone device.

7. An external connection card, comprising
a network connection port, comprising a plurality of pins connected to a network telephone device through an external network cable;
an isolation IC, coupled to at least two of the pins of the network connection port and converting signals at the at least two of the pins into signals in a predetermined voltage range; and
a console IC, coupled to the isolation IC and configured to convert the signals in the predetermined voltage range into signals compatible with a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) interface in response to a power supply mode of an external network cable connected to the network connection port is a first mode of powering over the Ethernet, wherein an external computer connected to the console IC is configured to access the signals compatible with the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface and the external computer and the network telephone device transmit data or instructions with each other through the external connection card.

8. The external connection card as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a first connection node of the isolation IC is coupled to a fourth pin or a fifth pin of the network connection port or is coupled to the fourth pin and the fifth pin, and a second connection node of the isolation IC is coupled to a seventh pin or an eighth pin of the network connection port or is coupled to the seventh pin and the eighth pin.

9. A communication method for a network telephone device and an external device, wherein the network telephone device comprises a controller processing signal compatible with a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface and a network connection port, the communication method comprising:
disposing a relay between the controller and at least two pins of the network connection port;
determining whether a power supply mode of an external network cable connected to the network connection port is a first mode of powering over the Ethernet; and
controlling the relay to respectively connect a transmit node and a receive node of the controller to the at least two pins of the network connection port when the power supply mode of the external network cable is the first mode of powering over the Ethernet, wherein the controller and an external device connected to the external network cable transmit the signals compatible with the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface to transmit data or instructions with each other through the at least two pins.

10. The communication method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
controlling the relay to disconnect the transmit node and the receive node of the controller from the at least two pins when the external network cable is capable of supplying power over the Ethernet and the power supply mode of the external network cable is not the first node of powering over the Ethernet.

Assignees

• Wistron Corp

Inventors

• Lu li-chun

Classifications

• H04M7/006 Primary

  Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer (H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04M3/005

  Interface circuits for subscriber lines (current supply H04M19/00 and subgroups; supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements H04M3/22 and subgroups; in key telephone systems H04M9/006) · CPC title

• H04L12/10

  Current supply arrangements · CPC title

• H04M1/2535

  adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network (Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16) · CPC title

• H04M19/00 Primary

  Current supply arrangements for telephone systems (for selecting-equipment H04Q1/28) · CPC title