Telecommunications system with a switching facility and a data concentrator for providing access to the internet

Abstract

A method of operating a telecommunications system with a switching facility and with subscriber channels over which digital data are transmissible in the form of data packets each including a destination address, and such a telecommunications system are characterized in that the data packets of two or more subscriber channels to be sent to the Internet are combined onto a single concentrating channel.

1. A method of operating a telecommunications system having a switching facility and a plurality of subscriber channels over which data are transmitted in packet form, comprising:
 recognizing calls from subscribers to an internet;  
 at the front end of the switching facility associated with said subscribers, combining those packets of the plurality of subscriber channels that are to be sent to the internet onto a single channel; and  
 in a concentrator, concentrating data incoming on two or more B channels in a single, outgoing channel; wherein two or more devices of the concentrator together control the feeding of packets into at least one concentrating channel, particularly with a view to avoiding and controlling access contention.  
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein two or more concentrating channels are provided, and wherein packets of two or more subscribers are fed into the two or more concentrating channels without fixed assignment to the subscribers. 
     
     
       3. A method of operating a telecommunications system having a switching facility and a plurality of subscriber channels over which data are transmitted in packet form, comprising:
 recognizing calls from subscribers to an internet;  
 at the front end of the switching facility associated with said subscribers, combining those packets of the plurality of subscriber channels that are to be sent to the internet onto a single channel; and  
 in a concentrator, concentrating data incoming on two or more B channels in a single, outgoing channel, wherein the concentrator is configured to switch so as to route data not to be concentrated to associated outgoing B channels.  
 
     
     
       4. A method of operating a telecommunications system configured to transmit data in packet form, the telecommunications system having a switching facility and two or more subscriber channels, comprising:
   recognizing calls on two or more of the subscriber channels to a packet - switching network; and        in a concentrator in the switching facility, receiving packets from the calls on the two or more subscriber channels, monitoring an outgoing channel of the concentrator, and combining received packets from the two or more subscriber channels on said outgoing channel of said concentrator;        wherein said concentrator includes two or more modules, each of which is configured to perform said receiving, said monitoring, and said combining;        wherein said two or more modules perform said monitoring in order to prevent access contention to said outgoing channel of said concentrator, including by detecting traffic pauses on said outgoing channel;        wherein said two or more modules are configured to resolve access contention to said outgoing channel.      
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein said telecommunications system is an ISDN- compatible system, and wherein said two or more subscriber channels include B channels.    
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein said recognizing includes recognizing dialing information entered by a subscriber, wherein said dialing information is indicative of a request to access said packet- switching network.    
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein said packet- switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising transmitting combined packet- based data on said outgoing channel of said concentrator to the said packet - switching network via a selected destination unit, wherein said packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein said telecommunications system is an ISDN system, and wherein said two or more subscriber channels include B channels.  
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising said concentrator combining said packet- based data onto a selected one of a plurality of concentrating channels, and transmitting said combined packet - based data to the packet - switching network via said selected concentrating channel, wherein said packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said combining said packet- based data onto a selected one of a plurality of concentrating channels includes detecting traffic pauses on said selected concentrating channel.    
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said combining said packet- based data onto a selected one of a plurality of concentrating channels includes resolving access contention to said selected concentrating channel.    
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said transmitting includes transmitting said combined packet- based data to the Internet via a destination unit.    
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said transmitting said combined packet- based data to the Internet includes selecting one of a plurality of destination units, and transmitting said combined packet - based data to the Internet via said selected destination unit.    
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising monitoring data traffic through said switching facility.  
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising automatically changing the number of concentrating channels based at least in part on said monitoring of said data traffic.  
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising transmitting packet- based data from the packet - switching network to one of the subscriber channels, wherein said packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising combining packets from two or more subscriber channels in a concentrator remote from the switching facility, and transmitting the remotely combined packet data to the switching facility.  
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising monitoring, in the switching facility, connection setup information in order to determine whether combined packet- based data is to be transmitted to a destination application network adapter located between the switching facility and the packet - switching network, wherein the packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 5 , wherein said combining is performed only when a maximum number of B channels have not been switched to said concentrator and when a subscriber has indicated a request to be connected to said packet- switching network via said concentrator.    
     
     
       21. A telecommunications system configured to transmit packet- based data to a packet - switching network, said system comprising:      a plurality of subscriber channels;        a switching facility configured to receive packet - based data and requests to access said packet - switching network from two or more of said plurality of subscriber channels, said switching facility including:        a concentrator configured to combine packet - based data from two or more of said plurality of subscriber channels onto a concentrating channel, wherein said concentrator includes two or more modules each configured to receive packet - based data from a subscriber channel and to monitor data flow on said concentrating channel in order to combine said received packet - based data onto said concentrating channel for transmission to said packet - switching network, including by detecting traffic pauses on said concentrating channel;        wherein said concentrator is configured to resolve access contention to the concentrating channel.      
     
     
       22. The telecommunications system of  claim 21 , wherein said telecommunications system is an ISDN- compatible system, and wherein said plurality of subscriber channels includes B channels.    
     
     
       23. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , wherein said switching facility is configured to recognize a request to access said packet- switching network by monitoring dialing information entered by a subscriber.    
     
     
       24. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , wherein said switching facility is configured to transmit combined packet- based data to said packet - switching network over a concentrating channel via a data application network adapter, and wherein said packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       25. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , wherein said concentrator is configured to transmit combined packet- based data to said packet - switching network over a selected one of a plurality of concentrating channels, and wherein said packet - switching network is the Internet.    
     
     
       26. The telecommunications system of  claim 25 , wherein said system is configured to transmit said combined packet- based data to the Internet via a data application network adapter associated with the selected one of the plurality of concentrating channels.    
     
     
       27. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , wherein said switching facility further includes a monitoring unit configured to monitor data traffic through said switching facility.  
     
     
       28. The telecommunications system of  claim 27 , wherein said switching facility is configured to use results of monitoring performed by said monitoring unit in order to transmit combined packet- based data to said packet - switching network via a data application network adapter.    
     
     
       29. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , further comprising a remote subscriber unit including a concentrator configured to receive packet- based data from two or more subscriber channels and transmit combined packet - based data to said switching facility.    
     
     
       30. The telecommunications system of  claim 22 , wherein said concentrator is configured to combine received packet- based data when a maximum number of B channels has not been switched to said concentrator and a subscriber has requested access to said concentrator.