Card-based voice messaging system

• Main Authors: Borkovic, Lee Edward, Burke, Edmund Thomas, Cochran, Robert, Grill, Thomas Mark, Johnson, Jr., Everett R, Lane, Michael Stephen, Tannu, Basheer M, Weber, Gary N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.09.2002

The present invention relates generally to communication systems and more particularly to voice messaging systems for use in communication switches or other types of call processing devices. A voice messaging system is implemented using a PCMCIA card or other type of card, and a host call processing device such as a PBX switch. The card includes a processor operative to implement various voice messaging system functions, and a memory for storing voice data used in the voice messaging system. The host call processing device has a socket adapted to receive the card. The card receives voice data from the host call processing device for storage in the memory, and delivers voice data retrieved from the memory to the host call processing device. The voice data is communicated between the card and the host over a custom serial bus which includes a time-division multiplexed voice data line divided into a plurality of time slots, each of the time slots providing a distinct voice data channel at a designated bit rate. The serial bus is configured to include a multiplexer which allows the data to be transferred over address lines of a standard PCMCIA interface between the card and the host call processing device. The card-based voice messaging system also provides features such as dynamic memory allocation, which allows a user to select the number of voice mail boxes supported by the system and the amount of memory allocated to each of the mail boxes, and language selection, which allows a user to select one of a set of languages that are supported by the card-based voice messaging system, with the memory used for unselected languages automatically re-allocated for use as voice mail box storage.