Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: A mass notification terminal may have a data parser and decoder connected to a communications terminal. Announcements may be transmitted to the communications terminal in the form of linguistic symbols and commands using low bandwidth and low power protocol transmissions. Push transmissions conserve bandwidth. An abstraction of an audio announcement may be transmitted for use with a speech synthesizer. The abstraction may be linguistic symbols such as phenomes, text, or may identify pre-stored clips. The system may provide announcement confirmation. The system may take advantage of communication protocols that have message size limitations. The announcements may be sent in one or more message transmissions. When an announcement is composed of multiple messages, using message sequence numbers and announcement identifications may facilitate grouping and arranging of the messages that make up the announcement.

Abstract: An audio communication system including a communication server with an operator interface coupled to a network and one or more audio communication terminal clients coupled to the network. The communication server is advantageously implemented in a PC based system connected to a network. The network may include the internet. In operation the server may monitor the network for a client connection request issued by one of the audio communication terminal clients. A TCP/IP network connection is established between the communication server and a client after said communication server receives a client connection request. Once the connection is established the server displays an indication of client connection request through operator interface. Alternatively an indication of the client connection request may be presented to the operator. The operator then controls the server based on inputs to the user/operator interface.

Abstract: An audio communication system including a communication server with an operator interface coupled to a network and one or more audio communication terminal clients coupled to the network. The communication server is advantageously implemented in a PC based system connected to a network. The network may include the internet. In operation the server may monitor the network for a client connection request issued by one of the audio communication terminal clients. A TCP/IP network connection is established between the communication server and a client after said communication server receives a client connection request. Once the connection is established the server displays an indication of client connection request through operator interface. Alternatively an indication of the client connection request may be presented to the operator. The operator then controls the server based on inputs to the user/operator interface.

Abstract: A communication terminal, communication method and communication system is particularly suited for audio communications and applications such as an intercom. Multiple communication terminals may reside on a network and idle in a server mode. When communications are initiated in response to a trigger by switching a communication terminal from a server mode to a client mode, the client addresses another communication terminal and requests service in the form of a connection. The system, method and terminals may operate using TCP/IP protocol.

Abstract: A communication terminal, communication method and communication system is particularly suited for audio communications and applications such as an intercom. Multiple communication terminals may reside on a network and idle in a server mode. When communications are initiated in response to a trigger by switching a communication terminal from a server mode to a client mode, the client addresses another communication terminal and requests service in the form of a connection. The system, method and terminals may operate using TCP/IP protocol.

Abstract: An audio communication device is provided suitable for conducting audio communication including paired half duplex audio communications. The device includes a processor and associated memory with a codec connected to the processor. A TCP/IP operating system may be running on the processor. At least one audio transducer and audio circuit may be connected to the codec and/or processor. The device may establish a connection with a remote device on power-up or reset and is responsive to a trigger to transmit data representative of an audio input to a remote device. The intercom device or audio terminal may also receive and convert data from a remote device to an audio output. Advantageously, the audio terminal device may have a TCP/IP client/server connection with the remote device.

Abstract: An audio communication system including a communication server with an operator interface coupled to a network and one or more audio communication terminal clients coupled to the network. The communication server is advantageously implemented in a PC based system connected to a network. The network may include the internet. In operation the server may monitor the network for a client connection request issued by one of the audio communication terminal clients. A TCP/IP network connection is established between the communication server and a client after said communication server receives a client connection request. Once the connection is established the server displays an indication of client connection request through operator interface. Alternatively an indication of the client connection request may be presented to the operator. The operator then controls the server based on inputs to the user/operator interface.

Abstract: A telephone directory system includes an interface adapted for connecting to a subscriber line of a telephone network (e.g., a local loop.) A dialing signal decoder receives a dialing signal from the interface to provide dialed number information such as DTMF signaling generated by a telephone used to initiate an outgoing call. For incoming calls, a calling number identification decoder (e.g., caller-ID or ANI device) receives a calling number signal from the interface to provide calling number information. A controller processes the dialed and calling number information and, in response, issues a query to a remote database for information associated with at least one of the dialed and calling number information. A memory may be used to store a directory including the dialed and calling number information together with any associated information such as the names of the called and/or called parties associated with the stored telephone numbers.