Abstract: A method and apparatus for early detection of in-band DTMF signals in voice transmissions over an IP network are disclosed. Using a digital signal processor, whenever any indication of signals possibly corresponding to the signals characteristic of DTMF tones are detected, packets of data that would otherwise be sent over the IP network are delayed and temporarily stored in a buffer. Buffering the data packets provides a period of time for digital signal processing techniques to reliably determine whether the characteristics of the detected signal are sufficient to characterize it as a DTMF signal. If a determination is made that the signal has the necessary characteristics of a valid DTMF signal, the buffered packets are discarded and a special control packet is sent formatted to convey to the recipient characteristic information for the detected DTMF signal sufficient to allow the DTMF signal to be generated by a DTMF generator.

Abstract: A system which compensates for jitter in the transfer of voice data over packet data networks. A predetermined quality of service factor is used to determine the jitter delay for received voice packets in order to optimize the number of voice packets received. The invention uses packet sequence information in the voice packet protocol to determine which voice packets are missing and which voice packets are late within a predetermined statistically significant interval. The jitter delay is decreased when the number of missing packets is significantly less than that specified by the quality of service factor. In most cases, the jitter delay is increased when the number of missing packets is greater than that specified by the quality of service factor. The jitter delay is not increased past a certain value when no late packets are observed during the predetermined interval.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes but is not limited to a host processor operably coupled with a broadcast-capable switch; a first broadcast-packet-processing device operably coupled with the broadcast-capable switch; a second broadcast-packet-processing device operably coupled with the broadcast-capable switch; and at least one of the first broadcast-packet-processing device and the second broadcast-packet-processing device operably coupled with the host processor.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes but is not limited to a low-processor-load aggregation device interposed between a network and at least one network station, the low-processor-load aggregation device having: (a) at least one multi-channel device, the multi-channel device having at least one internal network tag associated with the at least one network station, and (b) a host-processor-controlled routing device operably coupled with the network, the host-processor-controlled routing device configured to coordinate at least one network address with the at least one internal network tag associated with the at least one network station. In another embodiment, a method includes but is not limited to coordinating an external network-station packet with an internal private-network address of a low-processor-load aggregation device.