MAS.632 Conversational Computer Systems - MIT OpenCourseWare

lepho and purs
Figure 11.9. A distributed architecture ofenhanced telephones.
switch
and the general-purpose computer provides for more efficient resource allocation.
Although much can be done to improve the design of telephones, they are not destined
to push computers off the desktop. However, in environments where computers
are not found, the introduction of ISDN may create a niche market for
enhanced telephones.
The teleterminal provides a completely distributed architecture with one
telephone per office. A completely distributed architecture can also be used for
workstation-based telephony. For example, an inexpensive modem wired in parallel
with a telephone can be used with autodialing software; the computer places
the call and the user picks up the handset if the call is answered. Similarly, new
consumer products plug into an analog phone line and decode calling-line ID
information; when this information is available, the calling number is transmitted
over a serial line to a host computer. Such approaches are practical on analog
lines because modems are inexpensive and computer serial ports ubiquitous, but
they provide only limited signaling functionality. For the computer to talk or listen
to the voice circuit during a call, a higher degree of integration is necessary.
245