Wireless access telephone-to-telephone network interface architecture

Claim 2

The system of claim 1 wherein: each first means are for frame-relaying packets carrying the incoming traffic of individual calls on the connected at least one link, and are further for receiving frame-relayed packets coding outgoing traffic of the individual calls on the connected at least one link; and each second means are for frame-relaying packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the individual calls on the at least one link, and are further for receiving frame-relayed packets carrying incoming traffic of the individual calls on the at least one link.

Claim 3

The system of claim 2 wherein: the system is a digital radio-communications system; and each first means are responsive to digital radio reception of the incoming call traffic, and also receive the packets carrying the outgoing traffic for digital radio transmission of the outgoing traffic.

Claim 4

The system of claim 3 wherein: the system is a CDMA radio-communications system; and each first means are responsive to CDMA radio reception of the incoming call traffic, and receive the packets carrying the outgoing traffic for CDMA radio transmission of the outgoing traffic.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1 wherein: each link includes time-slot interchange (TSI) means connected to the first means of a service node, a packet transmission medium connected to the second means of a switching system, and third means interconnecting the TSI means with the packet transmission medium; and each first means include fourth means responsive to wireless reception of deterministic incoming call traffic of individual ones of a plurality of calls for individually packetizing the incoming traffic of each call, and responsive to receipt of packets of outgoing call traffic of the individual ones of the plurality of the calls for depacketizing the outgoing traffic for deterministic wireless transmission of the outgoing traffic of the individual calls, and fifth means connected to the fourth means and to the TSI means for statistically-multiplexing the packets carrying the incoming traffic into incoming time slots of the TSI means, and for retrieving statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic from outgoing time slots of the TSI means and demultiplexing the retrieved packets; the third means are responsive to receipt of statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic on the packet transmission medium for statistically-multiplexing the received packets into the outgoing time slots of the TSI means, and for retrieving the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic from the incoming time slots of the TSI means and transmitting the retrieved packets in statistically-multiplexed form on the packet transmission medium; and the second means include sixth means responsive to receipt of the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic on the packet transmission medium for demultiplexing the received packets, and for transmitting received packets carrying the outgoing traffic on the packet transmission medium in statistically-multiplexed form, seventh means connected to the sixth means for depacketizing the incoming traffic carried by the received demultiplexed packets, and for packetizing received outgoing traffic and supplying the packets carrying the outgoing traffic to the fifth means, and eighth means connected to the seventh means for deterministically transmitting the depacketized incoming traffic, and for deterministically receiving outgoing traffic and supplying the received outgoing traffic to the seventh means.

Claim 6

A radio-telephone communications system comprising: a plurality of cells each providing radio-telephone call services to radio telephones located in a zone served by the cell; a plurality of communications links connected to the plurality of cells, at least one link connected to each cell; at least one switching system connected to the plurality of links for conveying radio-telephone call traffic to and from the cells over the links; CHARACTERISED IN THAT each cell includes drift means responsive to radio reception of incoming voice call traffic from radio telephones, for transmitting packets carrying the incoming traffic of individual calls on the connected at least one link in statistically-multiplexed form, and further for receiving packets carrying outgoing voice call traffic of the individual calls on the connected at least one link in statistically-multiplexed form for radio transmission of the outgoing traffic to the radio telephones; and each switching system includes second means responsive to receipt of outgoing voice call traffic destined for radio telephones served by a cell, for transmitting packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the individual calls in statistically-multiplexed form on the at least one link connected to the cell, and further for receiving packets carrying incoming voice call traffic of the individual calls in statistically-multiplexed form on the at least one line connected to the cell for transmission of the incoming traffic to destinations of the incoming traffic.

Claim 7

The system of claim 6 wherein: each link includes a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) communications medium connected to a cell, a packet transmission medium connected to a switching system, and third means interconnecting the TDM communications medium with the packet transmission medium; and each first means include at least one fourth means for statistically-multiplexing the packets carrying the incoming traffic and demultiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic, and fifth means connected to the fourth means and to the TDM communications medium for time-division-multiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic into first rime slots of the TDM communications medium and for time-division-demultiplexing statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic from second time slots of the TDM communications medium; and the third means are for time-division-multiplexing packets carrying the outgoing traffic and received on the packet transmission medium in statistically-multiplexed form into the second time slots of the TDM communications medium, and for time-division-demultiplexing packets carrying the incoming traffic from the second time slots of the TDM communications medium for transmission of the packets carrying the incoming traffic in statistically-multiplexed form on the packet transmission medium.

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 wherein each first means include: a plurality of channel elements each for respectively conveying the outgoing and the incoming traffic of individual calls to and from at least one radio; a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) bus defining a sequence of frames each having a plurality of time slots; at least one cluster controller each connected to a plurality of different ones of the channel elements and to the TDM bus for separately packetizing the incoming call traffic of individual calls received from the connected channel elements and transmitting packets of the incoming call traffic of the plurality of the calls received from the channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the TDM bus in channels assigned to the cluster controller and each comprising a plurality of first time slots of each frame, and for receiving packets of the outgoing call traffic of a plurality of the calls destined for the connected channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the TDM bus in channels assigned to the cluster controller and each comprising a plurality of second time slots of each frame and for depacketizing and distributing the outgoing call traffic of the individual calls to connected destination channel elements; and a different link interface connected to each link which is connected to the cell, each link interface connected to the TDM bus for transmitting contents of a first group of the channels of the TDM bus which are assigned to the link interface in first time slots of the connected link, and for transmitting contents of second time slots of the connected link in a second group of the channels of the TDM bus which are assigned to the link interface.

Claim 9

The system of claim 7 wherein: each TDM communications medium defines a plurality of time slots; each third means include a packet transmission bus, at least one sixth means connected to the bus and each further connected to a different TDM communications medium, each sixth means for time-division-demultiplexing packets received in incoming time slots of the connected TDM communications medium and transmitting the received demultiplexed packets on the bus, and for receiving on the bus packets destined for radio telephones served by the cell which is connected to the connected TDM communications medium and time-division-multiplexing the received packets into outgoing time slots of the connected TDM communications medium, and at least one seventh means connected to the bus and each further connected to a different packet transmission medium, each seventh means for transmitting on the bus packets received in statistically-multiplexed form on the connected packet transmission medium, and for receiving on the bus packets destined for the switching system which is connected to the connected packet transmission medium and transmitting the received packets on the connected packet transmission medium in statistically-multiplexed form.

Claim 10

The system of claim 6 wherein: each switching system is further connected to a plurality of communication channels of a telephone network, each channel for carrying traffic of an individual call; and each switching system includes a packet transmission bus; a plurality of third means each connected to the packet transmission bus, each for handling a different call and responsive to receipt of outgoing call traffic of the handled call for packetizing the received outgoing call traffic and transmitting the packets on the packet transmission bus, and for receiving on the packet transmission bus packets carrying incoming call traffic of the handled call and for depacketizing the incoming call traffic for transmission of the incoming call traffic to a destination; a plurality of fourth means connected to the packet transmission bus and each connected to a different link for receiving from the packet transmission bus packets carrying the outgoing traffic destined for radio telephones served by the cell to which the link is connected and transmitting the received packets on the link in statistically-multiplexed form, and for transmitting on the packet transmission bus packets received in statistically-multiplexed form on the connected link and each carrying the incoming traffic of a single call; time-slot interchange (TSI) means defining a plurality of time slots and connected to the plurality of third means, and at least one fifth means connected to the TSI means and to the plurality of telephone network channels, each fifth means responsive to receipt from a connected channel of outgoing call traffic of an individual call for transmitting the received outgoing call traffic to the TSI means in first time slots that are assigned to the call, and responsive to receipt of incoming call traffic of an individual call from the TSI means in second time slots that are assigned to the individual call for transmitting the received incoming call traffic on the connected channel that carries traffic of that call; the plurality of third means each respectively receiving outgoing call traffic and transmitting incoming call traffic on the first and the second time slots of the TSI means which are assigned to the call which is handled by the third means.

Claim 11

The system of claim 6 wherein: a plurality of the cells occasionally simultaneously provide radio-telephone call services to a common one mobile radio-telephone; and the second means of a switching system include third means responsive to receipt of outgoing call traffic destined for the one mobile radio-telephone, for transmitting packets each carrying a copy of the outgoing traffic of the call to each one of the cells that are simultaneously providing the services to the one mobile radio-telephone, and further for receiving packets carrying incoming traffic of the call from each one of the cells that are simultaneously providing the services to the one mobile radio-telephone, the packets received from different cells each carrying a copy of the incoming traffic, and selecting only one of the received copies of the incoming traffic for transmission to the destination.

Claim 12

The system of claim 6 wherein each first means transmit and receive packets carrying blocks of encoded call traffic, each second means include a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) transmission medium, and a plurality of modules each comprising: third means connected to the links for receiving from a link first packets each carrying a block of coded traffic for a call incoming from a radio telephone and for transmitting on the link second packets each carrying a block of coded traffic for the call outgoing to a radio telephone; fourth means connected to the third means for depacketizing first packets received by the third means and periodically outputting individual ones of the carried blocks of coded incoming call traffic, and for periodically receiving individual blocks of coded outgoing call traffic, packetizing the individual blocks to form second packets, and outputting the second packets to the third means; fifth means connected to the fourth means for decoding the blocks of coded incoming call traffic output by the fourth means to generate an output stream of incoming call traffic, and for coding a received input stream of outgoing call traffic to generate blocks of coded outgoing call traffic for receipt by the fourth means; and sixth means connected to the TDM medium and to the fifth means for transmitting the output stream of incoming call traffic generated by the fifth means in first time slots assigned to the call of the TDM medium, and for receiving the input stream of outgoing call traffic in second time slots assigned to the call of the TDM medium and supplying the received stream to the fifth means.

Claim 13

The system of claim 6 wherein: the first means of each cell include a plurality of channel elements for conveying the outgoing and incoming traffic of individual calls to and from at least one digital radio, a first time-division-multiplexed (TDM) bus defining a plurality of time slots, and at least one cluster controller each connected to a plurality of different ones of the channel elements and to the first TDM bus for separately packetizing the incoming call traffic of the individual calls received from the connected channel elements and transmitting packets of the incoming call traffic of a plurality of the calls received from the channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the first TDM bus in first time slots which are assigned to the cluster controller, and for receiving packets of the outgoing call traffic of the individual calls destined for different connected channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the first TDM bus in second time slots which are assigned to the cluster controller and for depacketizing and distributing the outgoing call traffic to connected destination channel elements; the at least one link connected to the individual cell includes at least one time-division-multiplexed (TDM) link connected to the individual cell and defining a plurality of rime slots, at least one packet transmission link, and at least one cell interconnect module interconnecting the TDM links and the packet transmission links; the first means of the individual cell further include at least one third means each connected to a different TDM link and to the TDM bus, each third means for transmitting contents of first time slots of the TDM bus which are assigned to the third means in first time slots of the connected TDM link, and for transmitting contents of second time slots of the connected TDM link in second time slots of the TDM bus which are assigned to the third means; each cell interconnect module includes a first packet transmission bus, at least one fourth means connected to the first packet transmission bus and each connected to a different TDM link, each fourth means for time-division-demultiplexing packets received in the drift time slots of the connected TDM link and transmitting the received demultiplexed packets on the first packet transmission bus, and for receiving on the first packet transmission bus packets destined for radio telephones served by the cell which is connected to the connected TDM link and time-division-multiplexing the received packets into the second time slots of the connected TDM link, and at least one fifth means connected to the first packet transmission bus and each further connected to a different packet transmission link, each fifth means for transmitting on the first packet transmission bus packets received in statistically-multiplexed form on the connected packet transmission link and for receiving on the first packet transmission bus packets destined for a switching system which is connected to the connected packet transmission link and transmitting the received packets on the connected packet transmission link in statistically-multiplexed form; an individual switching system is further connected to a plurality of communication channels of a telephone network, each channel for carrying traffic of an individual call; and the second means of the individual switching system include a second packet transmission bus, a second TDM bus defining a plurality of time slots, at least one sixth means connected to the second packet transmission bus and each further connected to a different packet transmission link for receiving from the second packet transmission bus packets carrying outgoing traffic destined for radio telephones served by the cell to which the connected packet transmission link is connected and transmitting the received packets on the connected packet transmission link in statistically-multiplexed form, and for transmitting on the second packet transmission bus packets received in statistically-multiplexed form on the connected packet transmission link, a plurality of seventh means each connected to the second packet transmission bus and to the second TDM bus, each for handling a different call and responsive to receipt of outgoing call traffic of the handled call on the second TDM bus in first time slots assigned to the seventh means for packetizing the received outgoing call traffic and transmitting the packets on the second packet transmission bus, and for receiving on the second packet transmission bus packets carrying incoming call traffic of the handled call and for depacketizing and transmitting the incoming call traffic on the second TDM bus in second time slots assigned to the seventh means, and at least one eighth means connected to the second TDM bus and to the plurality of telephone network channels, each eighth means responsive to receipt from a connected channel of outgoing call traffic of an individual call for transmitting the received outgoing call traffic on the second TDM bus in the first time slots that are assigned to the seventh means that are handling the call, and responsive to receipt of incoming call traffic of an individual call on the second TDM bus in second time slots that are assigned to the seventh means that are handling the individual call for transmitting the received incoming call traffic on the connected channel that carries traffic of that call.

Claim 15

The method of claim 14 wherein: the step of transmitting packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of frame-relaying the packets carrying the incoming traffic of individual calls from the cell on the connected at least one link to the switching system; and the step of transmitting packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the step of frame-relaying the packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the individual calls from the switching system on the at least one link to the cell.

Claim 16

The method of claim 15 in a digital radio communications system, wherein: the step of transmitting packets carrying the incoming traffic occurs in response to digital radio reception of the incoming call traffic; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic for digital radio transmission of the outgoing traffic.

Claim 17

The method of claim 16 in a CDMA radio communications system wherein: the step of transmitting packets carrying the incoming traffic occurs in response to CDMA radio reception of the incoming call traffic; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic for CDMA radio transmission of the outgoing traffic.

Claim 18

The method of claim 14 in a wireless-access communications system wherein a link includes a time-slot interchange (TSI) arrangement connected to the first means of a service node, a packet transmission medium connected to the second means of a switching system, and an interface node interconnecting the TSI arrangement with the packet transmission medium, wherein: the step of transmitting the packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of wirelessly receiving at the service node deterministic incoming traffic of individual ones of a plurality of calls, individually packetizing the received incoming traffic of each call, statistically-multiplexing the packets carrying the incoming traffic of the plurality of the calls into incoming time slots of the TSI arrangement at the service node, retrieving the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic from the incoming time slots of the TSI arrangement at the interface node, and transmitting the retrieved packets carrying the incoming traffic in statistically-multiplexed form from the interface node on the packet transmission medium; the step of receiving the packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of receiving the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic from the packet transmission medium at the switching system, demultiplexing the received packets carrying the incoming traffic, depacketizing the incoming traffic carried by the received demultiplexed packets, and transmitting the depacketized incoming traffic of the individual ones of the plurality of the calls deterministically from the switching system; the step of transmitting the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of receiving deterministic outgoing call traffic of the individual ones of the plurality of the calls at the switching system, packetizing the received outgoing traffic of the individual ones of the calls, and transmitting the packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the plurality of the calls in statistically-multiplexed form from the switching system on the packet transmission medium; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of receiving the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic from the packet transmission medium at the interface node, statistically-multiplexing the packets carrying the outgoing traffic received at the interface node into outgoing time slots of the TSI arrangement at the interface node, retrieving the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic from the outgoing time slots of the TSI arrangement at the service node, demultiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic retrieved at the service node, depacketizing the outgoing traffic of the individual ones of the plurality of the calls, and wirelessly transmitting the depacketized outgoing traffic of the individual ones of the plurality of calls deterministically from the service node.

Claim 20

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein a link includes a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) communications medium connected to a cell, a packet transmission medium connected to a switching system, and a node interconnecting the TDM communications medium with the packet transmission medium, wherein: the step of transmitting the packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of statistically-multiplexing the packets carrying the incoming traffic, time-division-multiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic into time slots of the TDM communications medium outgoing from the cell, time-division-demultiplexing packets carrying the incoming traffic from time slots of the TDM communications medium incoming at the node, and transmitting the time-division-demultiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic from the node on the packet transmission medium in statistically-multiplexed form; and the step of transmitting the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of transmitting the packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the individual calls in statistically-multiplexed form from the switching system on the packet transmission medium, time-division-multiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic and received at the node on the packet transmission medium into time slots of the TDM communications medium outgoing from the node, time-division-demultiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic from time slots of the TDM communications medium incoming at the cell, and demultiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic.

Claim 21

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein a cell includes a plurality of channel elements for conveying the outgoing and the incoming traffic of individual calls to and from at least one radio, a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) bus defining a sequence of frames each having a plurality of time slots, at least one cluster controller each connected to a plurality of different ones of the channel elements and to the TDM bus, and a different link interface connected to each link which is connected to the cell, each link interface being connected to the TDM bus, wherein: the step of transmitting the incoming traffic comprises the steps of separately packetizing the incoming call traffic of individual calls received at a cluster controller from the connected channel elements, transmitting packets of the incoming call traffic of a plurality of the calls received from the channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form from the cluster controller on the TDM bus in channels assigned to the cluster controller and each comprising a plurality of first time slots of each frame, and transmitting contents of a first group of the channels of the TDM bus which are assigned to a link interface from the link interface in first time slots of the connected link; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing traffic of the individual calls at the link interface in second time slots of the connected link, transmitting the contents of the second time slots of the connected link from the link interface in a second group of the channels of the TDM bus which are assigned to the link interface, receiving the packets of the outgoing call traffic of a plurality of the calls destined for the connected channel elements at the cluster controller in statistically-multiplexed form on the TDM bus in channels assigned to the cluster controller and each comprising a plurality of second time slots of each frame, and depacketizing and distributing the outgoing call traffic of the individual calls to the destination channel elements that are connected to the cluster controller.

Claim 22

The method of claim 20 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein each TDM communications medium defines a plurality of time slots, and each interconnecting node includes a packet transmission bus, at least one first bus interface each connected to the bus and to a different TDM communications medium, and at least one second bus interface each connected to the bus and to a different packet transmission medium, wherein: the step of time-division-demultiplexing packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of time-division demultiplexing packets received at a first bus interface in incoming time slots of the interface's connected TDM communications medium, and transmitting the received demultiplexed packets from the first bus interface on the bus; the step of transmitting the time-division demultiplexed packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of receiving on the bus at a second bus interface packets destined for the switching system which is connected to the interface's connected packet transmission medium, and transmitting the received packets from the second bus interface on the connected second link segment in statistically-multiplexed form; and the step of time-division-multiplexing the statistically-multiplexed packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of transmitting on the bus packets received in statistically-multiplexed form at a second bus interface on the interface's connected packet transmission medium, receiving on the bus at the first bus interface packets destined for radio telephones served by the cell which is connected to the interface's connected TDM communications medium, and time-division multiplexing the received packets at the first bus interface into outgoing time slots of the interface's connected TDM communications medium.

Claim 23

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein a switching system is connected to a plurality of communication channels of a telephone network, each channel for carrying traffic of an individual call, and the switching system includes a packet transmission bus, a plurality of drift bus interfaces each connected to the packet transmission bus and to a different link, a plurality of call-handling units each connected to the packet transmission bus, each for handling a different call, a time-slot interchange (TSI) arrangement defining a plurality of time slots and connected to the plurality of call-handling units, and at least one second bus interface connected to the TSI arrangement and to the plurality of telephone network channels, wherein: the step of receiving the packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of transmitting on the packet transmission bus packets received by a bus interface in statistically-multiplexed form on the interface's connected link, each packet carrying the incoming traffic of a single call, receiving on the packet transmission bus at a call-handling unit packets carrying incoming call traffic of the handled call, depacketizing the received packets of the incoming call traffic, transmitting the depacketized incoming call traffic from a call-handling unit in second time slots of the TSI arrangement which are assigned to the call which is handled by the call-handling unit, receiving incoming call traffic of an individual call at a second bus interface from the TSI arrangement in second time slots that are assigned to the individual call, and transmitting the received incoming call traffic from the second bus interface on the connected channel that carries traffic of that call; and the step of transmitting the packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the steps of in response to receipt at a second bus interface from a connected channel of outgoing call traffic of an individual call, transmitting the received outgoing call traffic to the TSI arrangement in first time slots that are assigned to the call, receiving the outgoing call traffic at a call-handling unit in the first time slots of the TSI arrangement which are assigned to the call which the call-handling unit is handling, in response to receipt at a call-handlig unit of outgoing call traffic of the handled call, packetizing the received outgoing call traffic, transmitting the packets from the call-handling unit on the packet transmission bus, receiving from the packet transmission bus at a bus interface packets carrying the outgoing traffic destined for radio telephones served by the cell to which the interface's connected link is connected, and transmitting the received packets from the bus interface on the link in statistically-multiplexed form.

Claim 24

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein a plurality of the calls occasionally simultaneously provide radio-telephone call services to a common one mobile radio-telephone, wherein: the step of transmitting packets carrying the outgoing traffic comprises the step of in response to receipt of outgoing call traffic destined for the one mobile radio-telephone, transmitting packets each carrying a copy of the outgoing traffic of the call to each one of the cells that are simultaneously providing the services to the one mobile radio-telephone; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the incoming traffic comprises the steps of receiving packets carrying incoming traffic of the call from each one of the cells that are simultaneously providing the services to the one mobile radio-telephone, the packets received from different cells each carrying a copy of the incoming traffic, and selecting only one of the received copies of the incoming traffic for transmission to the destination.

Claim 25

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein packets carry blocks of encoded call traffic, and a switching system includes a time-division-multiplexed (TDM) transmission medium and a plurality of call-handling modules connected to the TDM transmission medium, wherein: the step receiving packets carrying the incoming call traffic includes the steps of receiving from a link at call-handling module first packets each carrying a block of coded incoming traffic for a call from a radio-telephone, depacketizing the received first packets in order to periodically generate an individual one of the carried blocks of coded incoming call traffic, decoding the blocks of generated coed incoming call traffic to generate an output stream of incoming call traffic, and transmitting the generated output stream of incoming call traffic from the call-handling module on the TDM medium in first time slots assigned to the call; and the step of transmitting packets carrying the outgoing call traffic includes the steps of receiving an input stream of outgoing call traffic for a call to a radio-telephone at a call-handing module on the TDM medium in second time slots assigned to the call, coding the received input stream of outgoing call traffic to generate blocks of coded outgoing call traffic, periodically packetizing individual ones of the generated blocks of coded outgoing call traffic in order to form second packets, and transmitting the second packets from the call-handling module on a link.

Claim 26

The method of claim 19 in a radio-telephone communications system wherein each cell includes a plurality of channel elements for conveying the outgoing and incoming traffic of individual calls to and from at least one digital radio, a first time-division-multiplexed (TDM) bus defining a plurality of time slots, and at least one cluster controller each connected to a plurality of different ones of the channel elements and to the first TDM bus, the at least one link connected to the individual cell includes at least one time-division-multiplexed (TDM) link connected to the individual cell and defining a plurality of time slots, at least one packet transmission link, and at least one first packet transmission bus interconnecting the TDM links and the packet transmission links, and each switching system is further connected to at least one packet transmission link and to a plurality of communication channels of a telephone network, each channel for carrying traffic of an individual call, and includes a second packet transmission bus, a second TDM bus connected to the plurality of channels and defining a plurality of time slots, and at least one call-handling unit interconnecting the second packet transmission bus and the second TDM bus, wherein: the step of transmitting packets carrying the incoming call traffic includes the steps of separately packetizing at a cluster controller the incoming call traffic of the individual calls received from the connected channel elements, transmitting packets of the incoming call traffic of a plurality of the calls received from the channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the first TDM bus in first time slots wich are assigned to the cluster controller, and transmitting contents of first time slots of the TDM bus which are assigned to a TDM link and which are received at the TDM link in drift time slots of the TDM link; the step of receiving the packets carrying the incoming call traffic includes the steps of time-division demultiplexing packets received in the first time slots of the TDM link at a first packet transmission bus, transmitting the received time-division demultiplexed packets on the first packet transmission bus, receiving on the first packet transmission bus at a packet transmission link transmitted packets destined for a switching system which is connected to the packet transmission link, transmitting the received packets on the packet transmission link in statistically-multiplexed form, transmitting on the second packet transmission bus packets received at the second packet transmission bus in statistically-multiplexed form on a packet transmission link, receiving on the second packet transmission bus at a call-handling unit packets carrying incoming call traffic of a handled call, depacketizing the received packets and transmitting the incoming call traffic from the call-handling unit on the second TDM bus in second time slots assigned to the call, and in response to receipt at a channel of incoming call traffic of the call carried by the channel on the second TDM bus in second time slots that are assigned to the call, transmitting the received incoming call traffic on the channel; the step of transmitting packets carrying the outgoing call traffic includes the steps of in response to receipt from a channel of outgoing call traffic of an individual call, transmitting the received outgoing call traffic on the second TDM bus in first time slots that are assigned to the call, in response to receipt at a call-handling unit of outgoing call traffic of a call on the second TDM bus in first time slots assigned to the call-handling unit, packetizing the received outgoing call traffic of the call, transmitting the packets from the call-handling unit on the second packet transmission bus, receiving from the second packet transmission bus at a packet transmission link packets carrying outgoing traffic destined for radio telephones served by a cell to which the packet transmission link is connected, transmitting the received packets on the packet transmission link in statistically-multiplexed form, transmitting on the first packet transmission bus packets received at the first packet transmission bus in statistically-multiplexed form on a connected packet transmission link, receiving on the first packet transmission bus at a TDM link packets destined for radio telephones served by the cell which is connected to the TDM link, and time-division-multiplexing the received packets into second time slots of the TDM link; and the step of receiving the packets carrying the outgoing call traffic comprises the steps of transmitting contents of second time slots of a TDM link which are received at the TDM bus in second time slots of the TDM bus which are assigned to the TDM link, receiving at a cluster controller packets of the outgoing call traffic of a plurality of the calls destined for the connected channel elements in statistically-multiplexed form on the first TDM bus in second rime slots which are assigned to the cluster controller, and depacketizing and distributing the outgoing call traffic of the individual calls to the connected destination channel elements.