METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A PRIVATE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN A PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK

摘要

A private communication network through which a plurality of member users communicate using the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (10) is disclosed herein. Each member user utilizes either a modified land line telephone (48) directly connected to PSTN (10), or uses a modified mobile telephone (22) operatively coupled to the PSTN through a wireless communication system (14). The private communication network includes network call manager (40) having a telephone network interface (92) for establishing a telephone connection with each of a plurality of telephone lines (44) of the PSTN (10). Each of the plurality of telephone lines (44) is associated with one of the plurality of member users. The network call manager (40) further included a switch matrix (110), coupled to the telephone network interface, for providing an information signal received from an active member user over a selected telephone line to the remaining non-active member users.