Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM): A sophisticated technique for reducing voice data storage requirements that is used by Dialogic in the voice board. With ADPCM, rather than store the value of the speech sample (i.e., all 8-bits), only the change in the signal level between the present and the previous sample is stored. Fewer bits are needed to describe the change from one sample to the next because voice signals vary relatively slowly.
ADPCM: See Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation.
analog: 1. A method of telephony transmission in which the information from the source (for example, speech in a human conversation) is converted into an electrical signal that varies continuously over a range of amplitude values. 2. Used to refer to applications that use loop start signaling instead of digital signaling.
answer supervision: A telephone system feature that returns a momentary drop in loop current when a connection has been established. When Call Progress Analysis detects a transient loop current drop, it returns a connect event.
base address: A starting memory location (address) from which other addresses are referenced.
buffer: A block of memory or temporary storage device that holds data until it can be processed. It is used to compensate for the difference in the rate of flow of information (or time occurrence of events) when transmitting data from one device to another.
bus: An electronic path that allows communication between multiple points or devices in a system.
called/calling number ID: A PBX feature that identifies the number of the calling party to the extension that is called.
Call Progress Analysis: A voice software feature that monitors the progress of an out-bound call by detecting the different results that can occur after dialing, which allows you to process the call based on the outcome. By using Call Progress Analysis, you can determine whether the line is answered, the line rings but is not answered, the line is busy, or there is a problem in completing the call.
central office (CO): The telephone company (informally). A local telephone switching exchange.
channel: An voice I/O port on a voice board. 1. When used in reference to a Dialogic board that is analog, an audio path, or the activity happening on that audio path (for example, in "the channel goes off-hook"). 2. When used in reference to a Dialogic board that is digital, a data path, or the activity happening on that data path. 3. When used in reference to a bus, an electrical circuit carrying control information and data.
class of service (COS): A defined group of features. Once an extension is assigned to a COS, the COS determines which features may be accessed by that extension.
computer telephony: The extension of computer-based intelligence and processing over the telephone network to a telephone. Lets you interact with computer databases or applications from a telephone and also enables computer-based applications to access the telephone network. Computer telephony makes computer-based information readily available over the world-wide telephone network from your telephone. Computer telephony technology incorporated into PCs supports applications such as: automatic call processing; automatic speech recognition; text-to-speech conversion for information-on-demand; call switching and conferencing; unified messaging that lets you access or transmit voice, fax, and E-mail messages from a single point; voice mail and voice messaging; fax systems including fax broadcasting, fax mailboxes, fax-on-demand, and fax gateways; transaction processing such as Audiotex and Pay-Per-Call information systems; call centers handling a large number of agents or telephone operators for processing requests for products, services or information; etc.
configuration file: A file used to download voice hardware and software specifications to the voice board.
connect: A Call Progress Analysis event indicating that the call has been answered. A connect can be established by Cadence Detection, Loop Current Detection, or Positive Voice Detection.
D/4x: A general term used to refer to The Dialogic 4-channel voice boards (e.g., D/41D, D/41E, and D/41ESC).
D/xxx: A general term used to refer to all models of Dialogic voice boards.
D40CHK: The Dialogic diagnostic program used to test voice boards for hardware problems.
digit queue: The location where digits are stored after they are detected. Digits are processed on a first-in, first-out basis, and can be accessed by the getdtmfs( ) function.
disconnect supervision: A feature that detects and acts on the change in electrical state from off-hook to on-hook.
driver: A software module that provides a defined interface between a program and the hardware. It directly controls the data transfer to and from I/O.
DSP: 1. Digital signal processor. A specialized microprocessor designed to perform speedy and complex operations with digital signals. 2. Digital signal processing.
DTMF: Dual Tone Multi Frequency. 1. A signaling method. 2. The tone made by pressing a button on a push-button telephone. This tone is actually the combination of two tones, one high frequency and one low frequency.
Event Block (EVTBLK): A data structure that is used as output for the gtevtblk( ) function. The gtevtblk( ) function removes an event from the queue and places it into an EVTBLK for use by the application program.
event: 1. A specific activity that has occurred on a channel. The voice driver reports channel activity to the application program in the form of events, which allows the program to identify and respond to a specific occurrence on a channel. Events provide feedback on the progress and completion of functions and indicate the occurrence of other channel activities. Events are sometimes referred to in general as termination events, because most of them indicate the end of an operation. 2. Any signal or condition that causes a state transition in a state machine, the majority of which are usually the physical events produced by the voice driver.
FCC: Federal Communications Commission. The governing body for communications regulations within the U.S.
firmware: Software downloaded to a Dialogic board and stored in semi- permanent memory.
flash: A signal that consists of a momentary off-hook/on-hook/off-hook transition that is most often used by the voice board to alert a telephone switch. This signal usually initiates a call transfer. The dial( ) function can generate a hook flash by including the flash character in the dial string.
hook flash: See flash.
hook switch: The name given to the circuitry that controls on-hook and off-hook state of the voice board telephone interface.
idle: The channel state when no multitasking function is in operation on the channel. The opposite of busy.
IRQ: Interrupt request. A signal sent to a central processing unit (CPU) to temporarily suspend normal processing and transfer control to an interrupt handling routine. Interrupts may be generated by conditions such as completion of an I/O process and detection of an event.
loop current: The current that flows through the circuit from the telephone switch to the voice board when the channel is off-hook.
loop start: In an analog environment, an electrical circuit consisting of two wires (or leads) called tip and ring, which are the two conductors of a telephone cable pair. The CO provides a voltage (called "talk battery" or just "battery") to power the line. When the circuit is complete, this voltage produces a current called loop-current. The circuit provides a method of starting (seizing) a telephone line or trunk by sending a supervisory signal (going off-hook) to the CO. .
multitasking functions: Functions that allow the voice software to perform concurrent operations. After being initiated, multitasking functions return control to the program so that during the time it takes the function to complete, the application program can perform other operations, such as initiating a function on another channel.
no answer: A Call Progress Analysis event indicating that the call has not been answered. A no answer event is returned after a ring cadence has been established by Cadence Detection and there was no break in the ring cadence for a specified number of times.
no ringback: A Call Progress Analysis event indicating that there is a problem in completing the call. Cadence Detection has determined that the signal is continuous silence or nonsilence.
nonsilence: Sound. Used when describing an audio cadence.
off-hook signal: A basic signal used on the telephone network that is produced when the line loop between the telephone set and the central office switch is closed and loop current flows, which also powers the telephone. This term is derived from the position of the old fashioned telephone set receiver in relation to the mounting hook provided for it.
on-hook signal: A basic signal used on the telephone network that is produced when the line loop between the telephone set and the central office (CO) switch is open and no loop current flows. This term is derived from the position of the old fashioned telephone set receiver in relation to the mounting hook provided for it.
ring detect: The act of sensing that an incoming call is present by determining that the telephone switch is providing a ringing signal to the voice board.
SCbus : Signal Computing Bus. A high-speed serial TDM (Time Division Multiplexed) bus designed for connecting devices in telecommun-ications and computer systems. SCbus enables computer telephony hardware of multiple kinds from multiple vendors to be integrated within richly capable computer telephony systems. For instance, up to eight PBX Integration boards can be connected up over an SCbus using a card-to-card ribbon cable. It supports up to 2048 bi-directional time slots, clocking, and an optional HDLC messaging channel, which can be used for signaling.
signaling: The transmission of electrical signals on the telephone network. The voice software supports the following signaling methods: DTMF, MF, R2 MF, Socotel, Global Tone Detection and Generation, and Dial Pulse Detection and Generation.
Standard Voice Driver See voice driver.
system events: Events in a state machine that are generated by relevant system signals, such as keyboard input, communications adapters, etc. These generally cause state changes for all channels rather than a specific channel.
talk off: The false tripping of DTMF receivers caused by speech.
telephone switch: A telephone company central office or a PBX (private branch exchange).
termination condition: A requirement that when met causes a multitasking function to terminate. You can enable the termination conditions by setting parameters in the Read/Write Block (RWB) and then passing the RWB as one of the function parameters. The termination conditions are monitored while the multitasking function is in progress. The function continues to execute until one of the selected termination conditions has been met. When the function terminates, an event is produced, indicating which termination condition caused the function to terminate.
tone event: A tone-on or tone-off event that is produced by Global Tone Detection when a GTD tone is detected. A tone event can be accessed on the event queue by using the gtevtblk( ) function, which provides the channel, event code, and GTD tone ID.
Unified API: This API provides a single set of basic, high-level calls that can be used for any supported switches and are sent directly to the switch through the PBX Integration board, without additional hardware. Functioning as an extension to The Dialogic voice API, the Unified API offers a single design model that is flexible enough to allow developers to take advantage of the advanced, PBX features (such as called/calling number ID and ASCII display information).
voice demonstration programs: The programs that are included with the voice software and which demonstrate voice software features; provided in both source code and executable formats.
voice driver: The device driver for the voice boards; D40DRV.EXE. Executes as a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program.
voice hardware diagnostic programs: The D40CHK.EXE, D41ECHK.EXE, and UDD.EXE programs allow you to test the features of the voice hardware.
voice library: A C language function library that can be accessed from assembly language programs or from applications written in a high-level language.
voice software: The Voice Development Package software, which includes the Voice Installation Programs and Files, Voice Demonstration Programs and Files, Voice Library (C Language Functions), and Voice Driver.
Voice Processing: Features of the voice software that provide the ability to record and play voice messages.
Voice Store-and-Forward: A term used to refer to a voice mail system. An early term for voice processing.
wink: A signal that consists of a momentary on-hook/off-hook/on-hook transition, which is used by the voice board as an acknowledgment signal. The wink( ) function generates an out-bound wink on a channel in response to an incoming call.
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