VIRTUAL GATEWAY SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20010012319A1
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Epigram, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: FOLEY, PETER F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,414,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 the cable being constituted by a pair of wires

Abstract

Existing (already installed) plain old telephone service (POTS) wiring at a customer premises is used as the wiring infrastructure for a local area network and additionally continues to provide ordinary POTS services at the customer premises. The network signals associated with the local area network and the POTS signals delivering POTS services coexist on the POTS wiring at the customer premises using frequency division multiplexing. In additional to POTS service, the subscriber loop also provides access to xDSL (digital subscriber line) signals associated with a wide area network (WAN). Thus three distinct networks (the PSTN associated with POTS, xDSL and the LAN)) coexist on a single wiring infrastructure. A virtual gateway provides for communication between each of the distinct networks without breaking the electrical continuity of the POTS wiring at the customer premises and thus maintaining lifeline POTS services, without the installation of a new dedicated active (needing AC current) Gateway device, and without the need to pull new cable to implement the premises LAN.

Claims

1. A virtual gateway system for providing bidirectional communication between a first device network and a second device network, comprising:

a shared electrically contiguous communication channel coupled to each of the device networks, the shared electrically contiguous communication channel having first and second separate spectral bands associated with the first and second device networks respectively; and

a gateway server operatively coupled to the shared electrically contiguous communication channel, the gateway server including;

a first modem associated with the first device network, having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel, the receive portion for converting information in the spectral band associated with the first device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an output coupled to the shared communication channel, the transmit portion for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the first device network;

a second modem associated with the second device network, having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel for converting information in the spectral band associated with the second device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an output coupled to the shared communication channel, the transmit portion for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the second device network; and

a baseband communication channel coupled to the first and second modems for communicating baseband signals between the first and second modems.

2. The system of

claim 1

further comprising:

a network protocol translator coupled to the baseband communication channel for translating baseband information from a first protocol associated with the first device network to a second protocol associated with the second device network.

3. The system of

claim 1

wherein the shared communication channel is unshielded twisted pair wiring coupled to a telephone central office by a subscriber loop.

4. The system of

claim 3

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and access to the second device network is provided by a digital subscriber line (xDSL).

5. The system of

claim 4

wherein the xDSL is an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL).

6. The system of

claim 3

wherein both the first and second modems of the gateway are located at a single server device.

7. The system of

claim 1

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a integrated services digital network (ISDN) wide area network.

8. The system of

claim 1

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a wide area network.

9. The system of

claim 1

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

10. The system of

claim 3

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

11. A virtual gateway system for providing bidirectional communication between a first device network and a second device network, comprising:

a shared communication channel coupled to each of the device networks, the shared communication channel having first and second separate spectral bands associated with the first and second device networks respectively; and

a plurality of client devices each including;

a first modem associated with the first device network, having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel, the receive portion for converting information in the spectral band associated with the first device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an output coupled to the shared communication channel, the transmit portion for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the first device network; and

a second modem associated with the second device network, each having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel for converting information in the spectral band associated with the second device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an output coupled to the shared communication channel for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the second device network; and

a baseband communication channel coupled to the first and second modems for communicating baseband signals between the first and second modems.

12. The system of

claim 11

further comprising:

a network protocol translator coupled to the baseband communication channel for translating baseband information from a first protocol associated with the first device network to a second protocol associated with the second device network.

13. The system of

claim 11

wherein the shared communication channel is unshielded twisted pair wiring coupled to a telephone central office by a subscriber loop.

14. The system of

claim 13

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and access to the second device network is provided by a digital subscriber line (xDSL).

15. The system of

claim 14

wherein the xDSL is an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL).

16. The system of

claim 13

wherein both the first and second modems of the gateway are located at a single server device.

17. The system of

claim 11

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a integrated services digital network (ISDN) wide area network.

18. The system of

claim 11

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a wide area network.

19. The system of

claim 11

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

20. The system of

claim 13

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

29. The system of

claim 11

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

21. A virtual gateway system for providing bi-directional communication between a first device network and a second device network, comprising:

a shared communication channel coupled to each of the device networks, the shared communication channel having first and second separate spectral bands associated with the first and second device networks respectively; and

a plurality of client devices each including;

a first modem associated with the first device network, having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel, said receive portion for converting information in the spectral band associated with the first device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an output coupled to the shared communication channel, said transmit portion for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the first device network; and

a gateway server having a second modem having;

a receive portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel, the receive portion for converting information in the spectral band associated with the second device network to baseband; and

a transmit portion having an input coupled to the shared communication channel, said transmit portion for converting baseband information to the spectral band associated with the second network.

22. The system of

claim 21

further comprising:

a network protocol translator coupled to the baseband communication channel for translating baseband information from a first protocol associated with the first device network to a second protocol associated with the second device network.

23. The system of

claim 21

wherein the shared communication channel is unshielded twisted pair wiring coupled to a telephone central office by a subscriber loop.

24. The system of

claim 23

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and access to the second device network is provided by a digital subscriber line (xDSL).

25. The system of

claim 24

wherein the xDSL is an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL).

26. The system of

claim 23

wherein both the first and second modems of the gateway are located at a single server device.

27. The system of

claim 21

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a integrated services digital network (ISDN) wide area network.

28. The system of

claim 21

wherein the first device network is a local area network having a plurality of network clients and the second device network is a wide area network.

30. The system of

claim 23

wherein the first device network is a first local area network and the second device network is a second local area network.

31. A method of providing communication between a first and second device network, comprising:

coupling a first and a second device network to a shared communication channel;

communicating among devices in the first device network using communication signals in a first spectral band on the shared communication channel;

communicating among the devices in the second device network using communication signals in a second spectral band distinct from the first spectral band on the shared communication channel; and

converting information in the first spectral band to the second spectral band to transfer information from the first device network to the second device network.

32. The method of

claim 31

further comprising coupling telecommunications circuit connections to the shared communication channel.

33. The method of

claim 31

further comprising:

coupling the communication channel to a subscriber loop coupled to a central telephone office; and

coupling a plain old telephone service (POTS) compatible device to the shared communication channel to connect the POTS compatible device to the central telephone office.

34. The method of

claim 31

further comprising centralizing the conversion of information in the first spectral band to the second spectral band at a single gateway server.

35. The method of

claim 31

further comprising distributing the conversion of information in the first spectral band to the second spectral band at across a plurality of client devices.

36. The method of

claim 31

further comprising converting information in the second spectral band to the first spectral band to transfer information from the second device network to the first device network.

37. The method of

claim 36

further comprising centralizing the conversion of information in the first spectral band to the second spectral and the conversion of information in the second spectral band to the first spectral band at a single gateway server.

38. The method of

claim 36

further comprising distributing the conversion of information in the first spectral band to the second spectral band across a plurality of client devices and distributing the conversion of information in the second spectral band to the first spectral band across a plurality of client devices.

39. The method of

claim 36

further comprising centralizing the conversion of information in the first spectral band to the second spectral at a single gateway server and distributing the conversion of information in the second spectral band to the first spectral band across a plurality of client devices.

40. A method for interconnecting a plurality of distinct device networks, comprising:

generating first network signals associated with a first device network having a first network protocol, said first network signals being in a first spectral band;

generating second network signals associated with a second device network having a second network protocol, said second network signals being in a second spectral band;

coupling the first and second network signals generated by the first and second device networks to a shared communication channel;

detecting network signals coupled to the shared communication channel in the first spectral band that are addressed to a device associated with the second device network; and

converting detected signals to a network signal compatible with the second network protocol and in the second spectral band.