Universal telephone network-radio frequency enhanced bridge

• US 20030100330A1
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ross, John Anderson Fergus, Hershey, John Erik, Hartman, Michael James, Evans, Scott Charles, Hoctor, Ralph Thomas, Tomlinson, Harold Woodruff Jr., Davenport, David Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/683,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20030100330A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A dual transceiver enhanced bridge is provided for wirelessly radio frequency (RF) broadcasting messages received on a telephone network. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge includes a telephone subscriber loop (TSL) modem connected to the telephone network. The TSL modem is connected to a memory unit. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge also comprises an RF modem connected to the memory unit. A controller is connected to the TSL modem, the RF modem, and the memory unit to control transmission of messages from the connected devices.

Claims

1. A dual transceiver enhanced bridge for communicating messages between a radio frequency (RF) communication system and a telephone network, the dual transceiver enhanced bridge comprising:

a telephone subscriber loop (TSL) modem connected to the telephone network, the messages being transmitted on and received from the telephone network using the TSL modem;

a memory unit connected to the TSL modem for storing the messages that are transmitted on and received from the telephone network;

an RF modem connected to the memory unit, the messages being transmitted on and received from the RF modem on the RF communication system; and

a controller connected to the TSL modem, the RF modem, and the memory unit, the controller controlling the transmission and reception of the messages by the RF modem and the TSL modem.

2. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the TSL modem is continuously connected to the telephone network.

3. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 2 wherein the TSL modem uses a signaling technique to transmit over the telephone network wherein the signaling technique transmits at a frequency that is above human voice frequencies.

4. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the TSL modem comprises a programmable level 1 protocol stack.

5. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the RF modem transmits the messages using ultra wideband (UWB) signaling.

6. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the RF modem transmits the messages using a wireless point to multipoint application.

7. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 6 wherein the wireless point to multipoint application comprises Bluetooth.

8. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the RF modem comprises a programmable level 1 protocol stack.

9. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the controller implements protocol stack functions that are above level 1.

10. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the RF communication system comprises a plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units that communicate messages with the RF modem.

11. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 10 wherein the RF modem comprises an antenna for transmitting and receiving the messages to and from the plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units.

12. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 10 wherein the RF modem further comprises a memory device for storing messages received from and transmitted to the plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units via the RF communication system.

13. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 further comprising a power source connected to a power line for powering the dual transceiver enhanced bridge.

14. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the TSL modem further comprises a memory device for storing messages received from and transmitted over the telephone network.

15. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 1 wherein the RF modem further comprises a memory device for storing messages received from and transmitted via the RF communication system.

16. A dual transceiver enhanced bridge for communicating RF messages from a radio frequency (RF) communication system including a plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units and telephone subscriber loop (TSL) messages from a telephone network, the dual transceiver enhanced bridge comprising:

a telephone subscriber loop (TSL) modem connected to the telephone network, the TSL messages being transmitted on and received from the telephone network using the TSL modem wherein the TSL modem converts TSL messages received from the telephone network to predetermined format messages;

an RF modem connected to the TSL modem, the RF modem converts RF messages received from the plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units on the RF communication system wherein the RF modem converts the RF messages to predetermined format message, the TSL modem converts predetermined format messages received from the RF modem to TSL messages before transmission via the telephone network and the RF modem converts the predetermined format messages received from the TSL modem to RF messages before transmission over the RF communication system;

a memory unit connected between the TSL modem and the RF modem, the memory unit storing predetermined format messages received from the TSL modem and the RF modem;

a controller connected to the TSL modem, the RF modem, and the memory unit, the controller controlling the transfer of the predetermined format messages between the memory unit to the RF modem and the TSL modem.

17. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the TSL modem is continuously connected to the telephone network.

18. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 17 wherein the TSL modem uses a signaling technique to transmit the TSL messages over the telephone network wherein the signaling technique transmits the TSL messages at a frequency that is above human voice frequencies.

19. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the TSL modem comprises a programmable level 1 protocol stack.

20. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the RF modem transmits the RF messages using ultra wideband (UWB) signaling.

21. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the RF modem transmits the messages using a wireless point to multipoint application.

22. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 21 wherein the wireless point to multipoint application comprises Bluetooth.

23. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the RF modem comprises a programmable level 1 protocol stack.

24. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the controller implements protocol stack functions that are above level 1.

25. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the RF modem comprises an antenna for transmitting and receiving the RF messages.

26. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 further comprising a power source connected to a power line for powering the dual transceiver enhanced bridge.

27. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the TSL modem further comprises a memory device for storing TSL messages and predetermined format messages.

28. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the RF modem further comprises a memory device for storing RF messages and predetermined format messages.

29. The dual transceiver enhanced bridge of claim 16 wherein the predetermined format messages comprise baseband messages.

30. A method for communicating RF messages from a radio frequency (RF) communication system including a plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units and telephone subscriber loop (TSL) messages from a telephone network, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a TSL modem connected to the telephone network;

receiving at the TSL modem TSL messages via the telephone network;

converting the TSL messages received from the telephone network to predetermined format messages using the TSL modem;

storing the predetermined format messages in a memory device;

receiving RF messages at the RF modem from the plurality of transmitting and receiving units via the RF communication system;

converting the RF messages received from the plurality of transmitting and receiving units via the RF communication system to predetermined format messages using the RF modem;

storing the predetermined format messages in the memory device;

using the RF modem to convert the predetermined format messages provided by the TSL modem wherein the predetermined format messages are converted to RF messages;

transmitting the converted RF messages to at least one of the plurality of RF transmitting and receiving units using the RF modem;

using the TSL modem to convert the predetermined format messages provided from the RF modem wherein the predetermined format messages are converted to TSL messages; and

transmitting the converted TSL messages over the telephone network using the TSL modem.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the predetermined format messages comprise baseband messages.

32. A method for exchanging telephone subscriber loop (TSL) messages from a telephone network and radio frequency (RF) messages from a radio frequency (RF) communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

using a TSL modem to receive the TSL messages via the telephone network;

storing the TSL messages in a memory unit;

reading the TSL messages out of the memory unit into an RF modem;

transmitting the TSL messages over the RF communications system using the RF modem;

using the RF modem to receive RF messages from the RF communications system;

storing the RF messages in the memory unit;

reading the RF messages out of the memory unit into the TSL modem; and

transmitting the RF messages over the telephone network using the TSL modem.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of transmitting the TSL messages using the TSL modem uses a signaling technique wherein the signaling technique transmits the TSL messages at a frequency that is above human voice frequencies.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of transmitting the RF messages using the RF modem uses ultra wideband (UWB) signaling.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of transmitting the RF messages using the RF modem uses a wireless point to multipoint application.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the wireless point to multipoint application comprises Bluetooth.