Adaptation of dial-up devices to broadband facilities

• US 20040179541A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Godwin, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,525,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A method and system for dial-up device connection to a broadband facility by way of a home gateway. The microcomputer causes the dial-up modem in the home gateway to serve as a host modem. The microcomputer also implements the host portion of a log-in protocol that is expected by the dial up device, in this example the IRD'"'"'s. Within the IRD itself, a software download causes the dial-up modem in the IRD to not go “off-hook” when starting a callback. The local office, i.e. the PSTN, will not recognize the start of a dial-up session and will not issue a dial tone. The home gateway and the IRD'"'"'s will carry out a protocol that does not require the recognition of “off-hook”.

Claims

1. A method for connecting at least one remote dial-up device to a broadband facility by way of a gateway device comprising the steps of:

connecting the at least one remote dial-up device to a dial-up device in the gateway device;

establishing a path between the at least one remote dial-up device and a digital subscriber line modem in the gateway device that is in continuous communication with a digital subscriber line network, thereby providing connection of the at least one remote dial-up device to the broadband facility.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one remote dial-up device is an Integrated Receiver/Decoder (IRD).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a shared digital subscriber line connection and a second, otherwise unused, line connection, said method further comprising the step of moving modem dial-up signals for the at least one remote dial-up device to the second line connection.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a single line connection for the at least one remote dial up device, said method further comprising the steps of:

the gateway device periodically polling the at least one remote dial-up device; and

the remote dial-up device responding to the poll from the gateway device in a time-sequence based on software settings in the remote dial-up device.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a digital subscriber line and further comprising the step of adaptively connecting the remote dial-up device to a line used by the digital subscriber line.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a digital subscriber line and further comprising the step of adaptively connecting the at least one remote dial-up device to the gateway device such that an off-hook signal from the remote dial-up device is ignored by a local telephone office.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying a protocol for the remote dial-up device by way of a software download to the remote dial-up device.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gateway device has an Internet address and each of the at least one remote dial-up devices has a local area network address, the method further comprising the step of accessing the at least one remote dial-up device via the Internet by way of the gateway.

9. A gateway device comprising:

a dial-up modem having the capability of reconfigurability both locally and by remote means, said dial-up modem in the gateway device being a host dial-in device for a remote dial-up device.

10. A system for connecting at least one integrated receiver/decoder to a broadband facility, said system comprising:

at least one integrated receiver decoder having a dial-up modem therein;

a home gateway having digital subscriber line connection to the broadband facility and a second dial-up device therein;

a communication connection between the dial-up device in the at least one integrated receiver/decoder and the second dial-up device in the home gateway; and

wherein the at least one integrated receiver/decoder has always-on communication to broadband facilities by way of the communication connection.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a dedicated digital subscriber line and said dial-up modem in said at least one integrated receiver decoder being connected to the dedicated digital subscriber line and the home gateway thereby providing always-on connection between the broadband facility and the integrated receiver/decoder.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising:

a shared digital subscriber line;

said dial-up modem in said at least one integrated receiver/decoder being connected to the shared digital subscriber line; and

a polling protocol between the home gateway and the at least one integrated receiver/decoder.