System and methods for providing telecommunication services

• US 20050282536A1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven M., McClure, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,480,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing telecommunication services. In one embodiment, the system comprises an antenna at a customer premises, to transmit outbound voice communications in a wireless protocol and to receive inbound voice communications in the wireless protocol. A demarcation device is coupled with the antenna converts inbound voice communications from the wireless protocol to a wired format and converts outbound voice communications from the wired format to the wireless protocol. An interface to the customer premises is coupled with the demarcation device. The interface transmits inbound voice communications in the wired format to the customer premises via a first internal transport medium and transmits outbound voice communications received in the wired format on the first internal transport medium to the demarcation device.

Claims

1. A system for providing telephone services to a customer premises, the system comprising:

an antenna at the customer premises, to transmit outbound voice communications in a wireless protocol and to receive inbound voice communications in the wireless protocol;

a demarcation device, coupled with the antenna, the demarcation device to convert the inbound voice communications from the wireless protocol to a wired format and to convert the outbound voice communications from the wired format to the wireless protocol; and

an interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound voice communications in the wired format to the customer premises via a first internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound voice communications received in the wired format on the first internal transport medium to the demarcation device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired format comprises a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) format.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an automatic gain control, coupled with the antenna and the demarcation device, to automatically adjust the gain of the inbound voice communications received from the antenna.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna is further to transmit and receive data communications in the wireless protocol, the demarcation device is further configured to convert inbound data communications from the wireless protocol to a digital data format and to convert outbound data communications from the digital data format to the wireless protocol, the system further comprising:

a data interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound data communications in the digital format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound data communications received in the digital format on the second internal transport medium to the demarcation device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the data interface is a digital subscriber line (DSL) interface to the customer premises, the digital data format is a DSL format, and the second internal transport medium is telephone wiring.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital data format is an Internet Protocol (IP) format.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second internal transport medium is Ethernet cable.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the first internal transport medium and the second internal transport medium are the same internal transport medium.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna is further to receive video communications in the wireless protocol, the demarcation device is further configured to convert inbound video communications from the wireless protocol to a digital video format, the system further comprising:

a video interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound video communications in the digital video format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second internal transport medium is coaxial cable.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first internal transport medium is twisted pair cable.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the twisted pair cable is telephone wiring.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a distribution point, to receive the outbound voice communications from the antenna and to transmit the inbound voice communications to the antenna.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the distribution point is a wireless base station.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless protocol is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless protocol is Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless protocol is WiFi.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the demarcation device comprises a network interface device.

19. A system for providing telecommunication services to a customer premises, the system comprising:

an antenna at the customer premises, to transmit outbound telecommunications in a wireless protocol and to receive inbound telecommunications in the wireless protocol;

an automatic gain control, coupled with the antenna, to automatically adjust the gain of the inbound telecommunications;

a demarcation device, coupled with the automatic gain control, configured to determine the inbound telecommunications is one of voice communications, data communications, and video communications;

to convert the inbound telecommunications from the wireless protocol to one of a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) format, a digital data format, and a digital video format;

to convert outbound voice communications from the POTS format to the wireless protocol; and

to convert outbound data communications from the digital data format to the wireless protocol;

a POTS interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound voice communications in the POTS format to the customer premises via a first internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound voice communications received in the POTS format on the first internal transport medium to the demarcation device;

a data interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound data communications in the digital format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound data communications received in the digital format on the second internal transport medium to the demarcation device; and

a video interface to the customer premises, coupled with the demarcation device, to transmit the inbound video communications in the digital video format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium.

20. A network interface device (NID) for providing telephone services to a customer premises comprising:

a receiver to receive inbound voice communications from an antenna in the wireless protocol;

a transmitter to transmit outbound voice communications in the wireless protocol;

a processor, coupled with the receiver and the transmitter, to convert the inbound voice communications from the wireless protocol to a digital wired format and to convert the outbound voice communications from the digital wired format to the wireless protocol;

a converter, coupled with the processor, to convert the inbound voice communications from the digital wired format to analog Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) and to convert the outbound voice communications from POTS to the digital wired format; and

an interface, coupled with the converter, to transmit the inbound voice communications in the POTS format to the customer premises via a first internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound voice communications received in the POTS format on the first internal transport medium to the converter.

21. The NID of claim 20, wherein the receiver is further to receive inbound data communications in the wireless protocol, the transmitter is further configured to transmit outbound data communications in the wireless protocol, the processor is further configured to convert the inbound data communications from the wireless protocol to a digital data format and to convert outbound data communications from the digital data format to the wireless protocol, the NID further comprising:

a data interface to the customer premises, coupled with the processor, to transmit the inbound data communications in the digital data format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium and to transmit the outbound data communications received in the digital data format on the second internal transport medium to the processor.

22. The NID of claim 20, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive inbound video communications in the wireless protocol, the transmitter is further configured to transmit outbound video communications in the wireless protocol, the processor is further configured to convert the inbound video communications from the wireless protocol to a digital video format, the NID further comprising:

a video interface to the customer premises, coupled with the processor, to transmit the inbound video communications in the digital video format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium.

23. A method of providing telecommunication services to a customer premises, the method comprising:

providing an antenna configured to transmit outbound communications in a wireless protocol and to receive inbound communications in the wireless protocol, using a wireless transport medium;

providing a demarcation device configured to convert inbound communications from the wireless protocol to a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) format and to convert the outbound communications from the POTS format to the wireless protocol;

receiving inbound communications at the antenna;

converting the inbound communications from the wireless protocol to the POTS format using the demarcation device; and

transmitting the inbound communications in the POTS format to the customer premises via a first internal transport medium.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving outbound communications in the POTS format from the customer premises via the first internal transport medium;

converting the outbound communications from the POTS format to the wireless protocol using the demarcation device; and

transmitting the outbound communications in the wireless protocol using the antenna.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the demarcation device comprises providing a demarcation device further configured to convert inbound communications from the wireless protocol to one of a digital data format and a digital video format and to convert outbound communications from the digital data format to the wireless protocol, the method further comprising:

receiving second inbound communications at the antenna;

determining, with the demarcation device, the second inbound communications are data communications;

converting the second inbound communications from the wireless protocol to the digital data format using the demarcation device; and

transmitting the second inbound communications in the digital data format to the customer premises via a second internal transport medium.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving outbound data communications in the digital data format from the customer premises via the second internal transport medium;

converting the outbound data communications from the digital data format to the wireless protocol using the demarcation device; and

transmitting the outbound data communications in the wireless protocol using the antenna.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving third inbound communications at the antenna;

determining, with the demarcation device, the third inbound communications are video communications;

converting the third inbound communications from the wireless protocol to the digital video format using the demarcation device; and

transmitting the third inbound communications in the digital video format to the customer premises via a third internal transport medium.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing an automatic gain control circuit to automatically adjust the gain of inbound communications received via the antenna.