Systems and methods for automatic public switched telephone network backup of Voice over Internet Protocol services

• US 20060039290A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Horton, John Joe Jr., Roden, Barbara, Horton, Glenoa R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,768,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

A backup public switched telephone network (PSTN) line is provided to a broadband network connection by detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection and automatically connecting local site wiring to the PSTN line responsive to detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection and disconnecting local site wiring from the PSTN line if unavailability is not detected.

Claims

1. A method of providing a backup public switched telephone network (PSTN) line to a broadband network connection, comprising:

detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection; and

automatically connecting local site wiring to the PSTN line responsive to detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection and disconnecting local site wiring from the PSTN line when unavailability is not detected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection comprises detecting failure of a network adapter connected to the local site wiring to provide power to the local site wiring.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection comprises detecting a power failure at the local site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection comprises detecting a failure of communications on the broadband network connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting a failure of communications on the broadband network connection comprises:

periodically transmitting a predefined message on the broadband network; and

detecting failure when no response is received to the periodically transmitted predefined message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein periodically transmitting and determining if a response is received are carried out when the local site wiring is connected to the PSTN line.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically disconnecting the local site wiring from the PSTN line when a response is received to the periodically transmitted predefined message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically disconnecting the local site wiring further comprises:

determining if a telephone call is in progress using the PSTN line; and

disconnecting the local site wiring from the PSTN line if a telephone call is not in progress using the PSTN line.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing voltage to the local site wiring if the PSTN line is disconnected from the local site wiring.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing power from a network adapter to the local site wiring; and

disabling providing power from the network adapter to the local site wiring when the PSTN line is connected to the local site wiring.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unavailability comprises detecting failure of a network adapter associated with the local site wiring.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadband connection comprises a digital subscriber loop (DSL) connection.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable program media having computer readable program code configured to carry out the steps of claim 5.

14. A system for providing public switched telephone network (PSTN) line backup to a voice over a packet protocol service, comprising:

a local device configured to drive local site wiring when the voice over a packet protocol service is being used; and

a switch configured to disconnect the PSTN line from the local site wiring if the local site wiring is being driven by the local device and connect the PSTN line to the local site wiring if the local site wiring is not being driven by the local device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the local device is configured detect the availability of a broadband connection and to enable driving the local site wiring if the broadband connection is available and disable driving the local site wiring if the broadband connection is not available.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the local device is further configured to periodically send and/or receive messages over the broadband connection to determine if the broadband connection is available.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a remote communication device configured to send/and or receive messages to/from the local device over the broadband connection and wherein the local device is configured to receive and/or send messages to/from the remote communication device over the broadband connection to determine if the broadband connection is available.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the broadband connection comprises a digital subscriber loop (DSL) connection.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the local device is further configured to detect a telephone call using the PSTN line and enable driving the local site wiring if a telephone call using the PSTN line is not detected.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the local device comprises a network adapter configured to provide voice over a packet protocol service over the local wiring.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the switch comprises a relay, the relay being connected between the local site wiring and the PSTN line and having an actuating coil of the relay coupled to the local site wiring.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the relay is between a network interface device (NID) and the local site wiring.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the local device is configured to drive the local site wiring with sufficient current to actuate the relay so as to disconnect the PSTN line from the local site wiring and wherein the PSTN line provides insufficient current to actuate the relay.

24. A device for providing PSTN line backup to local telephone service, comprising a relay between local site wiring and the PSTN line and configured to disconnect the PSTN line from the local site wiring if a current greater than a current supplied by the PSTN line is not supplied to the local site wiring.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the relay is configured to be connected between a network interface device (NID) and the local site wiring.

26. A system for providing a backup public switched telephone network (PSTN) line to a broadband network connection, comprising:

means for detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection; and

means for automatically connecting local site wiring to the PSTN line responsive to detecting failure of the broadband network connection and disconnecting local site wiring from the PSTN line if a failure is not detected.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the means for detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection comprises means for detecting failure of a network adapter connected to the local site wiring to provide power to the local site wiring.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the means for detecting unavailability of the broadband network connection comprises means for detecting a failure of communications on the broadband network connection.

29. A network adapter for providing voice over a packet protocol service, comprising:

a modem circuit configured to communicate over a broadband data line;

a terminal adapter circuit configured to receive signals from the local site wiring corresponding to communications to be sent over the broadband data line by the modem circuit;

a controller circuit configured to detect availability of a broadband connection using the broadband data line; and

a local wiring drive circuit configured to selectively provide power to the local site wiring responsive to the availability of the broadband connection using the broadband data line.

30. The network adapter of claim 29, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to periodically send and/or receive messages on the broadband connection using the broadband data line so as to determine the availability of the broadband connection.