Ultra-wideband communication through a wire medium

• US 20060291536A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Moore, Steve, Santhoff, John
• Application Number:
  US11/511,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20060291536A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7172 Pulse shape in general H04L25/03834
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for creating, transmitting and receiving an ultra-wideband signal through wire media are presented. One embodiment of the invention may create, transmit, and receive an ultra-wideband signal that uses radio frequency(s) that are not used by other signals present on wire media within a wire network of interest. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting an ultra-wideband signal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wire network that includes a group of discrete radio frequencies, with at least one radio frequency carrying a signal;

eliminating the signal; and

transmitting an ultra-wideband signal that occupies the radio frequency previously occupied by the signal.

2. The method of claim 1, where the ultra-wideband signal occupies the radio frequency previously occupied by the signal, as well as at least one other radio frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, where the wire network is selected from a group consisting of:

a power line, an optical network, a cable television network, a community antenna television network, a community access television network, a hybrid fiber coax system network, a public switched telephone network, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a TCP/IP network, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, a nonswitched network, a public network and a private network.

4. The method of claim 1, where the ultra-wideband signal comprises a radio frequency signal that has at least a 20% fractional bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1, where the ultra-wideband signal comprises a radio frequency signal that occupies at least 500 Mega Hertz of a radio frequency spectrum.

6. The method of claim 1, where the group of discrete radio frequencies occupy a radio frequency spectrum that ranges from about 5 Mega Hertz to about 10 Giga Hertz.

7. The method of claim 1, where one of the discrete radio frequencies occupies a radio frequency spectrum that ranges from about 1 Mega Hertz to about 1 Giga Hertz.

19. The communication method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization signal provides a common timing source for the ultra-wideband device, and other devices wirelessly communicating with, or physically attached to the wire network.

8. A method of transmitting an ultra-wideband signal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wire network that includes a plurality of signals that respectively occupy a plurality of discrete radio frequencies;

determining which of the plurality of signals are being accessed;

eliminating one of the signals not being accessed; and

transmitting an ultra-wideband signal that occupies the radio frequency previously occupied by the signal not being accessed.

9. The method of claim 8, where the step of determining which of the signals are being accessed comprises determining if data carried by the signal is being used by a device on the wire network.

10. The method of claim 8, where the step of determining which of the signals are being accessed comprises determining if data carried by the signal is being used by a device wirelessly communicating with the wire network.

11. The method of claim 8, where the wire network is selected from a group consisting of:

a power line, an optical network, a cable television network, a community antenna television network, a community access television network, a hybrid fiber coax system network, a public switched telephone network, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a TCP/IP network, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, a nonswitched network, a public network and a private network.

12. The method of claim 8, where the ultra-wideband signal occupies the radio frequency previously occupied by the signal, as well as at least one other radio frequency.

13. The method of claim 8, where the ultra-wideband signal comprises a radio frequency signal that has at least a 20% fractional bandwidth.

14. The method of claim 8, where the ultra-wideband signal comprises a radio frequency signal that occupies at least 500 Mega Hertz of a radio frequency spectrum.

15. The method of claim 8, where the group of discrete radio frequencies occupy a radio frequency spectrum that ranges from about 5 Mega Hertz to about 10 Giga Hertz.

16. The method of claim 8, where one of the discrete radio frequencies occupies a radio frequency spectrum that ranges from about 1 Mega Hertz to about 1 Giga Hertz.

17. A synchronization method, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wire network that carries a plurality of substantially continuous carrier waves;

introducing an ultra-wideband signal onto the wire network;

transmitting a synchronization signal comprising a substantially continuous carrier wave; and

synchronizing a clock included in an ultra-wideband device, that communicates with the wire network, with the synchronization signal.

18. The method of claim 17, where the ultra-wideband signal comprises a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic energy, each having a duration that can range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 1 microsecond.

20. The method of claim 17, where the wire network is selected from a group consisting of:

a power line, an optical network, a cable television network, a community antenna television network, a community access television network, a hybrid fiber coax system network, a public switched telephone network, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a TCP/IP network, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, a nonswitched network, a public network and a private network.