SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A SUBSCRIBER-POWERED NETWORK ELEMENT

• US 20080159744A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexander I. Soto, Walter G. Soto
• Original Assignee: Alexander I. Soto, Walter G. Soto
• Inventors: Soto, Alexander I., Soto, Walter G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/115
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04

Abstract

A system for powering a network element of a fiber optic communication network. When communication data is transferred between a central office (CO) and a subscriber gateway using a network element to convert optical to electrical (O-E) and electrical to optical (E-O) signals between a fiber from the central office and copper wires or coax cable from the subscriber gateway, techniques related to local powering of a network element or drop site by a subscriber or customer remote device or gateway are provided. Certain advantages and/or benefits are achieved using the present invention, such as freedom from any requirement for additional meter installations or meter connection charges. Additionally the system is free of monthly meter charges and does not require a separate power network.

Claims

1. A system for powering a network element of a fiber optic communication network including means for transmitting communication data between a central office (CO) and a subscriber gateway, the network element serving to convert optical to electrical (O-E) and electrical to optical (E-O) signals between a fiber from the central office and copper wires from the subscriber gateway, the system comprising:

The subscriber gateway including,

A DC power source that includes means for producing a DC current and a DC voltage,

A high-speed client modem that includes means for producing electrical communication signals,

A Subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC) device that includes means for coupling the electrical signals of the client modem and the DC power output of the DC power source, and includes means for transmitting the electrical signals and the DC power output;

The network element including,

A high-speed CO modem,

An DC-to-DC power converter,

A Data Access Arrangement (DAA) device that includes means for coupling electrical communications signals of the CO modem and decoupling the DC power, and includes means for further providing the DC Power to the DC-to-DC power converter;

A pair of copper wires in electrical communication between the subscriber gateway and the network element to provide a medium for the DC power transfer and the modem communications;

Whereby the network element is powered by the subscriber gateway over the copper wires and the modems are in communication over the same copper wires.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the SLIC and DAA devices includes means from designs that are transformer-based, optically-based, capacitively coupled-based, silicon/integrated circuit-based, or some combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the SLIC and DAA devices includes means for coupling capacitors, coupling transformers, blocking inductors, and inductive coupling.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein SLIC and DAA devices includes means for low pass filtering, bandpass filtering, and high pass filtering.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the SLIC device includes means for limiting the current of the transmitted DC power to non-hazardous levels.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber gateway includes means for providing a battery backup incase of subscriber main power loss and includes means for providing a primary telephone line with lifeline powering.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the DC power source is an AC-to-DC power supply or a DC-to-DC power supply.

8. In a fiber in the loop network including a network element serving to perform optical to electrical (O-E) conversion and electrical to optical (E-O) conversion of broadband communications between a central office and a subscriber premise, a method for electrically powering the network element comprising the steps of:

providing a DC power from a DC power source onto a twisted copper wire pair in a subscriber premise; and

coupling the DC power with electrical communications from a modem in the subscriber premise; and

transmitting the DC power and the electrical communications over the twisted copper wire; and

accepting the DC power and the electrical communications from the twisted copper wire pair in the network element; and

coupling the DC power in the network element; and

providing the DC power to the network element.

9. In a fiber to the loop network including a network element serving to perform optical to electrical (O-E) conversion and electrical to optical (E-O) conversion of broadband communications between a CO and a subscriber premise, a method for electrically powering the network element comprising the steps of:

transmitting a DC power on twisted copper wire pairs from a first Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable Ethernet port in a subscriber premise; and

accepting the DC power over the twisted copper wire pairs in a second PoE capable Ethernet port in the network element; and

providing the DC power from the second PoE capable Ethernet port to the network element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network element is located at the network interface device (NID) or demarcation point of the fiber to the loop network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable Ethernet port is a Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) Ethernet port.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable Ethernet port is a Power over Ethernet (PoE) capable Powered Device (PD) Ethernet port.

13. In a fiber in the loop network including a network element serving to perform optical to electrical (O-E) conversion and electrical to optical (E-O) conversion of broadband communications between a central office and a subscriber premise, a method for electrically powering the network element comprising the steps of:

providing a DC power from a DC power source onto a coaxial cable in a subscriber premise; and

coupling the DC power with electrical communications from a network client terminal in the subscriber premise; and

transmitting the DC power and the electrical communications over the coaxial cable; and

accepting the DC power and the electrical communications from the coaxial cable in the network element; and

decoupling the DC power in the network element; and

providing the DC power to the network element.

14. In a fiber in the loop network including a network element serving to perform optical to electrical (O-E) conversion and electrical to optical (E-O) conversion of broadband communications between a central office and a subscriber premise, a method for electrically powering the network element comprising the steps of:

coupling electrical power and electrical network communications onto a same copper wire or coax cable at the subscriber premise; and

transmitting the coupled power and communications to the network element; and

decoupling the power and communications at the network element; and

providing the power for use by the network element.