OPTICAL NETWORK TERMINAL BATTERY BACK-UP CONTROL

• US 20080240367A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wynman, Stanley J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1301 Optical transmission, optical switches

Abstract

A system and method for permitting a customer of a telecommunication company, for whom fiber to the premises (FTTP) has been installed, to continue to use the telephone during utility company power failure, by powering both the optical network terminal (ONT) and the customer'"'"'s telephone(s). The battery backup unit (BBU) maintains telephone usage for a pre-determined period of time after power failure, e.g., two hours, consistent with duration of most utility company power outages. This permits non-interrupted telephone service for most outages and, after that period of time, if utility company power has not been restored, the BBU provides power in order to provide telephone service only on demand by the customer, for up to approximately two more cumulative hours of usage. At the end of each usage on demand, the BBU powers the telephone for approximately five more minutes to permit return phone calls, if any, after which telephone service is shut off until any next usage on demand.

Claims

1. A residential fiber optic communication system powered by utility company electric power, said system permitting communication via customer premises equipment (CPE) including a telephone in a normal mode of operation, said system comprising:

an optical line terminal (OLT) located remotely from said customer premises;

an optical network terminal (ONT) located in said customer premises in communication over a fiber optic cable with said (OLT);

a DC power supply located in said customer premises for supplying electrical power to said ONT and to said telephone via said ONT;

a rechargeable battery backup unit (BBU) located in said customer premises and rechargeable by said power supply, said BBU being operatively coupled to said ONT and to said telephone via said ONT to supply substitute electrical power to said ONT and to said telephone via said ONT if and when said utility company electric power fails; and

a controller communicatively coupled to said BBU and configured to

disconnect service power from said BBU to said telephone at the end of a first time period measured from onset of failure of power from said utility company,

sense if said telephone goes off hook at a time after the end of said first time period and, responsive to said off hook, reapply service power from said BBU to said telephone to permit a call to be made, and

maintain service power from said BBU to said telephone for a second time period after which service power from said BBU is disconnected from said telephone.

2. A method, comprising:

powering a telephone at a customer premises by a battery backup unit (BBU) during a utility-company power failure, said BBU being located at said customer premises;

automatically disconnecting service power provided by said BBU to said telephone at the end of a first pre-determined time period measured from the start of said power failure; and

re-connecting said service power from said BBU to said telephone when said telephone goes off-hook subsequent to the end of the first pre-determined time period to obtain a first re-connection.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

automatically terminating said first re-connection at the end of a second pre-determined time period measured from the termination of said off-hook.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each subsequent off-hook obtains a respective subsequent re-connection between said telephone and said BBU.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each said subsequent re-connection is automatically terminated at the end of a subsequent pre-determined time period measured from termination of its respective off-hook.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said first pre-determined time period is two hours.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said second pre-determined time period is five minutes.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said subsequent pre-determined time period is the same as said second pre-determined time period.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

preventing said automatically disconnecting if said telephone is off-hook at the end of said first predetermined time period, and

disconnecting said service power provided by said BBU to said telephone concurrent with termination of said off-hook at the end of said first predetermined time period.

10. Apparatus comprising:

a battery backup unit (BBU) located at a customer premises for powering a telephone during a utility-company power failure;

a controller communicatively coupled to the BBU and located at the customer premises, the controller configured to

automatically disconnect service power provided by said BBU to said telephone at the end of a first pre-determined time period measured from the start of said power failure; and

reconnect service power provided by said BBU to said telephone when said telephone goes off-hook subsequent to the end of the first predetermined time period to obtain a first re-connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

automatically terminate said first re-connection at the end of a second pre-determined time period measured from the termination of said off-hook.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

prevent said automatic disconnecting of service power if said telephone is off-hook at the end of said first predetermined time period, and

disconnect service power provided by said BBU to said telephone concurrent with termination of said off-hook at the end of said first predetermined time period.