Communicating Modem or Multimedia Terminal Adapter Status to a Handset for a Cordless Telephone

• US 20080317225A1
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cotignola, Christopher J., Patel, Dipak R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,804,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/08 home cordless telephone systems using the DECT standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A cordless telephone system provides indication of event information for customer premises equipment. The cordless telephone system includes a base station and handsets. The base station receives event information from the CPE. The base station transmits the event information to a handset, and the handset provides an indication of the event information to a user.

Claims

1. A media terminal device for providing communications between a customer and a network comprising:

a modem configured to provide communication to and from the network;

a cordless telephone base station configured to provide communications to and from at least one telephone handset; and

a microprocessor which monitors communication conditions associated with the network, the modem and the base station and provides event information associated with the communication conditions;

wherein the base station receives the event information from the microprocessor; and

transmits the event information to the at least one telephone handset.

2. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the base station receives a request for the event information from the at least one handset and the microprocessor provides the event information associated with the request.

3. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor receives event information from customer premises equipment (CPE) and sends the event information to the base station without the base station or the at least one handset requesting the event information.

4. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the event information comprises loss of connection to the Internet, loss of telephone service, status of battery in CPE, cut cable indication, personal computer (PC) application event, or performance metrics for a network or a network application.

5. The media terminal device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a media terminal adapter (MTA), an embedded MTA (eMTA), and a router.

6. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the base station is integrated in a single device with the modem and an eMTA.

7. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the event information includes information from a personal computer (PC) application running on a PC, and the microprocessor receives the event information from the PC.

8. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the at least one handset includes at least two output devices, and if the at least one handset is off-hook, the indication of the event information is provided to the user via a second output device not being used for a telephone call.

9. The media terminal device of claim 1, wherein the handset comprises a multimode handset operable to be used as a handset for the cordless telephone system or a cellular telephone.

10. The media terminal device of claim 1, further comprising an event detection module and an event reporting module, the event detection module receives the event information from CPE and the event reporting module sends the event information to the at least one handset.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the CPE equipment is connected to the broadband network comprises at least one of a modem, a media terminal adapter (MTA), an embedded MTA (eMTA), and a router.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving event information at a cordless telephone system base station from CPE comprises:

receiving information from a PC application for transmission to the at least one handset.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one output device in the handset includes at least two output devices, and providing an indication of the event information comprises:

if the at least one handset is off-hook, the indication of the event information is provided to the user via a second output device not being used for a telephone call.

11. A method providing event information through a cordless telephone system, the method comprising:

receiving event information at a cordless telephone system base station from CPE;

transmitting the event information to at least one handset of the cordless telephone system from the base station; and

providing an indication of the event information to a user via at least one output device in the at least one handset.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending a request for event information to the base station from the at least one handset; and

sending another request for the event information to the CPE from the base station.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving event information at a cordless telephone system base station from CPE comprises:

receiving the event information without the base station or the at least one handset requesting the event information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the event information comprises loss of connection to the Internet via the CPE, loss of telephone service, status of battery in the CPE, cut cable indication, personal computer (PC) application event, or performance metrics for a network or a network application.

18. A handset for a cordless telephone system comprising:

a microphone operable to receive voice data from a user;

a speaker operable to present voice data to the user;

a processor operable to run software providing event information received from CPE at a base station for the cordless telephone system; and

at least one output device providing an indication of the event information to the user.

19. The handset of claim 18, wherein the at least one output device in the handset includes at least two output devices, and if the at least one handset is off-hook, the indication of the event information is provided to the user via a second output device not being used for a telephone call.

20. The handset of claim 18, wherein the event information comprises loss of connection to the Internet via the CPE, loss of telephone service, status of battery in the CPE, cut cable indication, personal computer (PC) application event, performance metrics for a network or a network application, or information from a PC application running on the CPE.