MODULAR OUTLET
First Claim
1. An outlet that is part of a local area network (LAN) in a building, the network including at least part of an existing LAN wiring, the LAN wiring being connected for concurrently carrying a DC power signal and a packet-based digital data signal, said outlet comprising:
- a first LAN connector for connecting said outlet to the LAN wiring;
a first transceiver for point-to-point full-duplex digital data communication with a transceiver of the same type as said first transceiver over the LAN wiring;
a power supply comprising a DC/DC converter, coupled to said first LAN connector to receive the DC power signal and coupled to supply DC power to said first transceiver;
a data port for coupling the digital data signal to a first unit; and
a multi-port packet-based unit including one of;
a hub;
a switch;
a router; and
a gateway, coupled to pass data between said data port and said first transceiver;
first and second enclosures each containing power-consuming circuits powered from said power supply,wherein;
each of said first LAN connector, said first transceiver, said power supply, said data port and said multi-port packet-based unit is housed in a respective one of said enclosures;
said first and second enclosures are removably mechanically attached to each other and electrically connected to each other to enable power to be passed between them; and
said outlet is addressable in the local area network.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In conjunction with a wiring in a house carrying data network signal, a modular outlet (100) includes a base module (100a) and interface module (100b). The base module connects to the wiring and is attached to the surface of a building. The interface module provides a data unit connection. The interface module is mechanically attached to the base module and electrically connected thereto. The wiring may also carry basic service signal such as telephone, electrical power and cable television (CATV). In such a case, the outlet provides the relevant connectivity either as part of the base module or as part of the interface module. Both proprietary and industry standard interfaces can be used to interconnect the module. Furthermore, a standard computer expansion card (such as PCI, PCMCIA and alike) may be used as interface module.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An outlet that is part of a local area network (LAN) in a building, the network including at least part of an existing LAN wiring, the LAN wiring being connected for concurrently carrying a DC power signal and a packet-based digital data signal, said outlet comprising:
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a first LAN connector for connecting said outlet to the LAN wiring; a first transceiver for point-to-point full-duplex digital data communication with a transceiver of the same type as said first transceiver over the LAN wiring; a power supply comprising a DC/DC converter, coupled to said first LAN connector to receive the DC power signal and coupled to supply DC power to said first transceiver; a data port for coupling the digital data signal to a first unit; and a multi-port packet-based unit including one of;
a hub;
a switch;
a router; and
a gateway, coupled to pass data between said data port and said first transceiver;first and second enclosures each containing power-consuming circuits powered from said power supply, wherein; each of said first LAN connector, said first transceiver, said power supply, said data port and said multi-port packet-based unit is housed in a respective one of said enclosures; said first and second enclosures are removably mechanically attached to each other and electrically connected to each other to enable power to be passed between them; and said outlet is addressable in the local area network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
wherein said converter includes an analog to digital converter and a digital to analog converter.
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26. The outlet according to claim 1, further being pluggable into an existing LAN outlet.
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27. The outlet according to claim 1, wherein the DC power signal is carried over a dedicated twisted-wire pair.
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28. The outlet according to claim 1, wherein the DC power signal is carried using a phantom circuit.
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29. The outlet according to claim 1, wherein the DC power signal is carried over the LAN wiring substantially according to IEEE802.3af standard.
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30. The outlet according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is a modular outlet.
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7. The outlet according to claim l,wherein said second enclosure is further communicatively coupleable to said first enclosure to bi-directionally pass digital data therebetween.
Specification