Systems and Methods for Providing Wireless Communications for Data and Voice Communications

• US 20110124370A1
• Filed: 01/09/2011
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shopify Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Specht, Philip Russell
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless communications system that provides communication for a plurality of communication devices. The wireless communications system includes an interface including a local exchange carrier (LEC) connection port, a subscriber connection port and a wireless connection port. The wireless communications system includes a wireless terminal connected to the interface that provides wireless data and voice connectivity over a wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for providing voice communications and data communications received from a wireless communications network to a plurality of communications devices by way of a network interface having a voice device connection port and a data device connection port, the method comprising:

the network interface receiving the voice communications and the data communications from the wireless terminal having received the voice communications and the data communications from the wireless communications network;

the network interface providing the voice communications received from the wireless terminal to the voice device connection port of the network interface;

the network interface providing the data communications received from the wireless terminal to the data device connection port of the network interface;

the network interface transferring the voice communications to a voice device physically coupled to the network interface by way of the voice device connection port; and

the network interface transferring the data communications to a data device physically coupled to the network interface by way of the data device connection port.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface, in providing the voice communications to the voice device connection port, provides the voice communications to the voice device connection port including a telephone jack.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface, in providing the data communications to the data device connection port, provides the data communications to the data device connection port including an Ethernet jack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface, in providing the data communications to the data device connection port, provides the data communications to the data device connection port including a digital subscriber line hardware port.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface operates as a backup subsystem for a wire-line connection, receiving the voice communications and the data communications only if flow through the wire-line connection is interrupted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface includes a wireless portion, and receiving the voice communications and the data communications from the wireless terminal is performed by the wireless portion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the network interface includes a central office portion and the central office portion includes the voice device connection port and the data device connection port;

providing the voice communications received from the wireless terminal to the voice device connection port includes providing the voice communications to the central office portion;

providing the data communications received from the wireless terminal to the data device connection port includes providing the data communications to the central office portion;

transferring the voice communications to the voice device physically coupled to the network interface by way of the voice device connection port is performed in the central office portion; and

transferring the data communications to the data device physically coupled to the network interface by way of the data device connection port is performed in the central office portion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the network interface includes a subscriber portion connected to the wireless portion and connected to the central office portion;

providing the voice communications received from the wireless terminal to the central office portion includes providing the voice communications to the central office portion by way of the subscriber portion; and

providing the data communications received from the wireless terminal to the central office portion includes providing the data communications to the central office portion by way of the subscriber portion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network interface transferring the voice communications and the data communications to the voice device and the data device, respectively, includes transferring the voice communications and the data communications by way of a connection selected from a group of connections consisting of a telephone line and a digital subscriber line.

10. A method for providing voice communications and data communications received from a wireless communications network by way of a wireless terminal to a plurality of communications devices, the method comprising:

a data transmission portion of the wireless terminal sending/receiving data communications to/from a cellular station of the wireless communications network, including;

a data transmissions antenna of the data transmission portion sending/receiving data communications to/from a cellular station of the wireless communications network; and

a wireless data connectivity device of the data transmission portion being connected to the data transmissions antenna, and at least;

providing/receiving data communications to/from the wireless communications network by way of the data transmissions antenna; and

providing data communications received from the data transmissions antenna to a network interface for delivery to the plurality of communication devices; and

a voice transmission portion of the wireless terminal sending/receiving voice communications to/from the cellular station of the wireless communications network, including;

a voice transmissions antenna of the voice transmission portion sending/receiving voice communications to/from the cellular station of the wireless communications network; and

a wireless voice connectivity device of the voice transmission portion being connected to the voice transmission antenna, and at least;

providing/receiving voice communications to/from the wireless communications network by way of the voice transmissions antenna; and

providing voice communications received from the voice transmissions antenna to the network interface for delivery to the plurality of communication devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the data transmission antenna and the voice transmission antenna are the same, being a multi-function antenna; and

(1) the multi-function antenna sends/receives data communications to/from the cellular station of the wireless communications network and (2) the multi-function antenna sends/receives voice communications to/from the cellular station of the wireless communications network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the wireless data connectivity device and the wireless voice connectivity device are parts of a processor of the wireless terminal;

the processor at least;

effects the providing/receiving of data communications to/from the wireless communications network by way of the data transmissions antenna;

effects the providing of data communications received from the data transmissions antenna to the network interface for delivery to the plurality of communication devices;

effects the providing/receiving of voice communications to/from the wireless communications network by way of the voice transmissions antenna; and

effects the providing of voice communications received from the voice transmissions antenna to the network interface for delivery to the plurality of communication devices.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the wireless data connectivity device is selected from a group of wireless connectivity devices consisting of a digital subscriber line multiplexer device and an asynchronous transfer mode device; and

the selected device at least;

provides/receives data communications to/from the wireless communications network by way of the data transmissions antenna; and

provides data communications received from the data transmissions antenna to a network interface for delivery to the plurality of communication devices.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the data transmission portion includes an intermediate device selected from a group of intermediate devices consisting of a router and a dynamic host configuration protocol;

the data transmission portion being connected to the wireless data connectivity device, and receiving the data communications from the wireless data connectivity device.

15. A system for providing voice communications and data communications received from a wireless communications network to a plurality of communications devices, the system comprising:

a network interface coupled to a wireless terminal, the network interface including a wireless portion, a voice device connection port, and a data device connection port, wherein;

the network interface is configured to receive the voice communications from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion;

the network interface is configured to receive the data communications from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion;

the network interface is configured to provide the voice communications received from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion to the voice device connection port of the network interface;

the network interface is configured to provide the data communications received from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion to the data device connection port of the network interface;

the voice device connection port is configured to allow a voice device to be physically coupled to the network interface by way of the voice device connection port; and

the data device connection port is configured to allow a data device to be physically coupled to the network interface by way of the data device connection port.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network interface includes a central office portion, the central office portion including the voice device connection port and the data device connection port.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the network interface includes a subscriber portion connected to the central office portion;

the network interface being configured to provide the voice communications received from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion to the voice device connection port of the network interface includes the network interface being configured to provide the voice communications received from the wireless terminal to the voice device connection port of the central office portion by way of the subscriber portion; and

the network interface being configured to provide the data communications received from the wireless terminal by way of the wireless portion to the data device connection port of the network interface includes the network interface being configured to provide the data communications received from the wireless terminal to the data device connection port of the central office portion by way of the subscriber portion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the subscriber portion is connected to the central office portion by cable.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the subscriber portion is connected to the wireless portion by cable.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the central office portion being configured to allow the voice device and the data device to be physically coupled to the network interface, is configured to allow the voice device and the data device to be coupled to the network interface by way of a connection selected from a group of connections consisting of a telephone line and a digital subscriber line.