Multiple-Enclosure Residential Gateways

• US 20130329745A1
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Phillips, Bruce A., Campbell, Kurt A., Casey, Steven M., Cook, Charles I., Brodigan, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US13/965,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20130329745A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25752 Optical arrangements for wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/20 Support for services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 : the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 : between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide network interface devices and systems and methods for using them. For instance, a system in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention comprises a network interface device adapted to receive a plurality of sets of telecommunication information (telecommunication can include, inter alia, voice signals, Internet Protocol data, audio signals, data representing encoded audio signals, video signals and data representing encoded video signals) and distribute at least one of the plurality to a customer premises. The system can further include a control point operable to transmit configuration information to the network interface device. The configuration information can be operable to configure the behavior of the network interface device with respect to one or more of the information sets.

Claims

1. A system for providing telecommunication services to a customer premises, the system comprising:

a first enclosure located at the customer premises, the first enclosure comprising a demarcation device that provides an interface between an external transport medium, which is external to the customer premises and part of an access network of a provider of the telecommunication services, and a first internal transport medium, which is internal to the customer premises; and

a second enclosure located at the customer premises and separate from the first enclosure, the second enclosure comprising a processing system in communication with the demarcation device via the first internal transport medium, the processing system serving as an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) residential gateway for the customer premises, the IP residential gateway providing connectivity between one or more second internal transport media and the external transport medium, via the first internal transport medium and the demarcation device, to exchange one or more sets of telecommunication information between one or more customer devices in the customer premises and the access network of the provider of the telecommunication services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more sets of telecommunication information is selected from the group consisting of voice signals, Internet Protocol data, audio signals, data representing encoded audio signals, video signals, and data representing encoded video signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the external transport medium comprises an optical medium, and wherein the access network comprises an optical network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the external transport medium comprises an Ethernet medium.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the external transport medium comprises coaxial cable or a copper local loop.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the external transport medium is wireless.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first internal transport medium is wireless.

8. The system of claim 1, one or more of the second internal transport media is wireless.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing system receives and stores configuration information from a control point, the configuration information configuring a behavior of the IP residential gateway.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more sets of telecommunication information comprise a plurality of sets of telecommunication information, and wherein configuring the behavior of the IP residential gateway comprises instructing the IP residential gateway to distribute, to one or more customer devices at the customer premises, at least one of the plurality of sets of telecommunication information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one information set is associated with a particular telecommunication service.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein configuring the behavior of the IP residential gateway comprises configuring a security setting of the IP residential gateway.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the control point operated by the provider of the telecommunication services.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the control point is located at the customer premises.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the control point is located at a distribution point and wherein the distribution point is in communication with the IP residential gateway via one of the external transport medium.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the control point comprises a web browser.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the IP residential gateway submits to the control point a request for at least one telecommunication service, and the control point transmits to the IP residential gateway configuration information responsive to the submitted request.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control point is capable of forwarding the submitted request to a telecommunication information provider that is different than the provider of the telecommunication services.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the demarcation device provides an interface between a plurality of external transport media and the first internal transport medium.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the first enclosure is mounted on an external wall of a customer premises and the second enclosure is disposed within a structure of the customer premises.

21. A method of providing telecommunication services to a customer premises, the method comprising:

providing, at the customer premises, a first enclosure, the first enclosure comprising a demarcation device that provides an interface between an external transport medium, which is external to the customer premises and part of an access network of a provider of the telecommunication services, and a first internal transport medium, which is internal to the customer premises; and

providing, at the customer premises, a second enclosure separate from the first enclosure, the second enclosure comprising a processing system in communication with the demarcation device via the first internal transport medium, the processing system serving as an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) residential gateway for the customer premises, the IP residential gateway providing connectivity between one or more second internal transport media and the external transport medium, via the first internal transport medium and the demarcation device, to exchange one or more sets of telecommunication information between one or more customer devices in the customer premises and the access network of the provider of the telecommunication services;

receiving, at the demarcation device, telecommunication information via the external transport medium;

forwarding the telecommunication information from the demarcation device to the IP residential gateway via the first internal transport medium; and

processing the telecommunication information at the IP residential gateway.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

distributing the telecommunication information, with the IP residential gateway, to one or more customer devices at the customer premises, via the second one or more internal transport media.