System for distributing radio telephone signals over a cable television network

• US 5,381,459 A
• Filed: 11/03/1993
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cable Television Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Lappington, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/145,300
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 358/85, 358/147, 370/85.1, 370/80, 375/38, 379/56, 379/58, 379/59, 455/33.1, 455/39, 455/49, 455/53.1, 455/54
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/96 CATV systems for accessing the Internet H04H60/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A system for distributing remote telephone traffic between a base station and remote antenna site is disclosed. The base station and remote antenna sites are connected via a cable television network. The base station receives from a public telephone network parallel channels of outbound voice signals for radio telephones operating within the cellular areas of the remote antenna sites. The base station will digitize and time compress each of these outbound telephone signals, and insert them in a transmit frame. The transmit frame is modulated on a subcarrier and applied to the cable television network. A plurality of remote sites are connected to the cable television network and receive and rebroadcast digitized voice signals to radio telephones operating within their cellular areas. Inbound serial channel data received from a radio telephone is inserted in a serial receive data frame. A second subcarrier is modulated with the receive data frame and applied to the cable television network for transmission upstream to the base station. The base station will demodulate the inbound receive frame and apply the digitized voice signals to the public telephone network to complete a telephone communication link.

Claims

1. A method for distributing telephone calls between a telephone network and a plurality of remote telephones via a cable television network distributing television signals over at least one television channel, wherein said telephone network is connected to a base station, and wherein said remote telephones are served by a plurality of serially connected remote sites connected to said cable television network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving, at said base station, a plurality of outgoing telephone calls from telephone lines comprising said telephone network;

(b) inserting data indicative of said outgoing telephone calls received by said base station from said telephone network into a data frame;

(c) applying said data frame to a data channel of said cable television network;

(d) transmitting data in said data frame applied to said data channel of said cable television network to said remote telephones via a plurality of outgoing telephone channels using a radio frequency transceiver located at each one of said remote sites;

(e) receiving incoming telephone calls from said remote telephones via a plurality of incoming telephone channels using said radio frequency transceiver;

(f) adding data indicative of said incoming telephone calls received from said remote telephones to a second data frame;

(g) applying said second data frame to said cable television network via a second channel of said cable television network for transmission to said base station; and

(h) applying said data indicative of said incoming telephone calls in said second data frame to said telephone lines at said base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said data frame comprises digital data.

3. A method for distributing telephone calls between a telephone network and a plurality of remote telephones via a cable television network distributing television signals over at least one channel, wherein said telephone network is connected to a base station, and wherein said remote telephones are served by a plurality of serially connected remote sites connected to said cable television network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving, at said base station, a plurality of outgoing telephone calls from telephone lines comprising said telephone network;

(b) inserting data indicative of said outgoing telephone calls received by said base station from said telephone network into a first data frame;

(c) applying said first data frame to a first channel of said cable television network;

(d) transmitting data in said first data frame applied to said first channel of said cable television network to said remote telephones via a plurality of outgoing telephone channels using a radio frequency transceiver located at each one of said remote sites;

(e) receiving incoming telephone calls from said remote telephones via a plurality of incoming telephone channels using said radio frequency transceiver;

(f) adding data indicative of said incoming telephone calls received from said remote telephones to a second data frame;

(g) applying said second data frame to said cable television network via a second channel of said cable television network for transmission to said base station; and

,

(h) applying said data indicative of said incoming telephone calls in said second data frame to said telephone lines at said base station.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said inserting step includes:

monitoring said second data frame to determine whether said data indicative of said incoming telephone calls received from each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels has an acceptable signal level; and

inserting only said incoming digital data for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels having said acceptable signal level into said second data frame.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said monitoring step further comprises:

setting a Data Valid bit for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels indicating whether a given one of said incoming telephone channels has said acceptable signal level; and

,

checking said Data Valid bit for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels to determine for which said channels said incoming digital data is to be inserted into said second data frame.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said first data frame and said second data frame each comprise digital data.

7. A system for distributing telephone calls between a telephone network and a plurality of remote telephones via a cable television network distributing television signals over at least one channel, said system comprising:

(a) a base station connected to said telephone network including;

(1) means for receiving a plurality of outgoing telephone calls from telephone lines comprising said telephone network;

(2) means for inserting data indicative of said outgoing telephone calls into a first data frame;

(3) means for applying said first data frame to said cable television network via a first carrier channel of said cable television network;

(4) means for receiving a second data frame comprising data indicative of incoming telephone calls via a second carrier channel of said cable television network;

(5) first conversion means for converting said data indicative of incoming telephone calls in said second data frame into a plurality of said incoming telephone calls;

(6) means for applying said incoming telephone calls to said telephone lines; and

,

(b) a plurality of serially connected remote sites, each of which is also interconnected to said cable television network via a pass-through connection, wherein each of said remote sites includes;

(1) means for extracting said first data frame from said cable television network;

(2) second conversion means for converting said data indicative of said outgoing telephone calls in said first data frame to outbound data to be transmitted over a plurality of outgoing telephone channels;

(3) a radio frequency transceiver for transmitting said outbound data on said plurality of outgoing telephone channels to said remote telephones, and for receiving said incoming telephone calls on a plurality of incoming telephone channels from said remote telephones;

(4) insertion means for adding data contained in said incoming telephone calls to said second data frame; and

,

(5) means for applying said second data frame to said cable

television network via said second carrier channel.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said first conversion means at said base station for converting said data indicative of said incoming telephone calls in said second data frame to a plurality of incoming telephone signals includes:

analog-to-digital conversion means for converting said outgoing signals to digital signals; and

means for forming said first data frame comprising said digital signals.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said insertion means at each of said remote sites includes:

means for monitoring said second data frame to determine whether said data indicative of said incoming telephone calls received from each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels has an acceptable signal level; and

means for inserting only said incoming digital data for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels having said acceptable signal level into said second data frame.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said monitoring means at each of said remote sites further comprises:

means for setting a Data Valid bit for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels indicating whether a given one of said incoming telephone channels has said acceptable signal level; and

,

means for checking said Data Valid bit for each of said plurality of incoming telephone channels to determine for which said channels said incoming digital data is to be inserted into said second data frame.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said first data frame and said second data frame each comprise a plurality of like ordered data bits for each of said incoming telephone channels.

12. A system for distributing telephone traffic between a telephone network and a plurality of remote telephones via a cable television network distributing television signals over at least one channel, said system comprising:

(a) a base station connected when in use to said telephone network, including;

(1) means for receiving a plurality of outgoing signals from telephone lines comprising said telephone network;

(2) means for inserting said outgoing signals into a first data frame comprising outgoing digital data;

(3) means for applying said first data frame to a cable television network via a first subcarrier of said cable television network;

(4) means for receiving a second data frame comprising incoming digital data from said cable television network via a second subcarrier having a frequency different from that of said first subcarrier;

(5) first conversion means for converting said incoming digital data in said second data frame to a plurality of incoming telephone signals;

(6) means for transmitting said plurality of incoming telephone signals over said telephone lines; and

,

(b) a plurality of serially connected remote sites, each of which is also interconnected to said cable television network via a pass-through connection, wherein each of said remote sites includes;

(1) means for extracting said first data frame from said cable television network;

(2) second conversion means for converting said outgoing digital data in said first data frame to a plurality of outgoing telephone channels;

(3) a radio frequency transceiver for transmitting said plurality of outgoing telephone channels to said remote telephones, and for receiving said incoming digital data on a plurality of incoming telephone channels from said remote telephones;

(4) means for receiving said second data frame from a next upstream one of said remote sites on said cable television network via said second subcarrier;

(5) insertion means for adding said data received in said second data frame from said next upstream one of said remote sites to said incoming digital data received from said plurality of incoming telephone channels; and

,

(6) means for transmitting said second data frame to a closest downstream one of said remote sites on said cable television network via said second subcarrier;

wherein the one of said remote sites closest to said base station transmits said second data frame to said base station.

13. The system of claim 12, including means for filtering out said second subcarrier received from said next upstream one of said remote sites.

14. A system for distributing telephone calls between a telephone network and a plurality of remote telephones via a cable television network distributing television signals over at least one channel, said system comprising:

(a) a base station connected to said telephone network, wherein said base station includes;

(1) means for receiving a plurality of outgoing telephone calls from telephone lines comprising said telephone network;

(2) means for inserting data indicative of said outgoing telephone calls received by said receiving means into a first data frame;

(3) means for applying said first data frame to a first channel of said cable television network; and

,

(b) a plurality of remote sites, each of which is serially interconnected by said cable television network, wherein each of said remote sites includes;

(1) a radio frequency transceiver for transmitting data in said first data frame applied to said first channel of said cable television network to said remote telephones via a plurality of outgoing telephone channels, and for receiving incoming telephone calls from said remote telephones via a plurality incoming telephone channels;

(2) insertion means for adding data contained in said incoming telephone calls received from said remote telephones to a second data frame; and

,

(3) means for applying said second data frame to said cable television network via a second channel for transmission to said base station.