Telephone and auxiliary power distribution system

• US 6,073,003 A
• Filed: 01/18/1994
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ole K Nilssen
• Original Assignee: Ole K Nilssen
• Inventors: Nilssen, Ole K.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chernoff, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US08/181,833
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/61, 379/156, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/9, 380/10, 380/21, 455/402
• US Class Current: 455/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5437 Wired telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A telephone and auxiliary power distribution system in a building has a flexible multi-conductor signal and power distribution cable; which cable originates from a central signal & power management facility located near the point where the telephone utility line enters the building and extends from there to each of numerous locations within the building at which a fire-hazard-proof signal & power outlet is wanted; each of which outlets is adapted to service one of plural different loads, such as a wide variety of telephone and telephone-related instruments, smoke detectors, PC'"'"'s, TV'"'"'s & VCR'"'"'s, clocks and timers, thermostats, door chimes and buttons, modems, fax machines, lamps & lights, Class-2 & Class-3 sub-circuits, etc. The central signal and power management facitility, which is connected with the telephone utility line, the electric utility power line, the gas utility gas supply line and a water supply line, serves: (i) to connect the telephone utility line with the signal and power distribution cable; (ii) even during periods of electric utility power failure, to provide various conditioned DC voltages to various pairs of power conductors within the distribution cable; (iii) to detect the presence of any unauthorized (e.g., fire-hazardous) loads connected with the power conductors; and (iv) to remove the voltage from a pair of conductors if an unauthorized load be connected therewith.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising:

a branch telephone exchange system having a set of first signal input/output ports as well as a set of second input/output ports;

the first input/output ports being connected with telephone lines from a local telephone company, such that each one of the first input/output ports is connected with one of those telephone lines;

the branch telephone exchange system being operative;

(i) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given first input/output port, to provide connection between that given first input/output port and any desired second input/output port; and

/or (ii) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given second input/output port, to provide connection between that given second input/output port and one of the first input/output ports, thereby to provide for connection between said given second input/output port and one of the telephone lines from the local telephone company; and

plural buildings;

each building having at least one telephone-type instrument connected, via a signal conveying means, with one of the second input/output ports;

the signal conveying means including a pair of signal conductors as well as a wireless signal transmission path;

such that;

(i) any given one of said telephone-type instruments may, on command, be connected with one of the first input/output ports, thereby to permit a telephone call to be placed via the local telephone company; and

/or (ii) any person may make, via the local telephone company, telephonic connection to any desired one of the telephone-type instruments.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 additionally characterized in that the branch telephone exchange system also includes a set of third input/output ports connected with a multi-channel cellular transceiver operative to interact with a local cellular telephone system, such that:

(i) any given one of said telephone-type instruments may, on command, be connected with one of the third input/output ports, thereby to permit a telephone call to be placed via said local cellular telephone system; and

/or (ii) any person may make, via the local cellular telephone system, telephonic connection to any desired one of the telephone-type instruments.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 additionally characterized in that the branch telephone exchange system includes a power supply operative to supply an amount of power distinctly higher than that required for operating the branch telephone exchange system.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 additionally characterized in that the branch telephone exchange system also includes a set of input/output ports connected with a multi-channel sub-cellular telephone transceiver operative to provide wireless telephonic connections with one or more of the telephone-type instruments disposed within one or more of the buildings.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 additionally characterized in that a multi-conductor cable runs from the branch telephone exchange to each of the plural buildings;

the multi-conductor cable being characterized by including conductors of different types.

6. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein the multi-conductor cable is further characterized by including a coaxial cable adapted to convey TV signals.

7. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein the multi-conductor cable is further characterized by including electrical conductors of different current-carrying capacities.

8. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein the multi-conductor cable is further characterized by being adapted to convey telephone signals as well as electric power at a rate distinctly higher than that which is usually conveyed through telephone lines.

9. An arrangement comprising:

a branch telephone exchange system having a set of first signal input/output ports as well as a set of second input/output ports;

the first input/output ports being connected with telephone lines from a local telephone company, such that each one of the first input/output ports is connected with one of those telephone lines;

the branch telephone exchange system being operative;

(i) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given first input/output port, to provide connection between that given first input/output port and any desired second input/output port; and

/or (ii) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given second input/output port, to provide connection between that given second input/output port and one of the first input/output ports, thereby to provide for connection between said given second input/output port and one of the telephone lines from the local telephone company; and

plural buildings;

each building having at least one telephone-type instrument connected, via a wireless signal transmission path, with one of the second input/output ports;

the wireless signal transmission path interfacing with said at least one telephone-type instrument by way of an antenna attached to its associated building;

such that;

(i) any given one of said telephone-type instruments may, on command, be connected with one of the first input/output ports, thereby to permit a telephone call to be placed via the local telephone company; and

/or (ii) any person may make, via the local telephone company, telephonic connection to any desired one of the telephone-type instruments.

10. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized in being functional as specificed even in the absence of any hard-wire cable means extending between the second input/output ports and the buildings.

11. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized in that at least one of the buildings has a telephone-type instrument connected with one of the second input/output ports by way of a hard-wire cable means.

12. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized in that:

(i) at least part of the branch telephone exchange system is disposed within a housing means situated at the side of a road; and

(ii) each of the buildings is located some distance away from said housing means.

13. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized in that the branch telephone exchange system includes a multi-channel cellular transceiver means connected with some of the second input/output ports.

14. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized by also including:

(a) a TV antenna &

receiving means functional;

(i) to receive and detect TV signals being beamed thereinto; and

(ii) to condition these TV signals such as to provide at a TV signal output a number of conditioned TV signals, each conditioned TV signal representing a TV channel; and

(b) a TV signal transmission cable means extending between the TV signal output and a TV-type instrument in one of the buildings, thereby to provide the conditioned TV signals thereto;

the TV-type instrument being responsive to the conditioned TV signals and operable, under certain conditions, to select one of the conditioned TV signals and to display a corresponding TV picture on a TV screen.

15. The arrangement of claim 14 additionally characterized in that:

(i) at least one of the conditioned TV signals is scrambled so that, absent a proper de-scrambling function, the TV-type instrument can not properly display the TV picture conveyed by said at least one of the conditioned TV signals;

(ii) the TV-type instrument includes a de-scrambler means;

which de-scrambler means, upon receipt of a proper de-scrambling signal, is operative to provide the proper de-scrambling function;

(iii) the branch telephone exchange system includes a de-scrambling signal means functional to supply the proper de-scrambling signal; and

(iv) a signal transmission path extends between the de-scrambling signal means and said de-scrambler means, thereby to provide the proper descrambling signal to the de-scrambler means.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 still further characterized in that the proper descrambling signal is supplied by way of one or more of the telephone lines from the local telephone company.

17. The arrangement of claim 14 yet additionally characterized by including a scrambling means connected in circuit with the TV antenna &

receiving means and operative to cause at least one of the conditioned TV signals provided at the TV output to be scrambled.

18. The arrangement of claim 9 further characterized by including a cellular transceiver means connected in circuit with the branch telephone exchange system.

19. An arrangement comprising:

plural buildings located adjacent a road;

each building having at least one telephone-type instrument having a telephone input/output port;

cable means having a primary input/output port and plural subsidiary input/output ports;

one of the subsidiary input/output ports being connected with the telephone input/output port of said at least one telephone-type instrument in each building; and

a branch telephone exchange system having a set of first input/output ports as well as a set of second input/output ports;

each of the first input/output ports being connected with an input/output port connected in communication with the signal distribution facilities of a local telephone system;

the branch telephone exchange system being housed in a structure placed adjacent the road in a location where a telephone distribution pedestal would usually have been located and being operative;

(i) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given first input/output port, to provide connection between that given first input/output port and any desired second input/output port; and

/or (ii) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given second input/output port, to provide connection between that given second input/output port and one of the first input/output ports, thereby to provide for connection between said given second input/output port and one of the telephone lines from the local telephone company;

such that;

(i) any given one of said telephone-type instruments may, on command, be connected with one of the first input/output ports, thereby to permit a telephone call to be placed via the local telephone system; and

/or (ii) any person may make, via the local telephone system, telephonic connection to any desired one of the telephone-type instruments.

20. The arrangement of claim 19 further characterized in that the cable means includes:

(i) a TV signal conduit means operative to transmit a plurality of TV channels; and

(ii) hard-wire telephone lines.

21. The arrangement of claim 19 further characterized in that the cable means includes:

(i) a coaxial cable operative to transmit a plurality of TV channels; and

(ii) plural pairs of hard-wire telephone lines.

22. The arrangement of claim 19 further characterized in that:

(i) at least one of the first input/output ports is connected with an input/output port of a cellular transceiver operable to interface with a cellular telephone system; and

(ii) the local telephone system is a cellular telephone system.

23. An arrangement comprising:

plural buildings located adjacent a road;

each building including a telephone-type instrument connected with a dedicated sub-cellular transceiver having an antenna-type input/output port; and

a branch telephone exchange system including (i) first input/output ports, (ii) second input/output ports, and (iii) a multi-channel sub-cellular transceiver means having plural sub-cellular input/output ports;

the sub-cellular transceiver means being connected in wireless communication with the antenna-type input/output port of each dedicated sub-cellular transceiver;

each of the first input/output ports being connected with an input/output port connected in communication with the signal distribution facilities of a local telephone system;

at least some of the second input/output ports being connected with the sub-cellular input/output ports;

the branch telephone exchange system being housed within a structure located adjacent the road and being operative;

(i) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given first input/output port, to provide connection between that given first input/output port and any desired second input/output port; and

/or (ii) on receipt of a properly coded signal at any given second input/output port, to provide connection between that given second input/output port and one of the first input/output ports, thereby to provide for connection between said given second input/output port and one of the telephone lines from the local telephone company;

such that;

(i) any given one of said telephone-type instruments may, on command, be connected with one of the first input/output ports, thereby to permit a telephone call to be placed via the local telephone system; and

/or (ii) any person may make, via the local telephone system, telephonic connection to any desired one of the telephone-type instruments.