Active isolation system and method for allowing local and remote data transfers across a common data link

• US 6,229,818 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Bell, Russell W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US08/888,651
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/468, 370/449, 370/485, 370/486, 370/487, 375/354, 379/93
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A system and method for configuring a local network from particular nodes of a remote network is provided. A transmission medium forms a local network by connecting the nodes within the customer premise. The transmission medium also forms a remote network through a subscriber line which connects the customer premise to the remote service provider. The transmission medium is used for voice band communication between the customer premise and the remote service provider, for data band communication within the local network, and for data band communication between the local network and the remote service provider. A master node is coupled between the local network within the customer premise and the subscriber line to control data band communications between the local network and the remote service provider.

Claims

1. A system for providing a local network at a customer premise and a remote network coupling the local network to a remote service provider, the system comprising:

a transmission medium including a local network within the customer premise and a subscriber line connecting the customer premise to the remote service provider, the transmission medium being used for voice band communication between the customer premise and the remote service provider, for data band communication within the local network and, for data band communication between the local network and the remote service provider; and

a master node coupled between the local network within the customer premise and the subscriber line, the master node controlling data band communications between the local network and the remote service provider, and controlling the data band communication within the local network.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the master node comprises a digital subscriber line (xDSL) modem, the xDSL modem being configured to communicate with the remote service provider using an xDSL voice and data transmission scheme and to communicate with customer premise equipment coupled to the local network using the xDSL voice and data transmission scheme.

3. A system as recited in claim 2, wherein the master node further comprises memory to buffer data band communications between the local network and the remote service provider during data band communication within the local network.

4. A system as recited in claim 2, wherein the master node further comprises a digital signal processing (DSP) engine to modulate the data band communications between the local network and the remote service provider to facilitate data transmission.

5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the DSP engine modulates the data band communications using a discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation scheme.

6. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the DSP engine modulates the data band communications using a carrierless amplitude-phase (CAP) modulation scheme.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the master node comprises a local interface circuit and a remote interface circuit configured to interface to the local and remote networks respectively, the local and remote interface circuits comprising:

a transceiver coupled to transmit and receive data between the local and remote networks;

a digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to the transceiver to modulate the data band communications between the local network and the remote service provider in accordance with a predetermined modulation scheme; and

a memory to buffer data band communications between the local and remote networks during data band communication within the local network.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the master node comprises a processing unit configured to identify and direct the data band communications to targeted nodes of the local network and the remote service provider.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to distinguish voice band communications from data band communications, and to disregard the voice band communications.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising signal splitters coupled to each node of the local network to distinguish voice band communications from data band communications, and to direct the voice band communications to nodes configured for operation in the voice band and the data band communications to nodes configured for operation in the data band.

11. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises a copper, twisted-pair telephone line.

12. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises existing plain old telephone system (POTS) cabling traditionally used for the voice band communications.

13. A method for allowing remote voice signal and data signal transfers between a central office and one or more subscriber nodes via a transmission medium, and for allowing local data signal transfers among the subscriber nodes via the transmission medium, comprising:

isolating a local portion of the transmission medium interconnecting the subscriber nodes from a remote portion of the transmission medium;

controlling both the local data signal transfers on the local portion of the transmission medium and the remote voice and data signal transfers between the local and remote portions of the transmission medium with an interface module coupled between the local and remote portions of the transmission medium;

distinguishing the voice signals from the data signals; and

transmitting the local data signals and the remote voice and data signals on the local and remote portions of the transmission medium respectively, using a transfer technology common to both the local and remote portions of the transmission medium.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising buffering the remote data signals during the local data signal transfers occurring at the local portion of the transmission medium, and buffering local data during the remote data transfers via the remote portion of the transmission medium.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein isolating the local portion of the transmission medium comprises intervening between the local portion and the remote portion of the transmission medium with the interface module.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the remote data signal transfers comprises directing data to a targeted one of the subscriber nodes identified by the remote data signal.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the remote data signal transfers comprises directing data from particular ones of the subscriber nodes to the central office.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the local data signal transfers comprises routing data on the local portion of the transmission medium to a targeted one of the subscriber nodes identified by the local data signal.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the remote data signals between a remote service provider and the central office, wherein the central office includes first xDSL modems to convert data transmitted in a voice frequency band to data transmitted in a data frequency band recognizable by second xDSL modems at the active device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote voice signal and data signals are transmitted in predetermined voice and data frequency bands respectively.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting using the transfer technology common to both the local and remote portions of the transmission medium comprises configuring plain old telephone system (POTS) twisted-pair cabling to allow both voice and data transmission at both the local and remote portions of the transmission medium.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting using the transfer technology common to both the local and remote portions of the transmission medium comprises configuring the transmission medium for digital subscriber line (xDSL) voice and data transmission at both the local and remote portions of the transmission medium.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising modulating the remote data for transmission between the local and remote portions of the transmission medium.

24. A method for fashioning a local network from preselected local nodes of an existing remote network, wherein the remote network includes at least one remote service provider coupled to the local nodes through twisted-pair telephone cabling via a central office, comprising:

allowing concurrent voice and data signals across the twisted-pair telephone cabling;

separating voice band communications from data band communications;

regulating the data band communications to provide for remote data transfers between the local nodes and the central office, and for local data transfers amongst the local nodes, across the twisted-pair telephone cabling.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein regulating the data band communications comprises suspending remote data transfers during local data transfers, and suspending local data transfers during remote data transfers.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the local data transfers are accomplished via dedicated frequency bandwidth segments on the twisted-pair telephone cabling in a discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation scheme, and wherein the local data is transferred on the dedicated frequency bandwidth segments concurrently with the transfer of the remote data between the central office and the local nodes which are not involved in the local data transfer.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising effecting both the local and remote data transfers by implementing an xDSL transfer link between the local nodes of the local network, and between the central office and the local network.

28. A system for creating a local network within a remote network, comprising:

a group of data communication devices coupled by way of standard telephone cabling to form the remote network;

a shared control module interposed along the standard telephone cabling to form the local network by isolating a first plurality of the data communication devices from a second plurality of the data communication devices, the shared control module comprising an interface circuit to intercept and control remote data transmissions between particular ones of the first plurality and second plurality of the data communication devices, and to intercept and control local data transmissions between particular ones of the first plurality of the data communications devices; and

whereby the shared control module provides a common interface between each of the data communication devices of the local network and the second plurality of communication devices, and among each of the data communication devices of the local network.

29. The system as in claim 28, wherein the shared control module further comprises a buffer to allow local network communication rates to be independent of remote network communication rates.

30. The system as in claim 28, wherein the shared control module further comprises a protocol converter to convert between a first transmission protocol used by the remote network and a second transmission protocol used by the local network.