Video, data and telephony gateway

• US 6,317,884 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1998
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Next Level Communications
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A., Eames, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US09/026,036
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217-219, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/8, 348/12, 348/13, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 725/78-82, 725/85, 725/74
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 : Adaptations for optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/24 : Systems for the transmission of television signals using pulse code modulation H04N21/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A residential gateway for distributing video, data and telephony services is disclosed. The gateway has a MPEG bus connected from a network interface module to a first and a second video processors. A microprocessor controls the first and second video processors by sending control signals across a control bus.

Claims

1. A method of distributing signals from a residential gateway comprising:

receiving asynchronous transfer mode cells at said residential gateway, wherein the asynchronous transfer mode cells are received via a twisted wire pair cable connecting said residential gateway to a telecommunications network;

extracting a series of MPEG video packets from the asynchronous transfer mode cells;

transmitting the series of MPEG video packets over an MPEG bus to each of a plurality of video decoders;

receiving the series of MPEG video packets at each of the plurality of video decoders;

decoding the series of MPEG video packets at a first video decoder in the plurality of video decoders to produce a first analog television signal compatible with a first analog television set; and

decoding the series of MPEG video packets at a second video decoder in the plurality of video decoders to produce a second analog television signal compatible with a second analog television set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving channel change commands from a first remote control located near the first analog television, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the contents of the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable; and

receiving channel change commands from a second remote control located near the second analog television, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the contents of the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable.

3. The method described in claim 2, wherein

said receiving channel change commands from a first remote control includes receiving infrared channel change commands from the first remote control;

and

receiving channel change commands from a second remote control includes receiving radio wave channel change commands from the second remote control.

4. The method described in claim 2, wherein

said receiving channel change commands from a first remote control includes receiving infrared channel change commands from the first remote control;

and

receiving channel change commands from a second remote control includes receiving the channel change commands via a cable connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the first analog television signal to the first analog television, wherein the first analog television signal is an S-video signal; and

transmitting the second analog television signal to the second analog television, wherein the second analog television signal is a NTSC signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting digital voice signals from the asynchronous transfer mode cells; and

transmitting the digital voice signals to a telephone module over a time division multiplexing bus.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting digital data signals from the asynchronous transfer mode cells; and

providing the digital data signals to an Ethernet module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a DSL network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a very high speed digital subscriber line (VDSL) telecommunications network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a FTTC network.

11. A residential gateway for distributing signals comprising:

a microprocessor;

memory connected to said microprocessor;

a network interface module, connected to a telecommunications network via a twisted wire pair cable, for receiving asynchronous transfer mode cells and extracting a series of MPEG video packets from the asynchronous transfer mode cells;

an MPEG bus for transporting the series of MPEG video packets from said network interface module to a first video processor and from said network interface module to a second video processor;

wherein the first video processor processes the series of MPEG video packets and creates a first analog signal for a first television set;

wherein the second video processor processes the series of MPEG video packets and creates a second analog signal for a second television set; and

a control bus connected to the microprocessor, the first video processor and the second video processor.

12. The residential gateway of claim 11, further comprising:

an infrared receiver for receiving channel change commands from a first remote control associated with the first television set, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable; and

a wireless receiver for receiving channel change commands from a second remote control associated with the second television set, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable.

13. The residential gateway of claim 11, further comprising:

an infrared receiver for receiving channel change commands from a first remote control associated with the first television set, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable; and

a cable compatible receiver for receiving channel change commands from a second remote control associated with the second television set, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable.

14. The residential gateway of claim 11, wherein the network interface module extracts digital voice signals from the asynchronous transfer mode cells and further comprising

a telephony module for converting the digital voice signals to analog voice signals;

and

a time division multiplex bus for transmitting the digital voice signals from said network interface module to said telephony module.

15. The residential gateway of claim 11, wherein the network interface module extracts digital data signals from the asynchronous transfer mode cells and further comprising an Ethernet module for forwarding the digital data signals.

16. A residential gateway for distributing signals comprising:

a microprocessor;

memory connected to said microprocessor;

a network interface module, connected to a telecommunications network via a twisted wire pair cable, for receiving asynchronous transfer mode cells and capable of extracting MPEG video packets, digital data signals and digital voice signals from the asynchronous transfer mode cells;

a plurality of video processors, associated with a plurality of televisions, for processing the MPEG video packets and creating analog video signals for the associated televisions;

an MPEG bus for transporting the MPEG packets from said network interface module to said plurality of video processors;

a telephony module for converting the digital voice signals to analog voice signals;

a time division multiplex bus for transmitting the digital voice signals from said network interface module to said telephony module;

an Ethernet module for transmitting the digital data signals to equipment associated with the residential gateway;

a receiver for receiving channel change commands from remote controls associated with the plurality of televisions, wherein the channel change commands trigger a change in the contents of the asynchronous transfer mode cells received via the twisted wire pair cable; and

a control bus, connected to said microprocessor, said plurality of video processors, said Ethernet module and said telephony module.