System and method for communicating telecommunication information between a telecommunication switch and customer premises equipment

• US 6,466,573 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Bandwidth, Inc.
• Inventors: Renucci, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US09/502,670
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/357, 370/360, 370/389, 370/401, 370/465, 379/88.07, 379/88.17, 379/93.05, 379/93.01, 379/93.06, 379/93.07, 379/93.09, 379/93.14, 379/93.15, 709/238, 709/249, 709/250
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1302 Relay switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1304 Coordinate switches, crossbar, 4/2 with relays, coupling field
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13214 Clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13381 Pair-gain system, digital loop carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/60 for connecting to satellites or concentrators which connect one or more exchange lines with a group of local lines

Abstract

A system for communicating telecommunication information between a telecommunication switch and customer premises equipment includes a gateway, a processing module, and a bypass switch. The gateway receives telecommunication information from the telecommunication switch. The gateway generates data packets for communicating the telecommunication information over a local loop circuit in a first mode of operation or generates a first analog signal for communicating the telecommunication information over the local loop circuit in a second mode of operation. The processing module receives the data packets from the local loop circuit and processes the data packets to generate a second analog telephone signal communicating the telecommunication information in the first mode of operation. The bypass switch selects the second analog signal for communication to a subscriber line in the first mode of operation and selects the first analog telephone signal for communication to the subscriber line in the second mode of operation.

Claims

1. A system for communicating telecommunication information between a telecommunication switch and customer premises equipment, comprising:

a gateway operable to receive the telecommunication information from the telecommunication switch, to generate data packets for communicating the telecommunication information over a local loop circuit in a first mode of operation, and to generate a first analog telephone signal for communicating the telecommunication information over the local loop circuit in a second mode of operation;

a processing module operable to receive the data packets from the local loop circuit and to process the data packets to generate a second analog telephone signal communicating the telecommunication information in the first mode of operation; and

a bypass switch operable to select the second analog telephone signal for communication to a subscriber line in the first mode of operation and to select the first analog telephone signal for communication to the subscriber line in the second mode of operation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the telecommunication information is voice information; and

the first and second analog telephone signals are voice signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data packets are communicated over the local loop circuit using a digital subscriber line.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bypass switch operates in the first mode if the processing module has power and in the second mode if the processing module does not have power.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further operable to:

determine whether it can communicate with the processing module using the data packets;

select the first mode of operation in response to determining that it can communicate with the processing module using the data packets; and

select the second mode of operation in response to determining that it cannot communicate with the processing module using the data packets.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the gateway determines that it can communicate with the processing module if the gateway can maintain a virtual circuit between itself and the processing module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operable to:

determine whether it can communicate with the gateway using the data packets;

select the first mode of operation in response to determining that it can communicate with the gateway using the data packets; and

select the second mode of operation in response to determining that it cannot communicate with the gateway using the data packets.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing module determines that it can communicate with the gateway if the processing module can maintain a virtual circuit between itself and the gateway.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing module determines that it cannot communicate with the gateway if the processing module is disconnected from the local loop circuit or has an internal failure.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the bypass switch selects the first analog telephone signal for communication to the subscriber line by coupling the local loop circuit to the subscriber line; and

the bypass switch selects the second analog telephone signal for communication to the subscriber line by coupling a port of the processing module to the subscriber line.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bypass switches operable to select the first analog telephone signal for communication to a plurality of subscriber lines in the second mode of operation.

12. A system for communicating telecommunication information between a telecommunication switch and customer premises equipment, comprising:

a telecommunication interface operable to receive the telecommunication information from the telecommunication switch;

a data packet service module coupled to the telecommunication interface and operable to receive the telecommunication information from the telecommunication interface and to generate data packets for communicating the telecommunication information over a local loop circuit to the customer premises equipment in a first mode of operation;

an analog signal service module coupled to the telecommunication interface and operable to receive the telecommunication information from the telecommunication interface and to generate an analog telephone signal for communicating the telecommunication information over the local loop circuit to the customer premises equipment in a second mode of operation; and

a management module operable to determine whether the data packet service module can communicate with an integrated access device (IAD) at the customer premises equipment, to select the first mode of operation in response to determining that the data packet service module can communicate with the IAD, and to select the second mode of operation in response to determining that the data packet service module cannot communicate with the IAD.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the management module determines that the data packet service module can communicate with the IAD if the data packet service module can maintain a virtual circuit between the gateway and the IAD.

14. A method of communicating telecommunication information between a telecommunication switch and customer premises equipment using a gateway, comprising:

receiving the telecommunication information from the telecommunication switch;

generating data packets for communicating the telecommunication information over a local loop circuit to the customer premises equipment in a first mode of operation; and

generating an analog telephone signal for communicating the telecommunication information over the local loop circuit to the customer premises equipment in a second mode of operation;

identifying a destination integrated access device (IAD) for the telecommunication information;

determining whether the gateway can communicate with the IAD using the data packets;

selecting the first mode of operation in response to determining that the gateway can communicate with the IAD using the data packets; and

selecting the second mode of operation in response to determining that the gateway cannot communicate with the IAD using the data packets.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether the gateway can communicate with the IAD using the data packets further comprises determining whether the gateway can maintain a virtual circuit between itself and the IAD.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that the gateway cannot communicate with the IAD using the data packets if the IAD loses powers, is disconnected from the local loop circuit, or has an internal failure.