System and method for special signaling with customer premises equipment

• US 6,522,668 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCullough, Jason F, Spooner, Andrew M., Boyd, Ramona L., Singleton, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOGSDON, JOSEPH B
• Application Number:
  US09/201,331
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357, 370/480, 370/493, 370/496, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/142.01, 379/251, 379/352, 379/418, 379/900
• US Class Current: 370/480
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A system and method are provided for special signaling with customer premises equipment. The system includes loop termination equipment coupled to a local loop and comprising a signal generator. The system also includes customer premises equipment coupled to the local loop. The customer premises equipment and loop termination equipment are operable to communicate across a communication link established on the local loop. The loop termination equipment is further operable to control characteristics of a signal generated by the signal generator and to provide the signal to the customer premises equipment as special signaling where the signal has a frequency that does not substantially interfere with voice traffic on the local loop. The special signaling can be used to implement enhanced service to the customer premises including busy signal, queued data request processing, push data and telephony services.

Claims

1. A system for special signaling with customer premises equipment, comprising:

loop termination equipment coupled to a local loop and comprising a signal generator and a plurality of digital subscriber line (DSL) modems; and

customer premises equipment coupled to the local loop;

the customer premises equipment and loop termination equipment operable to communicate across a communication link established on the local loop;

the loop termination equipment further operable to determine that none of the DSL modems are available to service the customer premises equipment and, in response, to control characteristics of a signal generated by the signal generator and to provide the signal to the customer premises equipment as special signaling, the signal having a frequency that does not substantially interfere with voice traffic on the local loop.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the loop termination equipment provides the signal to the customer premises equipment as a busy signal in response to a request for service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the loop termination equipment provides the signal to the customer premises equipment as a queued request signal in response to placing the customer premises equipment in a request queue.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the loop termination equipment provides another signal generated by the signal generator to the customer premises equipment as a re-issue request signal in response to retrieving the customer premises equipment from the request queue.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the loop termination equipment controls the frequency of the signal generated by the signal generator.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the loop termination equipment comprises a digital subscriber line access multiplexer; and

the customer premises equipment and loop termination equipment are operable to communicate across an xDSL communication link.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the loop termination equipment is located at a central office.

8. A method for special signaling with customer premises equipment, comprising:

receiving a request for service from customer premises equipment;

determining that none of a plurality of digital subscriber line (DSL) modems are available to service the customer premises equipment;

generating a signal having a frequency that does not substantially interfere with voice traffic on a local loop; and

providing the signal as special signaling across the local loop to customer premises equipment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the signal is performed to provide a busy signal to the customer premises equipment.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the signal is performed to provide a queued request signal in response to placing the customer premises equipment in a request queue.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the signal is performed to provide a re-issue request signal in response to retrieving the customer premises equipment from the request queue.

12. A method for network initiated communication with customer premises equipment, comprising:

transmitting a wake up signal to customer premises equipment;

receiving a responsive request for service from the customer premises equipment;

initiating a data communication link with the customer premises equipment; and

allowing data communication with the customer premises equipment across the communication link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wake up signal has a frequency that does not substantially interfere with voice traffic on a local loop.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the wake up signal is performed responsive to receiving a signal from a network device indicating a desire to communicate data to the customer premises equipment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network device is a server desiring to provide push data service to the customer premises equipment.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the wake up signal is performed responsive to receiving a signal indicating a desire to initiate telephony communication with the customer premises equipment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the telephony communication is internet protocol telephony initiated from remote customer premises equipment.

18. Loop termination equipment comprising:

a signal generator;

a plurality of digital subscriber line (DSL) modems; and

a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) coupled to customer premises equipment using a local loop, the DSLAM operable to receive a signal indicating a desire to communicate data to the customer premises equipment and, in response to the signal, to control characteristics of a wake up signal generated by the signal generator and to provide the wake up signal to the customer premises equipment, the wake up signal requesting a data connection with the customer premises equipment and having a frequency that does not substantially interfere with voice traffic on the local loop.

19. The loop termination equipment of claim 18, wherein the DSLAM is further operable to:

receive the signal indicating a desire to communicate data to the customer premises equipment from a server;

receive a request for service from the customer premises equipment responsive to the wake up signal;

establish a DSL connection with the customer premises equipment using a selected one of the DSL modems in response to the request for service;

receive an acknowledgement of the wake up signal from the customer premises equipment; and

forward the acknowledgement to the server.

20. The loop termination equipment of claim 18, wherein the DSLAM is further operable to provide the wake up signal to the customer premises equipment to initiate establishment of a connection for an IP telephony voice data communication.