Method and apparatus for connecting local subscribers to a LAN

• US 6,804,226 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1999
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wronka, Edward, Durant, Gregory Michael, Rutledge, Christopher Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HANH N
• Application Number:
  US09/270,407
• Time in Patent Office: 2,037 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/351, 370/353, 370/354, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495, 370/395.1, 370/400, 375/222, 359/118, 359/119, 359/113, 359/115, 379/333, 379/334, 379/406, 379/92.03, 379/92.04, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 370/355
• 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 12/4616 LAN interconnection over a LAN backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for allowing the copper pair at each subscriber site to reappear at the CO. It also provides inter-connectivity between subscribers within a specified proximity, thereby allowing the subscribers to operate as a LAN. By placing a router between various Distributed Point of Presence Local Area Networks (DPOPLAN) and service provider that offer services such as Internet access, a large communication can easily be created.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a subscriber'"'"'s telephone twisted pair to appear at a central office of a telephone network in the absence of a dedicated direct connection between a subscriber station set and the central office, comprising the steps of:

creating a virtual twisted pair between the subscriber and the central office, comprising the stepd of;

creating a virtual twisted pair between the subscriber station and the central office by;

intelligently cross connecting each subscriber signal from the telephone twisted pair to a modem/filter bank;

combining subscriber signals by summing the modem/filter bank output;

converting the summed modem/filter bank output to a wave division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal; and

coupling the WDM signal optically to the central office and reconverting the WDM optical signal to the original subscriber signal by filtering techniques.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

a step of mixing the subscriber signals with a frequency signal f₁; and

a step of bandpass filtering the mixed subscriber signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of:

converting the summed bank output includes exciting a laser diode with the summed bank output.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of optical coupling includes a free space optical connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of optical coupling includes a light fiber transmission link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of coupling the signal optically includes separating POTS and xDSL signals, for transmission, by wavelength division multiplexing.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of separating services provided to the subscriber by wavelength division multiplexing.

8. A communication interface for enabling a subscriber'"'"'s telephone twisted pair to appear at a central office of a telephone network in the absence of a dedicated direct connection between a subscriber station set and the central office, comprising:

a virtual twisted pair interconnecting the subscriber station and the central office of a telephone network, including;

an intelligent cross connect and a modem/filter bank, the intelligent cross connect connecting each subscriber signal from the telephone twisted pair to the modem/filter bank;

a summing circuit connected for combining subscriber signals of the modem/filter bank;

an electrical/optical converter connected for converting the combined subscriber signals into a wave division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal;

a light transmission medium connected for optically coupling the WDM optical signal to the central office and an optical/electrical converter connected for reconverting the WDM optical signal; and

bandpass filters connected for recovering original transmitted subscriber signals.

9. The communication interface of claim 8, further including:

mixing circuits and a frequency source of frequency f₁ connected for mixing subscriber signals with the f₁ frequency signal; and

the mixing circuits connected to band pass filters for band pass filtering the mixed subscriber signals.

10. The communication interface of claim 8, further including:

a laser diode connected to be excited by the combined subscriber signals.

11. The communication interface of claim 8, wherein:

the light transmission medium is a free space medium.

12. The communication interface of claim 8, wherein:

the light transmission medium is a light fiber transmission link.