Converged home gateway

• US 6,853,637 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1999
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bellenger, Don, Norrell, Andrew L., Walsh, Dale M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/322,887
• Time in Patent Office: 2,082 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-357, 370/401, 370/465, 370/467, 370/466, 370/468, 379/93.01, 379/100.12, 375/229, 375/278, 375/235, 375/346, 375/222
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks

Abstract

A local area network connected to an infrastructure access device that provides the home LAN with access to voice, data and television services. The infrastructure access device includes a gateway to voice over Internet Protocol services, an interface to a data network for data access, a router to multiplex signals from the gateways and the data network and a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) transceiver connected to a gateway device in the customer premises. The gateway device includes a DSL transceiver to communicate over the DSL connecting it to the infrastructure access device to provide the home LAN with high performance communications services without the use of POTS. The DSL transceiver may communicate using a switched carrier modulation scheme to conserve power and reduce crosstalk.

Claims

1. A local network in a customer premises comprising:

a plurality of local devices in the customer premises, the local devices connected to a local shared communication medium to connect to a data service and a voice service;

a gateway device comprising a network adapter for communicating with the local devices over the local shared communication medium, the gateway device further comprising a gateway digital subscriber loop (DSL) transceiver connected to a digital subscriber line; and

an infrastructure access device for providing a data service and a voice service to a customer premises, the infrastructure access device comprising;

an infrastructure DSL transceiver operable to communicate over a digital subscriber line connected to the gateway device;

a voice over IP (Internet Protocol) gateway for connection to a data network operable to provide voice service to the plurality of local devices;

a data network IP interface for connection to a data network to provide data services; and

a router operable to multiplex a plurality of signals from the voice over IP gateway and the data network IP interface for communication to the infrastructure DSL transceiver.

2. The local network of claim 1 wherein the infrastructure DSL transceiver and the gateway DSL transceiver communicate using switched carrier modulation.

3. The local network of claim 2 wherein the switched carrier modulation is performed using packet-based DSL.

4. The local network of claim 1 wherein the gateway transmits data over the local shared communication medium in packet format.

5. The local network of claim 1 wherein the infrastructure access device includes a Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS) gateway.

6. The local network of claim 1 wherein the local shared communication medium comprises a two-wire medium communicating using an Ethernet protocol.

7. The local network of claim 1 wherein the gateway device includes a battery-backed power source.

8. An infrastructure access device for providing a data service and a voice service to a customer premises comprising:

an infrastructure digital subscriber line (DSL) transceiver operable to communicate over a digital subscriber line connected to a customer premises equipment using switched carrier modulation;

a voice over IP (Internet Protocol) gateway for connection to a data network operable to provide voice service to the customer premises equipment;

a data network IP interface for connection to a data network to provide data services; and

a router operable to multiplex a plurality of signals from the voice over IP gateway and the data network IP interface for communication to the infrastructure DLS transceiver.