Splitter and microfilter dongle for a single RJ11 DSL/analog combo modem

• US 6,868,117 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Mardinian, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vartanian, Harry
• Application Number:
  US09/793,844
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 379/93.05, 370/493
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0002 analog front ends; means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line duplex arrangements H04L5/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A dongle for interfacing between a DSL/analog combo modem with a single RJ-11 jack and each of a DSL and analog phone outlets. The dongle in combination with the combo modem can be used in both DSL spluttered environments and DSL splitterless environments. The dongle includes a DSL microfilter, and a switch to turn the filter on and off. When the filter is off, the dongle acts as a wire router and DSL splittered signals received from a DSL outlet are passed to the DSL outer twisted pair of the dongle'"'"'s RJ-11 combo jack. Analog splattered signals received from the analog outlet are passed to the analog inner twisted pair of the dongle'"'"'s RJ-11 combo jack. When the filter is on, the DSL and analog signals are received on the same DSL twisted pair and are filtered by the filter so as to split out each of the DSL and analog signals. The filtered signals are then passed to each of the DSL outer twisted pair and to the analog Ainner twisted pair, respectively, of the dongle'"'"'s modem RJ-11 combo jack.

Claims

1. A dongle for interfacing a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)/Analog combo modem with each of a DSL line and an analog phone line, the dongle adapted to operate in one of a first state and a second state corresponding respectively to a splittered environment and a splitterless environment and comprising:

a combo jack having a first pair of terminals and a second pair of terminals;

a DSL jack; and

an analog jack, wherein the combo jack is coupled to the DSL jack and the analog jack simultaneously, and wherein the combo jack receives DSL signals at one of the first and second pairs of terminals, and analog signals at the other of the first and second pairs of terminals.

2. The dongle of claim 1, further comprising a microfilter and a switch, wherein the switch selectively turns the microfilter on or off for operation in the second and first states, respectively.

3. The dongle of claim 2, wherein DSL signals are transmitted from the DSL jack to one of the first and second pairs of terminals of the combo jack, and analog signals are transmitted from the analog jack to the other of the first and second pairs of terminals of the combo jack, when the microfilter is turned off.

4. The dongle of claim 2, wherein DSL signals and analog signals are transmitted as mixed signals from the DSL jack when the microfilter is turned on.

5. The dongle of claim 4, wherein the microfilter, when on, separates the mixed signals into DSL signals and analog signals such that the DSL signals are transmitted to one of the first and second pairs of terminals of the combo jack and the analog signals are transmitted to the other of the first and second pairs of terminals of the combo jack.

6. The dongle of claim 4, wherein the combo jack, the DSL jack, and the analog jack are each RJ-11 jacks, and wherein the first and second pairs of terminals are respectively inner and outer pairs of terminals.

7. The dongle of claim 2, wherein the microfilter is operable as a low-pass filter.

8. A dongle for interfacing a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)/Analog combo modem with each of a DSL line and an analog phone line, the dongle comprising:

first, second and third jacks;

means for separating combined Analog and DSL signals of a mixed type into signals of a first type and signals of a second type, respectively;

means for routing signals of a first type from the first jack to a first pair of terminals of the third jack;

means for routing signals of a second type from the second jack to a second pair of terminals of the third jack; and

means for routing signals of a mixed type from the second jack to the means for separating.

9. The dongle of claim 8, wherein the means for routing signals of a mixed type routes signals of a first type and signals of a second type from the means for separating to the first pair of terminals and the second pair of terminals of the third jack, respectively.

10. The dongle of claim 8, wherein the means for separating signals is a microfilter.

11. The dongle of claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third jacks are RJ-11 jacks.

12. The dongle of claim 8, wherein the dongle is selectively operable in one of splittered and splitterless environments.

13. The dongle of claim 8, wherein the signals of a mixed type include both analog and DSL signals.