Media interface device

• US 6,978,474 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Next Level Communications, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weeks, William, Sheppard, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELIVEAU, SCOTT E
• Application Number:
  US09/525,412
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 725 80- 83, 725127-129, 725/149
• US Class Current: 725/83
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 the cable being constituted by a pair of wires

Abstract

A Residential Gateway (RG) for distributing video, data and telephone services to multiple devices within a residence is disclosed. The RG receives signals from a telecommunications network, converts the signals to formats compatible with the multiple devices, and transmits the appropriate signals to the appropriate devices. Wireless remote control devices (RCs) associated with remotely located televisions (TVs) transmit channel select commands to the RG as wireless signals. The wireless signals are received by Remote Antennae Packages (RAPs) coupled to the remotely located TVs. The RAPs transmit the wireless signals over coaxial cable to a Media Interface Device (MID) coupled to the RG. The MID extracts the channel select commands and forwards them to the RG. The MID is also capable of combining and splitting TV signals, and adjusting the impedance of network signals so that they can be transmitted over the coaxial cable.

Claims

1. A media interface device for directional distribution of signals to multiple devices over a media, the media interface comprising:

a first connector for receiving a first signal in a first direction;

a second connector for receiving a second signal in the first direction and transmitting a third signal in a second direction;

a third connector for transmitting the first signal and the second signal over the media in the first direction and receiving the third signal and a fourth signal over the media in the second direction;

a diplexer for extracting the third signal from the media in the second direction and inserting the second signal onto the media in the first direction;

a remote antennae module for receiving the fourth signal and extracting a fifth signal therefrom; and

a fourth connector for transmitting the fifth signal in the second direction; and

an X by Y splitter and additional connectors, wherein X and Y are integers, said first connector includes Y connectors and the first signal includes Y signals, each Y signal associated with a respective Y connector, and said X by Y splitter combines the Y signals to form a combined signal and splits the combined signal into X identical combined signals, said third connector transmits the combined signal and the second signal over the media in the first direction, and said additional connectors transmit the combined signal in the first direction.

2. A media interface device for connecting to a residential gateway and distributing signals to and from the residential gateway over a media, the media interface comprising:

a first connector for receiving and transmitting signals over a media, the received signals including wireless signals from wireless remote control devices associated with remotely located TVs and downstream network signals from a telecommunications network, the transmitted signals including TV signals and upstream network signals;

a second connector for receiving the TV signals from the residential gateway;

a third connector for receiving the upstream network signals from the residential gateway and transmitting the downstream network signals to the residential gateway;

a diplexer, connected to said first connector, for extracting the downstream network signals from the media and inserting the upstream network signals onto the media;

a balun, connected to said diplexer, for adjusting the impedance of the upstream network signals so they can be inserted onto the media by said diplexer, and for adjusting the impedance of the downstream network signals so they can be processed by the residential gateway; and

a remote antennae module, connected to said diplexer, for extracting the channel select commands from the wireless signals and transmitting the channel select commands to the residential gateway, and

an X by Y splitter and X-1 additional connectors, wherein X and Y are integers, said second connector includes Y connectors each receiving a respective TV signal, said X by Y splitter combines the respective TV signals to form a combined TV signal and splits the combined signal Into X identical combined TV signals, said diplexer inserts the upstream network signals onto the media with the combined TV signal, and said combined TV signal is provided to the X-1 additional connectors.

3. A system for receiving and decoding signals from a telecommunications network and transmitting the decoded signals to a plurality of devices including multiple televisions, comprising:

a residential gateway, comprising

a network interface module for transmitting upstream signals, including channel select commands, to the telecommunications network and receiving downstream signals, including video signals, from the telecommunications network; and

a video processor for decoding the video signals into at least one television signal corresponding to at least one channel select command, and transmitting the at least one television signal directly to the corresponding television;

a remote antennae package located in close proximity to and connected to a remotely located television, said remote antennae package receiving a wireless signal, including a channel select command, from a wireless remote control device associated with the remotely located television and modulating the wireless signal over media; and

a media interface device connected to the media and the residential gateway for demodulating the wireless signal, extracting the position corresponding to the channel select command, and transmitting the channel select command to the residential gateway, wherein said media interface device includes;

a remote antennae module for extracting the channel select commands from the wireless signal;

a splitter for splitting the at least one TV signal, so that the at least one TV signal can be provided to multiple locations;

a balun for adjusting the impedance of network signals to and from the telecommunications network so that they can be transmitted over the media; and

a diplexer for extracting from the media network signals from the telecommunications network and inserting onto the media network signals from the residential gateway.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said media Interface device further includes a combiner for combining the at least one TV signal into a combined TV signal and said splitter splits the combined TV signal.