Telecommunication system, method and subscriber unit for use therein

• US 7,187,686 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2000
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Bossemeyer, Robert Wesley Jr., Stuckman, Bruce Edward, Pickard, Michael Steven, Neumann, Jeffrey, Kagan, Denise Violetta, Gorman, Michael George, Goering, Scott Christopher, Tisiker, Michael, Orwick, David Anthony, Walkoe, Wilbur John Jr., Barber, James Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZARRO, RICARDO M
• Application Number:
  US09/533,263
• Time in Patent Office: 2,545 Days
• Field of Search: 370/419, 370/420, 370/421, 370/271, 370/352, 370/351, 370/264, 370/273, 370/463, 370/465, 379/93.23, 379/93.28, 379/93.06
• US Class Current: 370/419
• 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 12/2883 ATM DSLAM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A telecommunication system includes a digital switch, a local loop coupling the digital switch to a subscriber location, wherein a segment of the local loop includes copper twisted pair and wherein an asymmetrical digital subscriber line is carried by the local loop, the asymmetrical digital subscriber line including a plurality of data packets capable of carrying a plurality of derived digital telephone lines. The telecommunication system further includes a subscriber unit coupled to the asymmetrical digital subscriber line. The subscriber unit monitors the content of at least one of the plurality of data packets, receives an off-hook signal in response to an action of a user, and initiates a first derived digital telephone line of the plurality of derived digital telephone lines in response to the off-hook signal.

A telephone communication system including an analog telephone providing a plain old telephone service (POTS) analog voice channel on a subscriber loop with a digital data line sharing the same subscriber loop. In addition to the analog voice line, the digital data line provides an additional digital voice channel for placing telephone voice calls.

Claims

1. A method of placing a telephone voice call over a public switched telephone network (PSTN) comprising the steps of:

providing a subscriber loop in communication with the PSTN, the subscriber loop having an analog telephone voice line and a digital data line, wherein the digital data line comprises a digital telephone voice line; and

placing a telephone voice call from a digital telephone in communication with the digital telephone voice line; and

sending the telephone voice call on the subscriber loop to the PSTN, wherein sending the telephone voice call from the digital telephone comprises converting an analog voice signal into a packetized digital data stream, sending the packetized digital data stream over a subscriber data network to the digital telephone voice line, removing the packetized digital data stream from the subscriber loop and transmitting the packetized digital data stream to a switch in communication with the PSTN via a data network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of converting the analog voice signal comprises converting the analog voice signal into a packetized digital data stream having an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comprises transmitting the packetized digital data stream to a data access tandem switch, and converting a protocol of the packetized digital data stream to a protocol of the switch in communication with the PSTN, whereby the telephone voice call placed on the digital telephone is transmitted over the PSTN.

4. A telephone communication system comprising:

at least one digital telephone in communication with a digital telephone voice line on a digital data line; and

at least one POTS telephone in communication with an analog telephone line;

a network interface device connected to a subscriber loop, wherein the network interface device comprises a signal splitter configured to combine telephone voice signals received from the analog telephone line and digital data line onto the subscriber loop and separate telephone voice signals received from the subscriber loop onto an appropriate one of the analog telephone line and digital data line;

the subscriber loop carrying the digital data line and the analog telephone line on a common communication medium; and

a central office switch configured to communicate with the subscriber loop, the central office switch comprising;

a splitter for separating signals on the subscriber loop into analog telephone line telephone voice signals and digital data line signals, wherein the digital data line signals comprise digital telephone voice line voice signals;

a local telephone switching device in communication with the splitter, the local telephone switching device configured to receive the analog telephone line voice signals for transmission over a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

a digital subscriber line access multiplexer in communication with the splitter for multiplexing the digital data line signals into a format for transport over a data network;

and

a tandem location in communication with the data network, the tandem location having an interworking unit comprising a protocol switch configured to convert digital telephone line voice signals from the format for transport over the data network into a format for transport over the PSTN.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein the format for transport over the PSTN comprises TR-303.

6. The invention of claim 4, wherein the common communication medium comprises a copper twisted pair.

7. The invention of claim 4, wherein the signal splitter of the network interface device comprises a low pass filter connected to the analog telephone line and a high pass filter connected to the digital data line, whereby the high pass filter is configured to pass an asymmetric digital subscriber line digital signal carrying a telephone voice call to the digital telephone and the low pass filter is configured to pass a POTS telephone call to the POTS telephone.

8. A telephone communication system comprising:

at least one digital telephone in communication with a digital telephone voice line on a digital data line, wherein the digital data line comprises an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) having an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transmission protocol; and

at least one POTS telephone in communication with an analog telephone line;

a network interface device connected to a subscriber loop, wherein the network interface device comprises a signal splitter configured to combine telephone voice signals received from the analog telephone line and digital data line onto the subscriber loop and separate telephone voice signals received from the subscriber loop onto an appropriate one of the analog telephone line and digital data line;

the subscriber loop carrying the digital data line and the analog telephone line on a common communication medium comprising a copper twisted pair; and

a central office switch configured to communicate with the subscriber loop, the central office switch having a splitter for separating signals on the subscriber loop into analog telephone line telephone voice signals and digital data line signals, wherein the digital data line signals comprise digital telephone voice line voice signals.