System and method for deploying multi-function access points in a data network

• US 7,263,362 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), Vulcan Ventures Inc. (Vulcan, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, Steven Jay, Krein, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/262,269
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 455450-4521, 455 412- 413, 455464-466, 455/552.1, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 455/555, 370/338, 370352-355, 709/251, 379/93.05, 725/74, 725/78
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

An apparatus is described comprising: telephony circuitry electrically coupled to a telephone network, the telephony circuitry to transmit and receive telephone signals over the local telephone network; a first network controller electrically coupled to the telephone network, the network controller to transmit and receive digital data signals over the local telephone network; and a second network controller communicatively coupled to one or more external devices, wherein the second network controller provides access to the local telephone network to the one or more external devices via a first communication interface coupling the second network controller with the first network controller.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface module to provide data communication over a local network;

a first network access point module to provide access to the local network by one or more external data processing devices, the first network access point module including a telephony module to enable audio telephony communication over the local network and supporting PSTN and IP telephony services;

an audio decoder module to decode audio received over the local network;

an audio output port to provide the decoded audio to an audio amplifier; and

an infrared sensor to receive control signals from a remote control device and to transmit the control signals via the network interface module to the source of the audio content, the control signals indicating specific audio content to be provided over the local network,

the telephony module comprising a power sensor to detect a drop in power below a threshold value to the IP telephony service,

wherein the telephony module is to switch from the IP telephony service to the PSTN service prior to initiating an audio telephony communication upon detecting the drop in power below the threshold value.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the local network is a local telephone network.

3. The apparatus in claim 2 wherein the network interface module comprises Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (“

HPNA”

) hardware and/or software for implementing the HPNA protocol over the local telephone network.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the first network access point module comprises a wireless controller and transceiver to provide wireless access to the local network for the external data processing devices.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a second access point module to provide access to the local network by one or more external data processing devices, the second access point module employing a different networking protocol than the first access point module to communicate with the one or more external data processing devices.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the first access point module comprises a wireless LAN controller and the second access point module comprises an Ethernet controller.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the wireless LAN controller comprises an 801.11a, b or g controller.

8. The apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the first access point module comprises a Bluetooth controller and wherein the second access point module comprises an 802.11a, b or g controller.

9. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

an audio decoder module to decode audio data received over the local network; and

a digital output port to provide the decoded audio data to an audio amplifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IP telephony service includes a local server and the power sensor is to detect a drop in power below a threshold value to the local server.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power sensor is to detect a rise in power above the threshold value and the telephony module further to select the IP telephony service upon detecting the rise in power above the threshold value.

12. An apparatus comprising:

telephony circuitry electrically coupled to a telephone network, the telephony circuitry to transmit and receive telephone signals over the local telephone network, the telephony circuitry including,

PSTN telephony circuitry for transmitting and receiving PSTN telephony signals over the local telephone network,

IP telephony circuitry, including a local server for transmitting and receiving IP telephony signals over the local telephone network, and

selection logic to select between the IP telephony circuitry and the PSTN telephony circuitry, the selection logic comprising a power sensor to detect a drop in power below a threshold value to the local server, and wherein the selection logic is to switch from the IP telephony circuitry to the PSTN telephony circuitry prior to initiating an audio telephony communication upon detecting the drop in power below the threshold value;

a first network controller electrically coupled to the telephone network, the network controller to transmit and receive digital data signals over the local telephone network;

a second network controller communicatively coupled to one or more external devices, wherein the second network controller provides access to the local telephone network to the one or more external devices via a first communication interface coupling the second network controller with the first network controller, and

a third network controller to communicate with one or more additional external devices according to a non-wireless communications protocol,

wherein the third network controller provides access to the local telephone network to the one or more additional external devices via a second communication interface coupling the third network controller with the first network controller,

wherein the first network controller transmits and receives data signals over the local telephone network according to the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (“

HPNA”

) protocol,

wherein the second network controller is a wireless network controller communicating with the one or more external devices according to a wireless communications protocol, and

wherein the non-wireless communications protocol is Ethernet.

13. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein the first communication interface comprises a protocol conversion module to convert between the HPNA protocol and the wireless protocol.

14. The apparatus as in claim 12 further comprising:

an audio processor to decode audio content transmitted from an audio source over the local telephone network; and

an audio output to provide decoded audio content to an audio amplifier.

15. The apparatus as in claim 12 further comprising:

a telephony headset electrically coupled to the telephony circuitry, the telephony headset to transmit and receive audio content from the telephony circuitry and the render audio received from the audio telephony circuitry.

16. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein one of the external devices comprises a personal computer.

17. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein one of the external devices comprises a PDA.

18. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein one of the external devices comprises a cellular telephone.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the power sensor is to detect a rise in power above the threshold value and wherein the selection logic selects the IP telephony server upon detecting the rise in power above the threshold value.

20. An apparatus comprising:

network interface means for providing data communication over a local network;

first access point means for providing access to the local network by one or more external data processing devices, the access point means including telephony means for enabling audio telephony communication over the local network and supporting PSTN and IP telephony services, the IP telephony service including a local server;

audio decoder means to decode audio received over the local network;

audio output means to provide the decoded audio to an audio amplifier; and

control signal processing means to receive control signals from a remote control device and to transmit the control signals via the network interface module to the source of the audio content, the control signals indicating specific audio content to be provided over the local network,

the telephony means comprising power sensing means to detect a drop in power below a threshold value to the local server, and wherein the telephony means is to switch from the IP telephony service to the PSTN service prior to initiating an audio telephony communication upon detecting the drop in power below the threshold value.

21. The apparatus as in claim 20 wherein the local network is a local telephone network.

22. The apparatus in claim 21 wherein the network interface means comprises Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (“

HPNA”

) hardware and/or software for implementing the HPNA protocol over the local telephone network.

23. The apparatus in claim 20 wherein the first access point means comprises a wireless controller and transceiver for providing wireless access to the local network for the external data processing devices.

24. The apparatus as in claim 20 further comprising a second access point means to provide access to the local network by one or more external data processing devices, the second access point means employing a different networking protocol than the first access point means to communicate with the one or more external data processing devices.

25. The apparatus as in claim 24 wherein the first access point means comprises a Bluetooth controller and wherein the second access point means comprises an 802.11a, b or g controller.

26. The apparatus as in claim 24 wherein the first access point means comprises a wireless LAN controller and the second access point means comprises an Ethernet controller.

27. The apparatus as in claim 26 wherein the wireless LAN controller comprises an 802.11a, b or g controller.

28. The apparatus as in claim 20 further comprising:

an audio decoder module to decode audio data received over the local network; and

a digital output port to provide the decoded audio data to an audio amplifier.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the power sensing means is to detect a rise in power above the threshold value and the telephony means further to select the IP telephony service upon detecting the rise in power above the threshold value.