Communications systems and methods using wireline adapters

• US 7,433,464 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Universcel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universcel Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, David S., Higgs, Paul A., Knudsen, Claus W., Willnecker, Brian P., Hexter, Rodney G.
• Primary Examiner(s): SINGH, RAMNANDAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/250,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20060111058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

Systems and techniques for communication over telephony wireline. A command interface and control device may include a wireline input configured to connect the device to an operative line of a wireline telephony network (such as the PSTN) and to transmit voice signals to and receive voice signals from the wireline telephony network. The device may also include a cellular module configured to transmit signals to and receive signals from a cellular telephony network and a system controller to control communications on the wireline input and the cellular module. One or more wireline adapter modules may be configured to provide control functionality local to a telecommunications device.

Claims

1. A control module, comprising:

a wireline input configured to connect the control module to a wireline adapter device separate from the control module over a connection comprising two-wire telephony wiring directly connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

a system controller adapted to route a first plurality of data packets to the wireline adapter device and route a second plurality of data packets from the wireline adapter device, wherein the first data packets are associated with a first analog signal, wherein the second data packets are associated with a second analog signal, wherein the control module is adapted to pass the first data packets and the second data packets over the two-wire telephony wiring without interfering with a third analog signal simultaneously provided over the two-wire telephony wiring by a telecommunications device connected to the two-wire telephony wiring and further without interfering with the PSTN; and

a power control module, the power control module comprising;

a power supply in communication with the wireline input; and

a power controller in communication with the power supply and the wireline input, the power controller configured to detect a voltage on the wireline input and to generate an error signal indicative of a difference between the voltage and a reference voltage, the power controller further configured to control the power supply based on the error signal.

2. The control module of claim 1, wherein the system controller is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a pending power event to the power control module.

3. The control module of claim 2, wherein the power control module is configured to control the power supply based on the signal indicative of the pending power event.

4. The control module of claim 2, wherein the pending power event is a battery recharge event.

5. The control module of claim 1, further comprising a cellular module in communication with an antenna.

6. The control module of claim 5, wherein the antenna is a high gain antenna.

7. The control module of claim 1, further comprising the wireline adapter module.

8. The control module of claim 1, further including a cell module configured to receive wireless telephony communications, and wherein the wireless telephony communications include voice communications and telemetric data communications.

9. The control module of claim 1, wherein the power controller comprises a voltage controlled oscillator in communication with the wireline input, wherein the voltage controlled oscillator is configured to oscillate at a detected frequency indicative of the voltage.

10. The control module of claim 9, wherein the error signal indicative of a difference between the voltage and the reference voltage comprises a difference between the detected frequency and a reference frequency indicative of the reference voltage.

11. The control module of claim 10, wherein the power controller is configured to determine a nominal voltage of the two-wire telephony wiring at the device prior to transmitting voice signals to the two-wire telephony wiring, and wherein the reference voltage is equal to the nominal voltage.

12. The control module of claim 1, wherein the pending power event is a battery recharge event, wherein the power control module is adapted to provide power to the two-wire telephony wiring without interfering with the PSTN.

13. The control module of claim 1, wherein the pending power event is a battery recharge event, wherein the power control module is adapted to receive power from the two-wire telephony wiring to charge batteries of the wireline adapter device without interfering with the PSTN.

14. The control module of claim 1, wherein the power control module is adapted to provide power to the PSTN over the two-wire telephony wiring from the power supply.

15. The control module of claim 1, wherein the system controller is adapted to provide USB signaling to the wireline adapter device over the two-wire telephony wiring.

16. A wireline adapter device comprising:

a device input configured to receive a first analog signal from an associated first telecommunications device;

a wireline input configured to connect the wireline adapter device to a controller module separate from the wireline adapter device over a connection comprising two-wire telephony wiring directly connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

an analog to digital converter in communication with the device input and the wireline input, the analog to digital converter configured to receive the first analog signal from the associated first telecommunications device through the wireline input and to generate a first plurality of data packets associated with the first analog signal; and

a digital to analog converter in communication with the device input and the wireline input, the digital to analog converter configured to receive a second plurality of data packets from the controller module and to convert the second data packets to a second analog signal, wherein the wireline adapter device is adapted to pass the first data packets and the second data packets over the two-wire telephony wiring without interfering with a third analog signal simultaneously provided over the two-wire telephony wiring by a second telecommunications device connected to the two-wire telephony wiring and further without interfering with the PSTN.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising a power management module, the power management module configured to sense a low battery condition and to generate a signal indicative thereof.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the wireline input comprises a telephone jack.

19. A control module, comprising:

a wireline input configured to connect the control module to a wireline adapter device separate from the control module over a connection comprising two-wire telephony wiring directly connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

a system controller adapted to route a first plurality of data packets to the wireline adapter device and route a second plurality of data packets from the wireline adapter device, wherein the first data packets are associated with a first cellular telephony signal, wherein the second data packets are associated with a second cellular telephony signal, wherein the control module is adapted to pass the first data packets and the second data packets over the two-wire telephony wiring without interfering with an analog signal simultaneously provided over the two-wire telephony wiring by a telecommunications device connected to the two-wire telephony wiring and further without interfering with the PSTN; and

a cellular module configured to transmit the second cellular telephony signal to a cellular telephony network and receive the first cellular telephony signal from the cellular telephony network.

20. The control module of claim 19, further comprising an analog to digital converter configured to convert an analog signal from at least one of the wireline input and the cellular module to associated data.

21. The control module of claim 20, wherein the device is configured to transmit the associated data to a first wireline adapter module separate from the device over the wireline input.

22. The control module of claim 19, wherein the system controller is configured to control a first communication on the wireline input and a second communication on the cellular module, wherein the first communication and the second communication are both active during an overlap time.

23. The control module of claim 19, further comprising an analog to digital converter configured to convert an analog signal from the wireline input to associated data, wherein the analog signal comprises a baseband signal component having a baseband frequency, and wherein the device is configured to transmit the associated data at a frequency different than the baseband frequency.

24. The control module of claim 19, wherein the system controller comprises a machine-readable medium embodying information indicative of instructions that when performed by one or more machines result in operations comprising:

receiving information indicative of a dialed number for an outbound call from a wireline adapter module;

processing the information indicative of the dialed number using at least one of a least cost routing algorithm and an automatic route selection algorithm;

determining an outbound call route based on the processing; and

routing the outbound call on the outbound call route.

25. The control module of claim 19, wherein the cellular module is configured to receive telemetric signals including at least one of data and instructions for the device.

26. The control module device of claim 25, wherein the system controller is configured to control communications based on the at least one of data and instructions for the device.

27. The control module of claim 19, wherein the system controller is adapted to provide USB signaling to the wireline adapter device over the two-wire telephony wiring.