System and method for multiple access communications

• US 7,865,185 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Holmes, Tommie L., Linebarger, John W., Satapathy, Durga P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer; Temica M
• Application Number:
  US10/035,620
• Time in Patent Office: 3,294 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/3.01, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 307/310.1, 307/310.2, 307/320, 307/395.1, 307/395.51
• US Class Current: 455/426.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A system and method use multiple access technologies at an access device to increase capacity and throughput. The system comprises an access device configured to communicate with a wireline switch and a wireless switch. The access device may use one or more access technologies, including digital subscriber line protocols (xDSL), multipoint multichannel distribution system (MMDS), hybrid fiber coax (HFC), satellite, and other access technologies. Preferably the access device uses inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode (IMA) to inversely multiplex and multiplex wireline communications and wireless communications. The wireline switch is configured to communicate with the access device using wireline communications. The wireless switch is configured to communicate with the access device using wireless communications.

Claims

1. A system for multiple access comprising:

an access device comprising an antenna and a wireline communication port;

a wireline switch configured to communicate with the access device using a first wireline communication and a second wireline communication; and

a wireless switch configured to communicate with the access device using a first wireless communication and a second wireless communication;

wherein the access device is configured to receive data in a premises communication from a premises equipment and process a first portion of the data for transmission in the second wireless communication and process a second portion of the data for transmission in the second wireline communication; and

wherein the access device further configured to receive the first wireline communication via the wireline communication port, to transmit the second wireline communication via the wireline communication port, to receive the first wireless communication via the antenna, and to transmit the second wireless communication via the antenna.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second wireless communications comprises at least one member of a group consisting of a multipoint multichannel distribution service spectrum communication, a code division multiplex access communication, a personal communication service communication, an unlicensed personal communications service spectrum communication, an industrial scientific medical spectrum communication, an unlicensed national information infrastructure spectrum communication, and a satellite service communication.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second wireline communications comprises at least one member of a group consisting of a digital subscriber line based communication and a hybrid fiber coaxial based communication.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device and the wireless switch are not within line of sight.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is configured to process at least one member of a group consisting of the first and second wireless communications and the first and second wireline communications using an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the processing using inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol comprises at least one member of a group consisting of multiplexing and de-multiplexing.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is further configured to use an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to combine data from the first wireless communication and other data from the first wireline communication to form another premises communication.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising the premises equipment configured to receive the other premises communication from the access device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is configured to use an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process the first and second portions of the data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device comprises a digital subscriber line modem.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireline switch comprises a digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireline switch comprises at least one member of a group consisting of a local exchange carrier switch and an interexchange carrier switch.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is configured to process at least one of the first and second wireless communications with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is configured to process at least one of the first and second wireline communications with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless switch is configured to process at least one of the first and second wireless communications with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireline switch is configured to process at least one of the first and second wireline communications with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

17. The system of claim 1 further comprising a service node configured to communicate with the wireless switch.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the service node is configured to communicate with the wireless switch using at least one member of a group consisting of a third wireless communication and a third wireline communication.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the service node is configured to use an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process a portion of data for transmission to the wireless switch.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising a service node configured to communicate with the wireline switch.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the service node is configured to communicate with the wireline switch using at least one member of a group consisting of a third wireless communication and a third wireline communication.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the service node is configured to use an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process a portion of data for transmission to the wireline switch.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second wireless communications comprises a first service type communication and each of the first and second wireline communications comprises a second service type communication.

24. A system for multiple access comprising:

a wireline switch configured to receive a first set of communications, to format the first set of communications as at least one wireline communication, and to transmit the at least one wireline communication;

a wireless switch configured to receive a second set of communications, to format the second set of communications as at least one wireless communication, and to transmit the at least one wireless communication;

an access device comprising an antenna and a wireline communication port, wherein the access device is configured to receive the at least one wireline communication via the wireline communication port and the at least one wireless communication via the antenna; and

the access device further configured to receive data in a premises communication from a premises equipment and process a first portion of the data for transmission in a second wireless communication and process a second portion of the data for transmission in a second wireline communication.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the first set of communications are formatted as a plurality of wireline communications, and the wireline switch is configured to transmit the plurality of wireline communications to the access device.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the wireline switch comprises a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, and the digital subscriber line access multiplexer is configured to multiplex the first set of communications as at least one digital subscriber line wireline communication.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the second set of communications are formatted as a plurality of wireless communications, and the wireless switch is configured to transmit the plurality of wireless communications to the access device.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the access device is configured to format the wireless communication to a digital communication and to transmit the digital communication to the premises equipment.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the digital communication comprises voice based data, and the premises equipment is configured to format the digital communication as an analog communication for voice access.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the wireless communication comprises voice-based data, and the access device is configured to format the wireless communication to an analog communication for voice access and to transmit the analog communication to the premises equipment.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the first set of communications comprises data representative of at least one member of a group consisting of voice-based data, internet protocol data, digital data, video data, and media data.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the second set of communications comprises data representative of at least one member of a group consisting of voice-based data, internet protocol data, digital data, video data, and media data.

33. A system for multiple access comprising:

an access transceiver comprising an antenna and a wireline communication port, wherein the access transceiver is configured to communicate using a wireline communication and a wireless communication;

a medium access control layer configured to control access to the access transceiver for communicating the wireline communication and the wireless communication;

a service hub configured to communicate first data for the wireline communication and a second data for the wireless communication for at least one premises communication; and

a multiplexer configured to demultiplex the wireline communication and the wireless communication, and process the wireline communication and the wireless communication with an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to generate another communication.

34. The system of claim 33 further comprising the multiplexer configured to multiplex at least one member of a group consisting of the first data and the second data.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the multiplexer is configured to process the first data and the second data with the inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to generate the wireline communication and the wireless communication.

36. The system of claim 33 further comprising a modulator configured to modulate data from the premises communication for generation of at least one member of a group consisting of the wireline communication and the wireless communication.

37. The system of claim 33 further comprising a modulator configured to demodulate data from at least one member of a group consisting of the wireline communication and the wireless communication for generation of the premises communication.

38. The system of claim 33 wherein the access transceiver comprises at least one member of a group consisting of a plain old telephone service port, a digital subscriber line port, a hybrid fiber coaxial port, and an antenna.

39. The system of claim 33 further comprising a premises equipment comprising at least one member of a group consisting of a computer, a telephone, a set top box, and a narrowband device.

40. The system of claim 33 wherein the access transceiver is configured to transmit or receive the wireline communication via the wireline communication port and the wireless communication via the antenna.

41. The system of claim 33 wherein the medium access control layer is further configured to control a resource for combining the first data from the wireline communication and the second data from the wireless communication to the other communication.

42. The system of claim 33 wherein the service hub is configured to transmit or receive the premises communication.

43. A method for multiple access comprising:

in a wireline switch, communicating using a wireline communication;

in a wireless switch, communicating using a wireless communication;

in an access device comprising an antenna and a wireline communication port, engaging in the wireline communication to communicate via the wireline communication port with the wireline switch and to engage in the wireless communication via the antenna to communicate with the wireless switch; and

in the access device, using an inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process at least one member of a group consisting of the wireless communication and the wireline communication.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising receiving the wireless communication from the wireless switch at the access device and receiving the wireline communication from the wireline switch at the access device.

45. The method of claim 43 further comprising transmitting the wireless communication to the wireless switch from the access device and transmitting the wireline communication to the wireline switch from the access device.

46. The method of claim 43 further comprising, in the access device, receiving the wireless communication, receiving the wireline communication, and using the inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to combine data from the wireless communication and other data from the wireline communication to form a premises communication.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising receiving the premises communication at a premises equipment from the access device.

48. The method of claim 43 further comprising, in the access device, using the inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process a first portion of data for transmission in the wireless communication and to process a second portion of data for transmission in the wireline communication.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising transmitting a premises communication to the access device from a premises equipment, the premises communication comprising the first portion of data and the second portion of data.

50. The method of claim 43 further comprising processing the wireless communication at the access device with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

51. The method of claim 43 further comprising processing the wireline communication at the access device with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

52. The method of claim 43 further comprising processing the wireless communication at the wireless switch with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

53. The method of claim 43 further comprising processing the wireline communication at the wireline switch with at least one member of a group consisting of encryption, de-encryption, encoding, decoding, multiplexing, de-multiplexing, modulation, and demodulation.

54. The method of claim 43 further comprising the wireless switch communicating with a service node.

55. The method of claim 54 further comprising communicating at the service node using at least one member of a group consisting of a wireless communication and a wireline communication.

56. The method of claim 55 further comprising communicating at the service node using the inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process a portion of data for transmission to the wireless switch.

57. The method of claim 43 further comprising the wireline switch communicating with a service node.

58. The method of claim 57 further comprising communicating at the service node using at least one member of a group consisting of a wireless communication and a wireline communication.

59. The method of claim 57 further comprising communicating at the service node using the inverse multiplex asynchronous transfer mode protocol to process a portion of data for transmission to the wireline switch.

60. The method of claim 43 wherein the wireless communication comprises a first service type communication and the wireline communication comprises a second service type communication.