Addressable outlet for use in wired local area network

• US 8,295,185 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management)
• Original Assignee: Mosaid Technologies Incorporated (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Binder, Yehuda
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Hoon J
• Application Number:
  US11/841,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 370/245, 370/248, 370/249, 370/281, 370/295, 370/401, 370/410, 370/480, 375/222, 379/9.06, 379/14.01, 379/15.01, 379/26.01, 379/29.01, 455/402, 455/557, 714/25, 709217-219, 709/224, 709/231, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults

Abstract

An addressable outlet for use as part of local area network based on wiring installed in a building, such as telephone, electrical, cable television, dedicated wiring, and the like. The use of such wiring for data communications networks in addition to the wiring'"'"'s primary usage creates a need for ways of determining the condition of the network and monitoring this information remotely. Network condition includes such factors as continuity of wiring, connector status, connected devices, topology, signal delays, latencies, and routing patterns. Providing basic processing and addressing capabilities within the outlet permits messaging to and from specific individual outlets, thereby allowing inquiries and reports of the condition of the immediate environment of each outlet. In addition, outlets can be configured with sensors to report on voltage, temperature, and other measurable quantities.

Claims

1. A network comprising:

a remote server located at a first location remote from a second location for performing a monitoring operation;

a gateway;

a wide area network (WAN) connected between the remote server and said gateway and operative to allow the remote server to communicate with the gateway;

a data device at the second location;

a wall-attachable addressable outlet connectable to said data device, wherein said wall-attachable addressable outlet is mounted in a wall and has an assigned address; and

a wired local area network (LAN) at the second location to couple the gateway to the wall-attachable addressable outlet in order to couple the data device to the wide area network,

wherein the wired local area network is composed of wiring that is one of telephone wiring, power wiring and CATV wiring,

wherein the network is operative to allow the wall-attachable addressable outlet to send messages to the remote server to enable the remote server to perform the monitoring operation, and

wherein said wall-attachable addressable outlet comprises a processing circuitry operative to send messages over said local area network indicating the operating condition of said wall-attachable addressable outlet.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein the LAN includes residential telephone wiring concurrently carrying an analog telephone signal and data using frequency division multiplexing, and the wall-attachable addressable outlet is further operative to couple the analog telephone signal to a telephone unit.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein the LAN includes residential power wiring concurrently carrying a power signal and data using frequency division multiplexing, and the wall-attachable addressable outlet is further operative to couple the power signal to an appliance.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein the LAN includes residential CATV wiring concurrently carrying a CATV signal and data using frequency division multiplexing, and the wall-attachable addressable outlet is further operative to couple the CATV signal to a CATV unit.

5. The network according to claim 1, wherein the wiring is power wiring, the LAN is Ethernet based, and the wall-attachable addressable outlet has an assigned address that is one of a Media Access Control (MAC) address and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

6. The network according to claim 1, wherein the wall-attachable addressable outlet further comprises sensors operative to provide information about the wall-attachable addressable outlet status.

7. The network according to claim 1, wherein the wall-attachable addressable outlet is further operative to be powered by a power signal carried by the wiring.

8. The network according to claim 1, wherein the WAN is based on one of xDSL, CATV and wireless.

9. The network according to claim 1, further comprising an addressable device housed in said wall-attachable addressable outlet and operative for indicating an operating condition of said wired local area network.

10. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes continuity of wiring.

11. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes connector status.

12. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes topology of the wired local area network.

13. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes signal delays in the wired local area network.

14. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes the operating condition of said wall-attachable addressable outlet.

15. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes latencies in the wired local area network.

16. The network according to claim 9, wherein the operating condition indicated includes routing patterns in the wired local area network.