Multi-access gateway for direct to residence communication services

• US 8,824,487 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amar Nath
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Ronald H
• Application Number:
  US12/770,180
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5618 Bridges, gateways [GW] or interworking units [IWU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge

Abstract

Different residences can be communicatively linked to a communication backbone via a multi-access gateway, where each residence comprises an adapter through which a set of IP devices directly connect to the multi-access gateway via IPSec compliant communication channels. The multi-access gateway can connect each of the IP devices to remotely located resources. Telecommunication services can be provided to the IP devices in the residences for fees. The multi-access gateway can controls specifics of the telecommunication services, which can include emergency (e.g., 911) services, home control services, and residential administration services. Any of the telecommunication services can be initiated, modified, or terminated by a carrier maintaining the multi-access gateway on a per residence basis for any of the different residences.

Claims

1. A method for providing residential telecommunication services comprising:

connecting a plurality of different internet protocol (IP) devices within hundreds of different residences via in-residence adaptors, wherein one adaptor exists for each of the hundreds of different residences, said adaptor being customer premise equipment (CPE) lacking routing capabilities;

communicatively linking each of the adaptors to a remotely located multi-access gateway, wherein the multi-access gateway is part of the middle-mile of a communication network, wherein the multi-access gateway provides routing directly to IP addresses of each of the plurality of IP devices without any intermediate gateways;

conducting TCP/IP based communications between each of the IP devices and the multi-access gateway, said communications occurring through the adapters at the link level of the TCP/IP stack, where the conducted TCP/IP based communications through the adaptor do not occur above the link layer of the TCP/IP stack;

a carrier controlling the multi-access gateway providing a plurality of telecommunication services to residential subscribers of the residences for fees;

storing customizable residence specific settings for each of the residences in a data store accessible by computing equipment able to control residence specific behavior of the multi-access gateway, wherein said customizable residence specific settings determine details of the telecommunication services as provided to specific ones of the residences; and

the carrier providing a user interface accessible by client-side browsers, wherein said user interface permit authorized users residing in the residences to modify at least a portion of the customizable residence specific settings for one of the residences in which the authorized user resides;

uploading and storing emergency location information at the multiple-access gateway, wherein the emergency location information comprises audio and text;

selectively uploading emergency information to the IP devices;

presenting an indicator on the IP devices indicating whether or not the emergency information was successfully uploaded to the IP devices;

upon receiving an indication of an emergency event, the multiple-access gateway sending the emergency location information about a residence associated with the emergency event to a responder for the emergency event, wherein the emergency location information comprises at least a name of a resident and an address of the residence;

responsive to the detection of the emergency event, the multi-access gateway halting existing processes from the residence not related to the emergency event and disabling communication channels to devices unrelated to the emergency event; and

once the emergency event is handled, resuming the halted processes and enabling the disabled communication channels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the IP devices comprises an IPv6 compliant IP address, wherein the multi-access gateway directly communicates with each of the IP devices via an IPSec compliant communication channels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of telecommunication services are services regulated by the Federal Communication Commission under a federally established communication statute.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing emergency services for each of the IP devices, wherein location information used for the emergency services is dependent upon the adaptor through which the IP devices connect, and wherein all initiated emergency services from any of the IP devices are initially conveyed to the multi-access gateway before being sent to an emergency response agency.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the carrier providing a user interface accessible by client-side browsers, wherein said user interface permit authorized users residing in the residences to modify at least a portion of the customizable residence specific settings for one of the residences in which the authorized user resides.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunication service comprise data service for the residences, wherein the data services permit a user to upload data to a gateway data store local to the multi-access gateway, which is thereafter accessible as being served from the residence thereby avoiding the last-mile communications between the multi-access gateway and the IP devices, which provide less upstream bandwidth than is available from the gateway data store.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said telecommunication services include are configured to utilize IN services, IMS services, and Web services, each configured on a per-residence basis and controlled and implemented through the multi-access gateway.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said Web services are able to be selectively integrated to the telecommunication services on a per residence basis for each of said residences via the administration services, wherein a service bus is established between a resource connected to the gateway that provides the SOA services and the IP device used as an interface for a user receiving the SOA services, wherein settings configurable at the multi-access gateway are able to establish and enforce service level agreements (SLA) associated with the SOA services.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting, the communicatively linking, the conducting, the controlling, the storing, and the providing are performed by at least one computer program when the at least one computer program is executed on the one client, wherein the at least one computer program is stored in a tangible, non-transitory storage medium.

10. A carrier-side method for providing telecommunication services comprising:

communicatively linking a plurality of different residences to a communication backbone via a multi-access gateway, wherein each residence comprises an adapter through which a plurality of IP devices directly connect to the multi-access gateway via IPSec compliant communication channels, wherein the multi-access gateway performs TCP/IP network level routing for the IP devices, wherein the highest TCP/IP level communication performed by the adapter is link level communications;

the multi-access gateway connecting each of the IP devices to remotely located resources, which comprise remotely located IP resources, which communicate to the IP devices via IP addresses maintained by the multi-access gateway;

providing telecommunication services to the IP devices in the residences for fees, wherein the multi-access gateway controls specifics of the telecommunication services, wherein said telecommunication services comprise emergency services for the IP devices, home control services, and residential administration services, wherein any of the telecommunication services can be initiated, modified, or terminated by a carrier maintaining the multi-access gateway on a per residence basis for any of the different residences;

uploading and storing emergency location information at the multiple-access gateway, wherein the emergency location information comprises audio and text;

selectively uploading emergency information to the IP devices; and

presenting an indicator on the IP devices indicating whether or not the emergency information was successfully uploaded to the IP devices; and

upon receiving an indication of an emergency event, the multiple-access gateway sending the emergency location information about a residence associated with the emergency event to a responder for the emergency event, wherein the emergency location information comprises at least a name of a resident and an address of the residence

responsive to the detection of the emergency event, the multi-access gateway halting existing processes from the residence not related to the emergency event and disabling communication channels to devices unrelated to the emergency event; and

once the emergency event is handled, resuming the halted processes and enabling the disabled communication channels.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing customizable residence specific settings for each of the residences in a data store accessible by computing equipment able to control residence specific behavior of the multi-access gateway, wherein said customizable residence specific settings determine details of the telecommunication services as provided to specific ones of the residences; and

the carrier providing a user interface accessible by client-side browsers, wherein said user interface permit authorized users residing in the residences to modify at least a portion of the customizable residence specific settings for one of the residences in which the authorized user resides.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said telecommunication services include are configured to utilize IN services, IMS services, and Web services, each configured on a per-residence basis and controlled and implemented through the multi-access gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the IN services, IMS services, and Web services are provided by third parties configured by subscribers of the telecommunication services users in the residences through use of the residential administration services.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of said adaptors comprises a wired telephony connector, which links the adaptor to a POTS network through an emergency channel that is not routed through the multi-access gateway;

said method further comprising;

detecting at the multi-access gateway when any of the IP devices initiates an emergency service;

determining an adapter that the IP device that initiated the emergency service communicated through;

the multi-access gateway initiating a communication over the emergency channel of the determined adapter; and

permitting communications between the residence having the determined adapter and a emergency response agency via the emergency channel.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the adapters comprise a wireless transceiver for personal area network communications, and wherein at least a portion of the IP devices comprise wireless IP devices having wireless transceivers able to wirelessly communicate with the wireless transceivers of the adapters, said method further comprising:

permitting each of the wireless IP devices receiving telecommunication services through the multi-access gateway to roam a wireless coverage area formed by the plurality of adapters having wireless transceivers, wherein one of the telecommunication services provided by the carrier selectively enables and disables an ability to roam the wireless coverage area.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of said adapters are positioned on an exterior of a corresponding residence in a locked box not directly accessible by a resident, but accessible by an agent of the carrier providing the telecommunication services.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said Web services are able to be selectively integrated to the telecommunication services on a per residence basis for each of said residences via the administration services, wherein a service bus is established between a resource connected to the gateway that provides the SOA services and the IP device used as an interface for a user receiving the SOA services, wherein settings configurable at the multi-access gateway are able to establish and enforce service level agreements (SLA) associated with the SOA services.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the communicatively linking, the connecting, and the providing are performed by at least one computer program when the at least one computer program is executed on the one client, wherein the at least one computer program is stored in a tangible, non-transitory storage medium.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reserving a block of IPv6 addresses at the multi-access gateway for the IP devices;

the multi-access gateway utilizing computer programs and a database to assign each of the different IP devices to different ones of the IPv6 addresses in the reserved block;

associating different ports of the multi-access gateway to different dedicated communication channels terminating in the IP devices having the assigned IPv6 addresses; and

maintaining and continuously updating the database of IPv6 addresses that correspond to different ports of the multi-access gateway.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

defining at the multi-access gateway a set of master and slave devices for emergency services to avoid multiple emergency callouts within the same residence.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating an emergency report about an emergency incident triggered by one of the IP devices; and

posting the emergency report to a Web page to be shared by all individuals in a residence related to the emergency report, wherein the Web page is accessible by a Web browser.

22. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

upon detecting an emergency event for a residence, the multiple-access gateway automatically providing a dial tone to at least one of the IP devices exclusively for dialing out 911.

23. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

said residential administrative services providing multiple different passwords and control levels for the IP devices to different specific members of a residence, wherein said different specific members are able to provide suitable ones of the passwords to a Web site to configure and adjust specific operations of the devices and to maintain privacy of how the IP devices are used from others.

24. A system for providing telecommunication services comprising:

a multi-access gateway comprising hardware, a processor, a plurality of ports, and at least one tangible storage medium comprising software or firmware executable by the processor, wherein the multi-access gateway performs TCP/IP network level routing for a plurality of in-residence IP devices, the multi-access gateway connecting each of the in-residence IP devices to remotely located resources, which comprise remotely located IP resources, which communicate to the in-residence IP devices via IP addresses maintained by the multi-access gateway, wherein the multi-access gateway stores uploaded emergency location information comprising audio and text, and selectively uploads emergency information to the IP devices, each of the IP devices providing an indicated indicating whether or not the emergency information was successfully uploaded to the IP devices, and, upon receiving an indication of an emergency event, the multiple-access gateway sends the emergency location information about a residence associated with the emergency event to a responder for the emergency event, wherein the emergency location information comprises at least a name of a resident and an address of the residence, wherein, responsive to the detection of the emergency event, the multi-access gateway halts existing processes from the residence not related to the emergency event and disables communication channels to devices unrelated to the emergency event and, once the emergency event is handled, resumes the halted processes and enables the disabled communication channels

a plurality of adaptors comprising hardware, each adaptor residing within a different residence, each adaptor for connecting a subset of the in-residence IP devices that are in the corresponding residence directly to the multi-access gateway via IPSec compliant communication channels, wherein the highest TCP/IP level communication performed by the adapter is link level communications, the system providing telecommunication services to the in-residence IP devices for fees, wherein the multi-access gateway controls specifics of the telecommunication services, wherein said telecommunication services comprise emergency services for the IP devices, home control services, and residential administration services, wherein any of the telecommunication services are able to be initiated, modified, or terminated by a carrier maintaining the multi-access gateway on a per residence basis for any of the different residences.