System for providing telephony and data services

• US 9,025,744 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Humphrey, Leslie Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US13/821,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20130163732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.07, 379/90.01, 379/93.05, 379/92.04, 379/93.06, 379/93.28
• US Class Current: 379/93.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/738 Interface circuits for coupling substations to external telephone lines H04M1/78 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision

Abstract

A system to provide telephony and data services includes a termination unit having a connector portion to a corresponding termination unit to modem connector containing at least three conductors. The termination unit provides a good electrical connection between two conductors that carry data signals between the access network and a user modem, and insulates the other conductor or conductors from the incoming pair of conductors. A user modem connects to the termination unit to modem connector and is operable to transmit data signals onto and to receive data signals from the data carrying conductors as well as telephony signals onto and from a pair of modem-side telephony signal carrying conductors. A cross-connection unit has a connection portion that connects with a telephone connector.

Claims

1. A system for providing telephony and data services to a user'"'"'s premises, the system comprising:

a termination unit for terminating an incoming pair of conductors from a telecommunications access network within the user'"'"'s premises, the termination unit having a connector portion operable to connect with a corresponding termination unit to modem connector containing at least three conductors able to carry electrical signals, the termination unit being arranged to provide a good electrical connection between two of the conductors within the termination unit to modem connector, which conductors, when in use, carry data signals between the access network and the user modem and are hereinafter referred to as the two data carrying conductors, and the incoming pair of conductors from the access network respectively, wherein the termination unit is operable to provide an insulation of the other conductor or conductors within the connector from the incoming pair of conductors from the access network;

a user modem which is connectable to the termination unit to modem connector and is operable to transmit data signals onto and to receive data signals from the data carrying conductors and is further operable to transmit telephony signals onto and to receive telephony signals from a pair of modem-side telephony signal carrying conductors which includes the other conductor or at least one of the other conductors within the termination unit to modem connector; and

a cross-connection unit having a connection portion which is operable to connect with a telephone connector, which telephone connector includes at least two telephone-side telephony signal carrying conductors operable to carry telephony signals to and from a telephone apparatus, the cross connection unit further including a cross-connection which electrically connects the two telephone-side telephony signal carrying conductors to the two modem-side telephony signal carrying conductors respectively when in use.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the pair of data carrying conductors and the pair of telephony signal carrying conductors share a common conductor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein there is no common conductor between the data carrying pair and the telephony signal carrying pair.

4. A user installable device for providing a termination unit for use in the system of claim 1, the device being installable into a conventional termination unit which provides a bell wire connection to produce a modified termination unit which, when a connector, which includes a bell wire conductor, is connected to the modified termination unit isolates the bell wire conductor of the connector from both of the incoming pair of conductors attached to the termination unit when in use.

5. A user modem which includes a connector portion which is configured to connect to a connector having at least three conductors contained therein, and is operable to transmit data signals onto and to receive data signals from a first pair of data carrying conductors included in the connector and is further operable to transmit telephony signals onto and to receive telephony signals from a second pair of modem-side telephony signal carrying conductors included in the connector and wherein the first and second pairs of conductors include one common shared conductor.

6. A user installable cross-connection unit having a female connection portion which is operable to connect with a male connection portion of a connector having at least two conductors, the female connection portion of the cross connection unit including a plurality of connection points each of which is configured to be brought into electrical connection with a corresponding connection point of the male connection portion of the connector when it is correctly connected to the female connection portion of the cross-connection unit;

the cross-connection unit further including a male connection portion which is operable to connect with a female connection portion of a socket containing a female connection portion which is mechanically similar to the female connection portion of the cross connection unit, wherein the cross-connection unit includes a cross connection between one of the connection points of the female connection portion of the cross-connection unit and one of the connection points of the male connection portion of the cross-connection unit such that a connection point of the male connection portion of the connector is electrically connected to a different connection point of the female connection portion of the socket when the male connection portion of the connector is connected to the female connection portion of the cross connection unit and the male connection portion of the cross-connection unit is connected to the female connection portion of the socket compared to the connection point of the female connection portion of the socket to which the connection point of the male connection portion of the connector would be connected if the connector were directly connected to the socket; and

wherein the cross-connection unit further includes a direct connection between one of the connection points of the female connection portion of the cross-connection unit and one of the connection points of the male connection portion of the cross-connection unit such that a connection point of the male connection portion of the connector is electrically connected to the same connection point of the female connection portion of the socket when the male connection portion of the connector is connected to the female connection portion of the cross-connection unit and the male connection portion of the cross-connection unit is connected to the female connection portion of the socket as the connection point of the female portion of the socket to which the connection point of the male connection portion of the connector would be connected if the connector were directly connected to the socket.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the cross-connection unit is configurable such that the cross-connection unit can be switched between a first configuration in which there is a direct connection as set out in claim 6 and another configuration in which the formerly directly connected connection point of the female connection portion of the cross-connection unit is cross connected to a different connection point in the male connection portion of the configurable cross-connection unit and therefore also to a different connection point of the female portion of the socket for use in a four wire approach.