Method and apparatus for communicating with premises equipment

• US 9,836,957 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala, Bennett, Robert, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure, Tesfaldet
• Application Number:
  US14/799,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/112 Line-of-sight transmission over an extended range
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25 Arrangements specific to fibre transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0047 Broadcast; Multicast

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system adapted for obtaining data from electromagnetic waves propagating in a transmission medium, and transmitting a plurality of wireless optical signals including the data responsive to determining that weather conditions are favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals, each wireless optical signal being directed to a different one of a plurality of communication devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a waveguide system, first electromagnetic waves propagating on an outer surface of a transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range;

obtaining, by the waveguide system, first data from the first electromagnetic waves;

obtaining, by the waveguide system, weather information in a region where the waveguide system is located; and

responsive to a determination based on the weather information indicating that weather conditions are favorable for transmitting infrared signals in comparison to non-infrared signals, wirelessly transmitting, by the waveguide system, a first plurality of infrared signals including the first data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each infrared signal of the first plurality of infrared signals is directed to a different one of a plurality of premises equipment, and wherein the first data comprises a multicast data stream having one or more portions selectable by each of the plurality of premises equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data further comprises a plurality of unicast data streams, each unicast data stream of the plurality of unicast data streams being directed to the different one of the plurality of premises equipment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, by the waveguide system, an infrared signal from each of the plurality of premises equipment resulting in a second plurality of infrared signals, each infrared signal of the second plurality of infrared signals comprising a different unicast message, thereby resulting in a plurality of unicast messages.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining, by the waveguide system, the plurality of unicast messages from the second plurality of infrared signals.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating, by the waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves that propagate on the transmission medium, the second electromagnetic waves including the plurality of unicast messages.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the waveguide system comprises an infrared transmitter coupled to a beam splitter for transmitting substantially similar infrared signals including copies of the first data.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the waveguide system further comprises an infrared receiver for receiving the second plurality of infrared signals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each infrared signal of the first plurality of infrared signals is directed to a different one of a plurality of premises equipment, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting, by the waveguide system, a radio frequency broadcast signal including the first data responsive to determining from the weather information that the weather conditions are not favorable for transmitting infrared signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first data comprises a multicast data stream having one or more portions selectable by each of the plurality of premises equipment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first data further comprises a plurality of unicast data streams, each unicast data stream of the plurality of unicast data streams being directed to the different one of the plurality of premises equipment.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, by the waveguide system, a radio frequency signal from each of the plurality of premises equipment resulting in a plurality of radio frequency signals, wherein each radio frequency signal comprises a different unicast message, thereby resulting in a plurality of unicast messages.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising obtaining, by the waveguide system, the plurality of unicast messages from the plurality of radio frequency signals.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating, by the waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves that propagate on the transmission medium, the second electromagnetic waves including the plurality of unicast messages.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the waveguide system comprises a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting the radio frequency broadcast signal.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the waveguide system comprises a radio frequency receiver for receiving the plurality of radio frequency signals.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein responsive to determining from the weather information that the weather conditions are not favorable for transmitting infrared signals, transmitting, by the waveguide system, a message to the plurality of premises equipment indicating radio frequency transmissions will be used, wherein the message is transmitted using an infrared transmitter or a radio frequency transmitter.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein responsive to determining from the weather information that the weather conditions are favorable for transmitting infrared signals, transmitting, by the waveguide system, a message to the plurality of premises equipment indicating infrared transmissions will be used, wherein the message is transmitted using an infrared transmitter or a radio frequency transmitter.

19. A waveguide system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving electromagnetic waves propagating on an outer surface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range;

obtaining data from the electromagnetic waves; and

transmitting a plurality of wireless optical signals including the data responsive to determining that weather conditions in a region in which the waveguide system is located are favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals in comparison to wireless non-optical signals.

20. The waveguide system of claim 19, wherein each wireless optical signal of the plurality of wireless optical signals is directed to a different one of a plurality of premises equipment, wherein the plurality of wireless optical signals comprise a plurality of light signals, each having a limited operating frequency range, and wherein the data comprises a multicast data stream selectable by each of the plurality of premises equipment.

21. The waveguide system of claim 20, wherein the data further comprises a plurality of unicast data streams, wherein a first of the plurality of unicast data streams is directed to a first of the plurality of premises equipment, and wherein a second of the plurality of unicast data streams is directed to a second of the plurality of premises equipment.

22. The waveguide system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a radio frequency broadcast signal including the data responsive to determining that weather conditions in the region are not favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals.

23. The waveguide system of claim 19, further comprising an optical transmitter for transmitting the plurality of wireless optical signals when the weather conditions in the region of the waveguide system are favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals, and a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency broadcast signal when the weather conditions in the region of the waveguide system are not favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals.

24. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving electromagnetic waves propagating on an outer surface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range;

obtaining data from the electromagnetic waves; and

transmitting a plurality of wireless optical signals including the data responsive to determining that weather conditions in a region in which a waveguide system is located are favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals in comparison to wireless non-optical signals.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein each wireless optical signal of the plurality of wireless optical signals is directed to a different one of a plurality of premises equipment, wherein the plurality of wireless optical signals comprise a plurality of light signals, each having a limited operating frequency range, and wherein the data comprises a multicast data stream selectable by each of the plurality of premises equipment.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the data further comprises a plurality of unicast data streams, wherein a first of the plurality of unicast data streams is directed to a first of the plurality of premises equipment, and wherein a second of the plurality of unicast data streams is directed to a second of the plurality of premises equipment.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a radio frequency broadcast signal including the data responsive to determining that weather conditions in the region are not favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting the plurality of wireless optical signals when the weather conditions in the region of the waveguide system are favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals; and

transmitting a radio frequency broadcast signal when the weather conditions in the region of the waveguide system are not favorable for transmitting wireless optical signals.