U.S. patent application number 09/738054 was filed with the patent office on 2001-05-03 for apparatus and methods for home networking.
Invention is credited to Kikinis, Dan.
Application Number | 20010000707 09/738054 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27379549 |
Filed Date | 2001-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010000707 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kikinis, Dan |
May 3, 2001 |
Apparatus and methods for home networking
Abstract
A multimedia data distribution system comprises a distribution
system adapted to distribute and deliver Asynchronous Transfer Mode
signals to the level of an individual home network bus, a micro-PBX
connected to the distribution system and to the home network bus;
and a converter connected to the home network bus and having an
outlet adapted for connecting to conventional single media and
multimedia electronic devices, such as telephones, personal
computers, fax machines, television sets, and the like. The
micro-PBX is adapted to translate between the public network data
protocol and a Local Area data protocol on the home network bus,
and to manage the home network bus as a Carrier Sense Multiple
Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) type bus, and the converter is
adapted to convert signals on the home network bus to a form
required by one of the single media and multimedia electronic
devices. In an alternative embodiment of the invention signals on
the home network are provided as high-frequency, spread-spectrum
signals.
Inventors: |
Kikinis, Dan; (Saratoga,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CENTRAL COAST PATENT AGENCY
PO BOX 187
AROMAS
CA
95004
US
|
Family ID: |
27379549 |
Appl. No.: |
09/738054 |
Filed: |
December 14, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09738054 |
Dec 14, 2000 |
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09103499 |
Jun 24, 1998 |
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6167120 |
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09103499 |
Jun 24, 1998 |
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08811648 |
Mar 5, 1997 |
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08811648 |
Mar 5, 1997 |
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08744287 |
Nov 6, 1996 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/93.01 ;
379/90.01; 709/249 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 12/2898 20130101;
H04L 12/2856 20130101; H04L 12/413 20130101; H04M 11/066
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/93.01 ;
709/249; 379/90.01 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16; H04M
011/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A home networking system comprising: conventional telephone
wiring connected to telephone jacks in a customer's premises; and a
customer demarcation unit at a customer's premise, having a port
connected to outside telephone wiring and a port connected to the
conventional telephone wiring in the customer's premise; wherein
the customer demarcation unit is adapted to receive signals on the
outside telephone wiring, and to drive the conventional telephone
wiring in the customer's premises as a local-area network (LAN)
using a spread-spectrum high-frequency signal, converting the
signals received to the protocol required by the LAN.
2. The home networking system of claim 1 further comprising a
connection unit at a connection point for a customer's device to
receive signals on the LAN, wherein the connection unit comprises:
a sensor for sensing signal strength on the network; a
microprocessor; a stored program executable by the microprocessor;
a path from the LAN to a connection to a customer's device; and a
delay line; wherein the microprocessor, sensing a minimum signal
strength threshold, is adapted to switch the delay line into the
path to the customer's device, thereby improving signal strength to
the customer's device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
1. The present application is divisional application of application
Ser. No. 09/103,499 which is a Continuation-in Part of application
Ser. No. 08/811,648 which is a Continuation-in Part of patent
application Ser. No. 08/744,287 and incorporates all of the prior
application by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
2. The present invention is in the area of multimedia computing and
communication systems, and pertains more particularly to networking
with home systems to allow sharing of functions and devices among
individual PCs connected to a home network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
3. Continuing development of hardware and applications for home
computing, coupled with explosive growth of the global network
called the Internet has motivated more and more people to have at
least one computer in the home or in a small business. For the
purpose of description and teaching in the present application, the
concept of a home environment is used. The inventor intends this
concept to include any equivalent environment, such as a small
business, non-profit organization, government organization, and the
like, which might use systems of the sort taught herein. The
references to home systems and home computers and the like are
meant to include all such situations.
4. Many people in fact, have two or more computers at home, and
many more are contemplating adding at least a second computer. A
parallel trend is to adding one or more computerized appliances in
addition to a home computer. These appliances are such as Internet
Telephones, computerized set-top boxes, and the like.
5. A problem with more than one computer or network
using-appliance, such as an Internet Telephone, WEB browsing set
top box, etc. at home is that, just like in the office, a need
quickly becomes apparent for connecting the computers in a network
of some sort so resources like a printer and a modem may be shared.
Still, even if a network were provided allowing sharing of common
devices like a printer, allowing each computer to have Internet
access is a problem. Given one Internet Service Provider (ISP) and
one Internet account, even if several computers have simultaneous
access to the Internet provider's server, only one user at a time
may browse the Internet. There are traditional, but expensive
solutions. Two or more Internet accounts could be maintained, for
example, and each computer could have its own modem and dedicated
telephone line. For a single family having multiple home computers
however, this is not a good solution. Further, the lines in most
standard analog home telephone systems are lacking somewhat in the
ability to transmit certain types of data at a consistently high
frequency. These types of telephone lines can suffer radiation
leakage, etc.
6. Another difficulty with existing home network systems, is that
proposed multimedia integrated systems in the current art depend
typically on methods that are not compatible with existing home and
office wiring. These systems often require that new compatible
lines be installed that typically operate at a much higher
frequency than can be carried successfully by conventional analog
lines. As a result, such systems are expensive to implement and
limited in operation. A system and apparatus is needed to enable
real-time multimedia data distribution which is also capable of
maintaining a high signal strength over existing telephone wiring
of most homes and offices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
7. In a preferred embodiment a home server unit is provided
comprising a communication bus for connecting digital devices
within the home server interface unit; a CPU coupled to the bus for
managing activities of the hone server unit; a random access memory
(RAM) coupled to the bus for temporary and dynamic data and
instruction storage; a read-only memory (ROM) coupled to the bus
for non-volatile storage of an operating system; a hub circuit
coupled to the bus and having network ports for connecting to
personal computers; an input/output I/O interface circuit coupled
to the bus and having at least one parallel port for connecting to
printing and scanning devices; and a bridge adapter unit coupled to
the bus and having at least one port adapted for connecting to a
wide area network and at least one port adapted for connecting to a
telephony device. The CPU, executing stored control routines
manages data transfers between connected PCs and one or more
service providers accessed via the wide-area network.
8. In alternative embodiments of the home server unit one or more
of the hub circuit, the I/O interface circuit, and the bridge
adapter unit are implemented as plug-in cards, and the bus has a
card slot for receiving the one or more plug-in cards. Also in
alternative embodiments of the home server unit the CPU, executing
stored control routines, provides simultaneous Internet access for
two or more PCs connected to the home server unit. Other functions
provided by the home server through the CPU and stored control
routines include telephone exchange services for two or more
telephony devices connected to the home server unit, receiving
incoming facsimile transmissions, and routing such transmissions to
any one of connected PCs or connected printers, according to
preprogrammed instructions, and providing access to a remote server
over the port adapted for wide area network connection, so one or
more connected PCs may use storage space on the remote server
transparently to the user.
9. The home server unit according to embodiments of the invention
solves the existing problem of providing wide area network access
to multiple computerized appliances without requiring multiple
service accounts.
10. In an alternative embodiment of the invention a multimedia data
distribution system is provided, comprising a distribution system
adapted to distribute and deliver Asynchronous Transfer Mode
signals to the level of an individual home network bus; a micro-PBX
connected to the distribution system and to the home network bus;
and a converter connected to the home network bus and having an
outlet adapted for connecting to conventional single media and
multimedia electronic devices. The micro-PBX is adapted to
translate between the ATM protocol and a non-ATM data protocol on
the home network bus, and to manage the home network bus as a
Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) type bus,
and the converter is adapted to convert signals on the home network
bus to a form required by one of the single media and multimedia
electronic devices. The single media and multimedia electronic
devices include telephones, personal computers (with adapter
cards), fax machines, and televisions running through set top
boxes. In this embodiment and aspect, multimedia distribution is
accomplished an a relatively inexpensive manner, and by using
existing telephone wiring available in most homes and
businesses.
11. In yet another alternative embodiment of the invention a home
networking system is provided, comprising conventional telephone
wiring connected to telephone jacks in a customer's premises; and a
customer demarcation unit at a customer's premise, having a port
connected to outside telephone wiring and a port connected to the
conventional telephone wiring in the customer's premise. In this
embodiment the customer demarcation unit is adapted to receive
signals on the outside telephone wiring, and to drive the
conventional telephone wiring in the customer's premises as a
local-area network (LAN) using a spread-spectrum high-frequency
signal, converting the signals received to the protocol required by
the LAN.
12. In still another embodiment a connection unit is provided at a
connection point for a customer's device to receive signals on the
LAN, wherein the connection unit comprises a sensor for sensing
signal strength on the network; a microprocessor; a stored program
executable by the microprocessor; a path from the LAN to a
connection to a customer's device; and a delay line. The
microprocessor, sensing a minimum signal strength threshold, is
adapted to switch the delay line into the path to the customer's
device, thereby improving signal strength to the customer's
device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
13. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home network according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
14. FIG. 2 is a line-by-line listing providing routing examples for
the network system of FIG. 1.
15. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a multimedia network system
according to an alternative embodiment of the present
invention.
16. FIG. 4 is a simplified overview of x-mass tree wiring of a home
network system in an embodiment of the present invention.
17. FIG. 5 is an illustrative view of high frequency waves carried
on the wiring of FIG. 4.
18. FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a zero voltage phenomena
occurring on the wiring of FIG. 4.
19. FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a method for eliminating the
zero voltage phenomena of FIG. 6 in an embodiment of the present
invention.
20. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the internal components of a
spread-spectrum modulator-demodulator in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
21. FIG. 9 is a time chart illustrating spread data and time
relationship in an embodiment of the present invention.
22. FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of an alternate embodiment where
network cards are used.
23. FIG. 11 is a line by line listing of the components for the
micro-PBX in an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
24. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a home network according to an
embodiment of the present invention. A Home Server Unit 100
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises a CPU 104, an I/O circuit 102 (which may be a single
chip), random access memory (RAM) 106, a read-only memory (ROM)
107, and a hub circuit 103. The ROM may in some embodiments be an
alterable ROM (AROM) so upgrades in operating systems and the like
may be made. There is also an optional hard disk drive 105. The
digital elements of Home Sever Unit 100 are connected by a
communications bus 115, which may be one or another of several
buses known in the art, such as AT, PCI, and so forth. A plug-in
interface 11 on bus 115, similar to or the same as an expansion
port interface in a PC, is provided to accept one or another of
several different bridge adapter units 101.
25. Home Server Unit 100 is typically a box that may be located in
any convenient location in the home or other environment, with
ports for interfacing to other units and services. For example, hub
circuit 103 connects to multiple ports 114 for connection to
multiple PCs. Four ports are shown and two are used in this example
for connection to PCs 130 and 131. In the embodiment shown hub
circuit 103 is also fashioned as a plug-in unit with a card slot 15
provided, so circuitry may be modularly adapted to a user's
specific needs.
26. I/O circuitry 102 connects to at least one parallel port 113
for connecting to peripheral devices such as a printer 132 shown.
Other peripherals, such as a second printer (color printer), a
scanner, and the like may be connected from one of the I/O ports.
Bridge Adapter Unit 101 provides circuitry with ports 111 for
connecting to a communications network 110 and ports 112 for
connecting to telephony equipment such as facsimile machine 141 and
telephone 140. In some embodiments a large number of telephone
ports may be provided, and Bridge Adapter Unit 101 may function as
a PBX exchange.
27. Communications network 110 may be for example an ISDN
connection to a local telephone company switch, in which case
Bridge Adapter Unit 101 will be adapted for ISDN protocol.
Communications network 110 may also be an analog telephone link, a
cable connection, an Asymmetric Subscriber Digital Line (ASDL), or
other link. The point of plug-in modularity for bridge adapter unit
101 is that a user may adapt his or her Home Server Unit 100
according to the service available from the home, and change at a
later time if a new or different communication service to the home
becomes available.
28. At the service provider's end a Multi-Bridge Adapter Unit 120
provides for receiving and processing data packets delivered over
network 110, and for sending data packets from the service
provider's end to the Home Server Unit, identified for the PC or
peripheral device to which each transmission is intended. For
example, facsimile messages may be delivered to unit 100 at Bridge
Adapter Unit 101 via network 110, and be routed to facsimile
machine 141. Alternatively, incoming faxes could be routed to laser
printer 132 via I/O circuitry 102.
29. Returning again to the service provider's end of the system,
Multi-Bridge Adapter Unit 120 connects to an Ethernet.TM. backbone
121 (in this particular embodiment) to which various equipment may
be interfaced, such as a server 123 shown and a support technician
workstation 122.
30. In a preferred embodiment of the invention control routines 13
are provided and stored in AROM 107 to be loaded into RAM 106 on
start-up of the Home Server Unit. These routines provide for
control of all elements connected to bus 115, and for conversion
and routing of data among the various elements and ports. A salient
advantage of the invention in this respect is that data protocols
of any sort may be utilized and accommodated.
31. FIG. 2 provides routing examples which may be accomplished by
Home Server Unit 100. Data protocols (network protocols) that may
be accommodated are represented in FIG. 2 by NP0), NP1, and NP2.
NP0 may be, for example TCP/IP protocol, NP1 Novell Network
protocol., and NP2 MSNet. Lines 210 and 211 represent PC to PC
communication through hub circuitry 103 (which may be a single
chip). Data from PC 130, for example, may be received in NP0 and
converted to NP1 for transmission to PC131. The conversion would
also be made in the reverse, and CPU 104, executing routines called
from RAM 106, handles the conversion and routing. Different
versions of control routines according to the invention may be
available for loading to AROM 107, depending, among other things,
on the network adapters and communication protocols of PCs to be
connected.
32. Lines 220 through 223 in FIG. 2 represent PC to printer
communication. Data for printer 132 received from either of PC 130
and 131 at hub 103 is converted as necessary by CPU 104 executing
routines 13 and sent to printer 132 via I/O circuitry 102 and port
113. Printer data may be queued and buffered using any of the
storage devices (RAM 106, optional hard disk drive 105, or even
AROM 107), or any combination.
33. Lines 230 through 233 represent communication between PCs and
the Internet. In this case TCP/IP protocol is received from one of
the PCs and processed into AU 101 for transmission to ISP equipment
AU 120. Return data, also TCP/IP, is sent from AU 120 via network
110 to AU 101, then routed to the associated PC by CPU 104
executing control routines 13.
34. Finally, lines 240 through 244 represent communication between
a PC and the Internet service provider (ISP) by a different (non
TCP) protocol.
35. In the embodiment shown PCs connected through Adapter Unit 100
to a service provider, depending on control routines provided, may
have access to disk space, such as on server 123 connected to
Ethernet backbone 121. This is an additional benefit providing a
transparent extra high-capacity drive for each user.
36. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a multimedia network system in an
alternative embodiment of the present invention. The system of FIG.
3 distributes multimedia real-time data, both on-demand and
broadcast, as well as computer and telephony data, all over the
same system, making use of existing telephone wiring in and to a
home or office. This is done in an embodiment of the invention by
adapting existing hardware elements and data protocols in a new and
inventive architecture not before implemented, and in a manner to
provide enhanced performance over existing and known proposed
systems for multimedia distribution.
37. Typical existing networks for multimedia data distribution are
of a sort called system parallel, which requires duplication of
hardware and data paths, resulting in high cost. Some systems
offering a form of integration require expensive new cabling. The
system of the present invention avoids such duplication and allows
use of existing telephone system wiring in virtually all cases,
both in, and to the house.
38. In FIG. 3 network cloud 360 represents worldwide data sources,
and link 341 is a high speed Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) link
operating on a high-speed path such as a fiber-optic line. ATM is
not described in detail in this specification, as it is a
well-known network protocol and system in the art of telephony, and
available to the inventor as well as to all those with skill in the
art.
39. Link 341 leads to a subdivision head-end 342 providing
distribution to individual homes and businesses. One such
individual unit destination is represented by unit 300, which may
be a typical apartment, home, or office. The placement of such
subdivision head-ends in embodiments of the invention is a function
of distance capability for hardware and data protocols used.
40. An ATM router switch 340 in subdivision head-end 342 receives
the ATM data packets from network 360 and distributes them to
subsection routers 330a through 330c via internal wring such as
link 343a. It will be apparent to those with skill in the art that
there may be many more (or fewer) than the three subsection routers
shown, but three will be more than sufficient to teach the
invention.
41. A satellite dish 350 is an optional component of subdivision
head-end 342, and when present in embodiments of the invention is
used to receive digitally-encoded satellite broadcasts. These
signals are downloaded via link 351 to a converter 352, which
de-multiplexes the transport strings and converts them into ATM
packets which are provided over link 353 to ATM router switch 340
for distribution according to data in the ATM packets.
42. From subdivision head-end 342 data is distributed from each of
multiple subsection routers to individual homes and businesses. It
will apparent to those with skill in the art that there may be
tens, hundreds or even thousands of links to individual
destinations, but only one, link 320, is shown herein to adequately
describe the present invention.
43. Link 320 is typically existing copper wiring and is based on
the well-known Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
technology. At the individual home or business 300 a micro-PBX 301
receives the ADSL signals, translates them, and retransmits them on
internal wiring represented in FIG. 3 as links 302a through
302d.
44. In most existing home or office wiring the internal wires are
copper, and not all connections are of the star-type, wherein each
internal outlet has a separate wire from the receiving junction
box. Rather the internal wiring may well be, and usually is, a
tree-type network, wherein some outlets stem from other internal
trunks lines. It is very common, in fact, for new outlets in home
and office situations to be daisy-chained from existing wiring and
outlets, rather than being taken from the initial junction box to
the home or office. This existing situation is a formidable
impediment to the kinds of integrating network solutions that have
been so far proposed, which typically require separate lines to
each outlet. In that circumstance, existing wiring has to be
completely replaced at a substantial penalty in time and cost. In
embodiments of the present invention, as described in more detail
below, the existing wiring can stay in place and is used without
impediment.
45. There are, as well-known in the art, a number of different
requirements for data within a home or business, and several of
these, though not all, are illustrated in FIG. 3. Shown in FIG. 3,
for example, are a television 303 connected to a set-top box 304; a
computer 310, a fax machine 307, and a telephone 309. There may, of
course, be more than one of each of the devices shown, and other
devices as well.
46. Existing internal wiring of unit 100 used in the illustrated
embodiment of the present invention is illustrated as lines
302a-302c. For the purpose of illustrating the fact of tree-type
architecture, lines 302b and 302c are shown as emanating from
micro-PBX 301, while lines 302a and 302d proceed from lines 302b
and 302c respectively.
47. In embodiments of the present invention micro-PBX is a
converter and bus management system adapted to receive ATM data for
all of the devices in the unit 100 to which the micro-PBX is
connected, and to route the data in a different protocol onto the
internal bus. Micro-PBX 301 operates the in-house wiring as a bus
system under a multiple access points type protocol, such as
Carrier Sense Multi Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) protocol.
This is a protocol type well-known in the art that was also the
basis of original Ethernet.TM. systems. In this system type, the
sending device first listens on the bus for line free before
sending data, then checks for collision. The inventor has selected
this type bus management precisely because it allows use of the
existing tree-type wiring structure of phone lines of most homes
and businesses. However other implementations are also possible,
such as modulated carriers etc. In micro-PBX 301 the ATM packets
are converted to, in this case, TCP/IP protocol, although TCP/IP is
not the only choice. Most local-area-network-type protocols could
be used easily. Any type of high frequency modulation or direct
digital connection could be used that is compatible with asymmetric
star wiring (a.k.a. Christmas tree wiring). This also allows
micro-PBX 301 to be added at almost any convenient point on the
in-house bus.
48. Within unit 300 converters are provided for each device and
outlet to convert the incoming TCP/IP data to the form required by
each connected device. For example, television 303 is connected to
micro-PBX through a set-top box 304 (which happens to be under the
TV in this instance), and box 304 is adapted to receive video
stream data addressed to a number assigned to the set-top box, and
to translate that data stream to a video presentation playable on
television 303.
49. In the case of fax machine 307, an adapter box 305a connects to
in-house wiring 305a and converts incoming data on line 302c and
addressed to the fax machine into an analog data stream on line 307
to the fax machine. Similarly a converter box 305b converts data on
line 302b into an analog data stream on line 308 for voice
communication via telephone 309. Conversion is, of course,
bi-directional.
50. Conversion boxes 305a and 305b and like converter boxes in
various embodiments of the present invention are adapted for
mounting to existing telephone jack outlets presenting a new outlet
for connecting to the specific device (fax, phone, etc.).
51. In the case of personal computer (PC) 310, conversion is
accomplished in an expansion card compatible with any expansion
slot in the computer, allowing the multimedia PC to be used both
for telephony functions and as a WEB browser via the in-house
bus.
52. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated with reference
to FIG. 3, the Micro-PBX and converter boxes need power. Power may
be supplied locally at each box by a power converter plugged into a
power outlet (not shown). In a preferred embodiment, power is
supplied at, for example, 48 volts across two lines of the in-house
wiring. The power supply voltage is imposed by a
transformer/converter box (not shown) that may be placed at any
convenient telephone outlet jack outlet and connected to the power
mains system available close by.
53. Another advantage of the illustrated system is that, as each
adapter unit in the system, for each specific device, has an
assigned number, calls may be placed between specific in-house
devices via micro-PBX 301, which may accomplish many PBX functions.
Another advantage is that, by placing a new converter box, new
external access numbers may be assigned by a local telephone
company remotely by reprogramming micro-PBX 301 on-line.
54. In embodiments of the present invention, once subdivision
headers and subsection routers are available, conversion of any
house, apartment, or small business unit is relatively simple. A
micro-PBX is installed at the position of the existing telephone
junction box where outside telephone service enters the premises
(a.k.a. service demarcation). A power adapter is installed to
provide the necessary power voltage on the in-house network, which
is simply a matter of plugging in a power box at any convenient
power outlet and connecting an outlet telephone jack into the house
network at any convenient outlet port. Such a unit could also
contain a back-up power source for case of power failure.
55. As a final step, PCs are supplied with expansion cards, TVs
with compatible set-top boxes, and converter boxes (see 305a and
305b above) are mounted to existing telephone jack outlets
convenient to the equipment to be connected. The conversion is
quick and simple, and may, in most cases, easily be performed by
the end user with little outlay of time and material.
56. Method and Apparatus for Maintenance of High Frequency
Communication over Existing Analog Lines
57. In another embodiment of the present invention an innovative
method and apparatus is provided to be wired into the home network
system of FIG. 1 for the purpose of maximizing and maintaining a
high quality data communication over existing analog home wiring
whereby data can be transmitted and received at a higher frequency
without typical analog problems affecting the system such as zero
voltage phenomena and radiation leakage.
58. FIG. 4 is an overview of "x-mas tree wiring" (typical home
telephone wiring is "organically grown") as it might appear in a
home set up to operate as a network according to an embodiment of
the present invention whereby a Customer Demarcation Point (CDP)
401a is connected to network wiring 400 leading into the home.
Network wiring 400 consists of lines that connect to telephone
jacks inside the home and will hereafter be referred to line by
line. A CDP, as is known in the art, is the point in the wiring
(typically, a utility box outside of the home) where the
responsibility of the phone company ends and the responsibility of
the customer begins. In this embodiment, there are two lines 400
branching off of the main line coming from CDP 401a. A first line
(400) is connected to a telephone jack 401c inside the home. A
second line (400) is connected to a telephone jack 401b which is in
turn connected by a line (400) to a telephone jack 401d. It will be
apparent to one with skill in the art that there are limitless
configurations possible with regards to home network wiring as
described above. For example, there may be more than two lines 400
branching off from CDP 401a, there may be more three telephone
jacks such as telephone jack 401b connected to network wiring 400,
or there may be more than one CDP such as CDP 401a as might be the
case for the subscription to multiple phone companies and so on.
The instant embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is meant to illustrate a
typical situation and is deemed sufficient by the inventor to
adequately illustrate the present invention.
59. Connected devices used in conjunction with the home network in
accordance to an embodiment of the present invention may include
such devices as a PC, fax machine, home based server, converter box
for Internet (digital) TV and so on. These connected devices,
present in previous embodiments, are represented in this instant
embodiment by elements 403a-d. Similarly, the cabling and or wiring
used to connect those devices is represented by elements 402a-d. In
this instant embodiment, connected device 403a is connected via
cable 402a directly to CDP 401a bypassing a telephone jack such as
telephone jack 401b. In this case, connected device 403a may be of
the form of an outside unit such as a satellite sender/receiver. It
is intended by the inventor that hardware, converter boxes, and
other elements of the present invention such as micro PBX 100
represented in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3 also be applicable
to this instant embodiment of the present invention. However, for
the purpose clarity, many previous elements already described will
not be reintroduced in this additional embodiment illustrated by
FIG. 4 and by Fig's to follow.
60. FIG. 5 is an overview of the network wiring of FIG. 4
illustrating the effect of applying a high frequency communication
to the network system whereby a standing wave 501 is carried over
network line 400. It is deemed appropriate by the inventor that the
level of frequency utilized for the purpose of adequate signal
strength for connected devices be from a 900 MHz. Band. However it
will be apparent to one with skill in the art that a differing
frequency could be utilized.
61. Applying frequencies such as 900 MHz to a typical
(conventional) network comprising analog-type lines results in a
reflection of the original wave coming back across the line. This
backward reflection creates specific areas or locations whereby no
usable signal is present due to a signal cancellation caused by the
overlap. These zero-voltage signal locations are known in the art
and are sometimes referred to as "black holes". In the instant
embodiment a "black hole" 500 is present along incremented points
throughout network line 400 where wave 501 is present. At a
frequency of 900 MHz. the distance between "black holes" 500 across
network line 400 is approximately 30 centimeters (about one foot).
This distance is represented in this embodiment by lambda 502
(wavelength of the signal). Conventional termination
impedance-matching set-ups used commonly in analog lines cause a
relative stability of the "black hole" phenomena by virtue of their
fixed locations in the line. For example, if a receiver of wave
signal 501 is close to "black hole" location 500 at the termination
point of the signal then the receiver will pick up a percentage of
that signal strength related to its closeness to that particular
"black hole" location. Therefore, the receiver may pick up zero %
of the signal strength if wave 501 terminates at the lambda end
point (black hole), or perhaps 50% of the signal if wave 501
terminates at a point half way up it's curve and so on.
62. It is well known in the art that standing waves of the type
that are transmitted in a fashion as described above may vary
somewhat in frequency and actual formation. Depending on the
frequency used for the transmission, and on other variables such as
line quality and oscillation factors, standing wave forms may vary
slightly in actual form from transmission to transmission and
therefore cannot be distributed with perfect uniformity over a
specific length of wire so as to allow an imagined point on the
wave form to coincide with a set distance point in the wire in a
continually repeated fashion. Hence, a system that utilizes a fixed
receiver or receivers in the line will be unreliable in delivering
a high frequency signal strength that can be constantly maintained
at a desired level for all connected devices. It is the intention
of the inventor to introduce a unique signal receiving method
whereby the level of reception of a typical standing wave sent at a
frequency of 900 MHz. can be maintained at approximately 86% of
full signal strength over a typical analog telephone line. More
detail about this unique signal receiving technique in accordance
to with an embodiment of the present invention is provided in
description and Figs. below.
63. FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view further illustrating the effect
of "black hole" phenomena in a system with fixed receivers whereby
data is being transmitted over network line 400 in a typical
standing wave form. As the standing wave terminates at connected
device 403b, a fixed receiver happens to be positioned at a
receiving point 600 so as to receive a full percentage of signal
strength. However, a second connected device 403a has a receiver
positioned at a receiving point 601 and is not picking up any
usable signal because in this particular transmission, it coincides
with a "black hole" such as "black hole" 500 of FIG. 5. While
standing wave forms are not uniform, and may vary in actual form as
described above with reference to FIG. 5, the stability of a series
of waves produced by a same source transmission at a same frequency
rate is sufficient to cause problems where a receiver happens to be
positioned at a repeat location of a "black hole" such as is the
case at receiving location 600. If the receiver were moved about
1/3 of lambda to a receiving location point 602 then the signal
strength would be approximately 86% which would be sufficient to
operate connected device 403a.
64. FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a method whereby a
receiver can be moved away from "black hole" locations such as
"black hole" 500 of FIG. 5. Element 701 represents a connector that
is located at the back of a typical receiving board engaged in
receiving a signal. Element 702 is a selector which has a choice of
selecting connector input direct (sending the signal directly to
the board) or connector input delay (sending the signal through
delay line 723). Delay line 723 has a length equal to 1/3of lambda
502 of FIG. 5 (about 4 inches @ 900 MHz). A controller device 704
is connected to a physical layer adapter, a transceiver, 703.
Controller 704 can detect the rate of error associated with the
signal form. For example, if the wave begins to move its position
so that a "black hole" condition becomes imminent, controller 704
will foresee the activity and can activate switch 706 to connector
input delay position at a predetermined signal strength. Once delay
line 723 is activated, the receiver picks up the delayed signal at
approximately 86% of full signal strength instead of a lower %
associated with a closer proximity to the "black hole". In
principal the receiver in this embodiment, thus enabled, has
"soft-moved" {fraction (1/3)} of lambda (approximately 4 inches
with a signal of 900 MHz). In a preferred embodiment of the present
invention enhanced soft-movable receivers such as the one described
above will be placed in the same locations with respect to their
associated connected devices as conventional fixed receivers would
be. Also each soft-movable receiver must operate independently from
other receivers on the system as connected devices will typically
vary as to location (distance from signal source) on the system. As
well, dual soft-movable receivers may be incorporated and used in
association with one connected device as might be the case where a
protocol converter box such as described with reference to earlier
embodiments is wired in the line some distance away from the
connected device. It will be apparent to one with skill in the art
that there are many configurations possible with regards to
installing soft-movable receivers on the home network system of
FIG. 1 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Such as examples already provided.
65. FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram illustrating a
spreader/despreader device as is used in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention for the purpose of converting a
wave form into a broad band signal. This is known in the art as a
spread-spectrum modulator/demodulator. To further illustrate,
element 805 produces a spreader clock at 100 MHz. for input data
811 arriving at 10 MHz. This means that the resulting broad band
signal will have a spread of 100 MHz. Box 800a contains a spreader
while box 800b contains a virtually identical de-spreader. In
principal and as is well known in the art, spreaders and
de-spreaders are nothing more than random number generators that
generate numbers at a specific spread frequency. Numbers generated
by spreader 800a are used to scramble the input signal through gate
803 from where the resulting scrambled data proceeds into modulator
823 where the carrier signal being transmitted at 900 MHz. is phase
modulated. From there the signal proceeds into a filter adapter
825a and then is coupled into the wiring. Via junction taps 827,
the signal is then passed through adapter 825b and into demodulator
824 from which the data signal emerges still scrambled. It will be
apparent to one with skill in the art of electronic communication
that terms used here such as spreader/de-spreader, phase modulator,
filter adapters and so forth are well known in the art and are
common signal filtering components. Therefore, much definition as
to the dedicated function of each component is not described. An
X-OR-gate 822 is used in this instant embodiment for the purpose of
detecting collisions which are then fed into a Sears and Mason B
controller driver as CD (collision detect) signals. Box 820 in this
instant embodiment represents the modem port 703 of FIG. 7. Element
807 is a phase lock device that locks on to the phase of the
out-coming signal and regenerates the 100 MHz. spread clock. From
there the signal passes into de-spreader 800b and passes as
un-spread data represented by element number 810.
66. FIG. 9 is a time chart illustrating the activity produced by
the spreader/de-spreader of FIG. 8 wherein a logical one of input
data signal is present in time slot 910 and another logical one of
data signal 901 is seen in time slot 911. A spreader clock signal
902 (signal emanating from spreader clock 805 of FIG. 8) is applied
to input data signal 901. Element 903 is the spreader signal
emanating from gate 802 of FIG. 8 and element 904 is a combination
of the spreader signal and the data signal emanating from gate 803
of FIG. 8. As can be seen in this instant embodiment, spreader
signal 903 is inverted in time slot 910 while it is not inverted in
time slot 911. It will be apparent to one with skill in the art
that a time chart associated with a signal filtering operation such
as the one described above is normally viewed and analyzed by an
expert in the field therefore the inventor has chosen not to go
into much detail regarding various activities and so on that can be
represented by such a time chart except to provide a basic
description of the activity depicted here.
67. FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of an alternate embodiment
whereby signal spreading and de-spreading is performed in the CPU
by help of a software executed by the CPU, of a connected device on
the home network system. Wherein a network card (not shown) could
be provided for connection to a connected device such as a PC on
the home network. This network card is made to transmit the data
signal at 100 MHz so that the spreader/de-spreader function
illustrated in the Embodiment of FIG. 8 can be eliminated. Rather,
this function will now be performed in the CPU of a connected
device as described above, and to be described in the following
text. A 100 MHz based T-adapter 1000 is provided to transmit the
data from a 100 MHz based network card to a PCI bus connector
represented by input 1011 and output 1012 into a CPU. Inside the
CPU spreader/de-spreader calculations are performed and the
resulting data is reduced by approximately 1/8 of the actual
transmitted bits of the original input data. Processed data
proceeds from the CPU to an output connector 1001 from where data
lines are run to a small tuner box containing the necessary
components for modulation and demodulation such as are represented
in the previous embodiment of FIG. 8. In this embodiment connected
devices performing dedicated functions can be easily and
inexpensively adapted so as to contain a 100 MHz micro-controller
and the necessary tuner components in one small box linked to the
CPU and the network cord as described above. The stated goal of an
approach such as the one described directly above is to further
flatten the spectrum of the signal significantly reducing possible
radiation leakage. In this instant embodiment, collision detection
is also performed in the CPU and connected cards are assigned
addresses which are used by the CPU to tell whether a particular
card has to "listen" for a signal or not. It will be apparent to
one with skill in the art that there are many ways network cards
may be utilized and implemented in a home network system without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention such
as using different frequencies, using different connections for
different types of communication and so on.
68. FIG. 11 is a line-by-line listing of the typically required
features of the micro-PBX of FIG. 3 in an embodiment of the present
invention. No further explanation is deemed necessary here as the
list of FIG. 11 is self explanatory. Some variation may occur
depending on implementation of features and associated
software.
69. It will be apparent to those with skill in the art that there
may be many alterations in the embodiments of the invention shown
and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Many variations have been described above, such as an
ability to handle any network protocol between various pieces of
connected equipment. There are also many variations in the control
routines that may be used, and in the hardware provided as Adapter
Unit 101.
70. In the aspect of invention described with reference to FIG. 3,
there are similarly many alterations that might be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Many of these
options have already been described above. For example, there is a
broad variance in PBX functions that may be utilized by micro-PBX
301. Similarly the data protocol used on the in-house wiring may be
varied from embodiment to embodiment, depending on compatibility
with the CSMA/CD-type network management provided on the in-house
wiring. Design and placement of converter boxes may vary as well,
and there are a number of alternatives in the way power for
internal components may be supplied. The differences are numerous,
and the invention is limited only by the breadth of the claims
which follow.
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