Patent Application
20080056231
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements.
Computer 302, server 303, and hubs 304 and 305 connect to switching system 301 using an RJ45 interface. Client telephonic equipment such as telephone 317 and fax machine 318 connect to switching system 301 using RJ11-to-RJ45 interfaces such as sockets 319 and 320, respectively. Similar wires and connections bridge the path from switching system 301 to all the communications sockets, whether the communication socket is used by computer 302, server 303, hubs 304 and 305, telephone 317, or fax machine 318. These communication sockets are adapted to accept RJ45 plugs. The standardization of infrastructure communication wiring and connections may reduce costs and simplify communication infrastructure maintenance and repair.
As is known in the art, a six-position RJ11 plug will fit and snap into the center of an eight-position RJ45 socket, which is typically used with the eight-position RJ45 plug. A plug generally may have a number of pins and/or conductors up to the number of positions of the plug. Telephone 317 contains an RJ11 socket, and telephone 317 connects to RJ45 socket 319 via wire 317a, which is terminated with RJ11 plugs at both ends. One RJ11 plug of wire 317a plugs into the RJ11 socket of telephone 317, and the other RJ11 plug of wire 317a plugs into RJ45 socket 319. RJ45 socket 319 is then connected to switching system 301 through infrastructure wiring 319a, as described in the background section for a typical office setup. Fax machine 318 is similarly connected to switching system 301 via an RJ11 wire, RJ45 socket 320, and infrastructure wiring.
Switching system 301 includes components (not shown) to support voice communication with telephone 317 and fax machine 318, as well as data communication with computer 302, server 303, and wireless hubs 304 and 305. Switching system 301 acts as a VoIP transformer for telephone 317 and fax machine 318. Thus, switching system 301 communicates with telephone 317 and fax machine 318 using the analog telephone communication standard, and translates analog telephone signals into digital packet-switched data as in the VoIP standard. Switching system 301 can connect telephone calls to/from telephone 317 and fax machine 318 using Internet telephony, or switching system 301 can connect to a telephone company central office using a dedicated packet-switched connection. Alternatively, switching system 301 can connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) using any suitable connection means.
Switching system 301 can be configured so as to appropriately identify the client device on a particular port as a telephonic client device or a network client device. Alternatively, switching system 301 can be configured to automatically detect the connection of a client device and identify it as a telephonic client device or a network client device. Automatic identification may be accomplished, for example, by a combination of (i) detecting a telephone's characteristic ringer circuit impedance, and (ii) detecting an Ethernet device with link-test pulses.
DSP 420 connects to time-division multiplexing (TDM) bus 426. TDM bus 426, in turn, connects to codecs such as codecs 421 and 422. Codecs 421 and 422 convert between analog telephonic signals, which go to/from client telephonic equipment, and digital telephonic signals, which go to/from DSP 420. Codecs 421 and 422 are also used to detect phone off-hook conditions on their respective lines, and to notify control processor 409 upon such detection (connections not shown). Codecs 421 and 422 can be implemented, for example, using a Le792288 octal codec from Legerity, Inc. of Austin, Tex., which incorporates eight individual codecs.
Codec 421 transmits analog telephonic signals to/from PoE filter/transformer 411, and digital telephonic signals to/from TDM bus 426. PoE filter/transformer 411 functions as a subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC). PoE filter/transformer 411 connects to line card access switch (LCAS) relay 423, which in turn connects to RJ45 interface 412. LCAS relays 423 and 424 are adapted to inject a ring signal generated by ring generator 425 on their corresponding lines. Dashed arrow 425a indicates a connection from ring generator 425 to LCAS relay 423, as well as connections from ring generator 425 to additional LCAS relays (not shown). Control processor 409 controls the operation of ring generator 425.
Ethernet switch 407 connects to RJ45 interface 412 in a manner substantially similar to the connection of Ethernet switch 207 to RJ45 interface 212 of
PoE filter/transformer 411 is further adapted to transmit to LCAS relay 423 the outgoing signals received from PHY 410 and/or codec 421. Only one pair of wires is required for a telephone line, thus only one wire pair, in this present embodiment, out of the four wire pairs coming in from LCAS relay 423, needs to be split by a diplexer in PoE filter/transformer 411. One of the four wire pairs that go from LCAS relay 423 to PoE filter/transformer 411 is split in two. Of the split wire pairs, one goes to codec 421 and the other joins the three non-split wire pairs to PHY 410. Thus one wire pair goes to codec 421 and four wire pairs go to PHY 410. In an alternative embodiment, additional wire pairs may be split by diplexing filters.
Ethernet switch 407 connects to RJ45 interface 415 via PHY 413, PoE filter/transformer 414, and LCAS relay 424 in substantially the same way as described above for the connection to RJ45 interface 412. DSP 420 connects to RJ45 interface 415 via codec 422, PoE filter/transformer 414, and LCAS relay 424 in substantially the same way as described above for the connection to RJ45 interface 412. Ethernet switch 407 and DSP 420 can be connected to one or more additional RJ45 interfaces (not shown) in substantially the same manner as described above.
Ethernet switch 507 and DSP 520 connect to RJ interfaces such as RJ45 interfaces 512 and 515 similarly to the manner in which the corresponding elements are connected in
DSP 620 connects to RJ45 interface 612 via PHY/codec 610, which incorporates the functions of a physical-layer device and a codec, such as PHY 510 and codec 521 of
Integrated ring-hybrid filter/transformer devices 923 and 924 include triplexing filters that allow for the splitting of signals into DC voltages, low-frequency signals, and high-frequency signals. Signals incoming from RJ45 interface 912 to integrated ring-hybrid filter transformer 923 are split so that DC signals go to integrated ring generator PSE device 925, appropriate low-frequency, i.e., telephonic, signals go to the codec portion of PHY/codec 910, and appropriate high-frequency, i.e., Ethernet, signals go to the PHY portion of PHY/codec 910. Similarly, signals outgoing to RJ45 interface 912 are combined. Integrated ring-hybrid filter/transformer 924 functions similarly.
In an alternative embodiment, splitter 1000 is part of the wall socket, such as socket 319 of
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), splitter 1000 is adapted to support a PoE device connected to RJ45 socket 1003 by using a triplexing filter in place of diplexing filter 1002, wherein the triplexing filter transmits DC and appropriate high-frequency signals to RJ45 socket 1003 and appropriate low-frequency signals to RJ11 socket 1004.
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), diplexing filter 1002 is replaced by a node connecting RJ45 plug 1001 to RJ45 socket 1003 and RJ11 socket 1004. Diplexing filter 1002 may be unnecessary since the frequencies of telephonic communication signals and Ethernet communication signals are sufficiently divergent such that there is no significant interference between the two.
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), splitter 1000 employs two RJ45 sockets, i.e., an RJ45 socket replaces RJ11 socket 1004, wherein the replacing RJ45 socket is appropriately designated for telephonic connections with an RJ11 plug.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described as combinations of Ethernet, PoE, and telephone devices. However, embodiments of the present invention may include combinations of Ethernet and telephone devices that exclude PoE devices.
The present invention has been described using, as an example, an Ethernet network standard. However, any suitable packet-switched network standard may be employed. The present invention has been described as using a wireless coprocessor. However, a wireless coprocessor is not required. A wireless coprocessor may be absent if, for example, no wireless devices are used in the network, or no firewall is used for wireless traffic.
The terms “connect,” “connected,” or “connection” as used herein refer to a linking that allows the transmission of signals so as to support switched-packet network services and/or telephonic services. The transmission (1) may be through one or more media, (2) may be either unidirectional or bidirectional, and (3) may be direct or indirect, in which case the linking includes one or more intermediary devices. For example, transmission may take place via electrically conductive elements, radio-frequency (RF) wireless signals, infra-red (IR) wireless signals, optical fibers, capacitive coupling, magnetic coupling, or any other suitable means of signal transmission.
The present invention may be implemented as circuit-based processes, including possible implementation as a single integrated circuit (such as an ASIC or an FPGA), a multi-chip module, a single card, or a multi-card circuit pack. As would be apparent to one skilled in the art, various functions of circuit elements may also be implemented as processing blocks in a software program. Such software may be employed in, for example, a digital signal processor, micro-controller, or general-purpose computer.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value of the value or range.
It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.
The use of figure numbers and/or figure reference labels in the claims is intended to identify one or more possible embodiments of the claimed subject matter in order to facilitate the interpretation of the claims. Such use is not to be construed as necessarily limiting the scope of those claims to the embodiments shown in the corresponding figures.
Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments of the present invention.
Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. The same applies to the term “implementation.”
