Patent Application
20070286405
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in this disclosure, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
a) illustrates a data without POTS adapter kit in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
b) schematically illustrates the relationship among the connector plug, jack, mounting support and VoIP electronics associated with the first embodiment of the present invention, and also illustrates a portion of a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention;
a) and 2(b) illustrate exemplary steps for installing a data without POTS adapter in accordance with the present invention into a subscriber premises network interface device (NID); and
Repeat use of reference characters throughout this written disclosure and the appended drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.
As previously discussed, the present invention is particularly concerned with apparatus and methodologies for allowing a subscriber to install data without POTS at a subscriber premises without assistance from trained service personnel.
Selected combinations of aspects of the present invention correspond to a plurality of different preferred embodiments. It should be noted that each of the exemplary embodiments presented and discussed herein should not insinuate limitations of the present invention. Features or steps illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in combination with aspects of another embodiment to yield still further embodiments. Additionally, certain features may be interchanged with similar devices or features not expressly mentioned which perform the same or similar function.
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of a data without POTS adapter according to the present invention. Referring now to the drawings,
Jumper 112 may be described as somewhat similar in function to a common telecommunications patch cord in that jumper 112 corresponds to a multi-wire cable 126 having at least a pair of wires contained therein. The wires contained within cable 126 are coupled to a connector plug 122 attached to one end of the cable. Connector plug 122 is selected to be compatible with any existing line module termination device typically utilized in a NID. A connector jack 124 electrically coupled to at least a pair of wires 128 (e.g., a twisted pair) at one end thereof is coupled at the other end thereof to a connector 130 that is also electrically coupled to the at least one pair of wires contained within cable 126. In this manner, a signal extension cable with matching connector plug and jack is provided for use as required for certain embodiments of the present invention.
In an exemplary configuration, plug 122 and jack 124 may be RJ-11 type devices although, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, other matching connector plug and jack types may be used. Generally, of course, the plug and jack will be compatible with, although not necessarily identical to, corresponding connector types already installed in the NID.
With further reference to
VoIP electronics 144 may itself be mounted on a printed circuit board with the printed circuit board mounted to or within the VoIP adapter 110. The VoIP electronics 144 may vary depending on service provider and/or user requirements, but generally the VoIP electronics 144 may include, but is not limited to, sealing current termination circuitry and/or DSL related filters.
With reference to
With further reference to
With reference now to
As a first step in an exemplary self-installation procedure, a subscriber, after gaining access to the interior of the NID by opening a customer access door (not illustrated) will snap VoIP adapter 110 into position within an empty line module slot, as illustrated in
The plug 204 associated with existing line module 202 is then inserted into jack 124 provided on the optional jumper 112 and the installation is completed by inserting plug 122 of the optional jumper into jack 142 on the upper surface of VoIP adapter 110.
In the instance that optional connection lines 148 and plug 124 are provided as illustrated in
With reference to
In accordance with this second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, installation of VoIP adapter 110 is accomplished by a subscriber by first snapping VoIP adapter 110 into an appropriately configured mounting area 330 of NID 300, for example below IDC subscriber bridge 302. The subscriber will then unplug the subscriber bridge plug from its normal position in area 320 of NID 300 and instead insert it into jack 142 of previously mounted VoIP adapter 110. [Note: VoIP adapter 10 is not shown in
While the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations, equivalents and/or additions to the present invention as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
