Digital subscriber line multiplexer

Abstract

A system and method for increasing the number of lines receivable by a subscriber of digital telecommunication services when the pre-existing interior lines of the subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital lines to be received is provided. A master multiplexor is located at the subscriber's side of a network interface connector and is connected to a slave demultiplexor located within the subscriber's premises via an interior, pre-existing twisted-pair line. In a first embodiment, two or more digital lines extend from the central office of the service provider to the subscriber's premises terminating at the network interface connection. Digital data received from the digital lines is multiplexed by the master multiplexor across the interior, pre-existing twisted pair line to the slave demultiplexor. The slave demultiplexor demultiplexes the digital data and provides it to two or more digital lines located within the subscriber's premises to which digital data receiving devices are connected. In a second embodiment, one or more digital lines and one or more analog lines from the central office are multiplexed by the master multiplexor to the slave demultiplexor which provides the demultiplexed digital data to digital lines and analog data to analog lines, both of which, located within the subscriber's premises. In a third embodiment, broadband services for multiple tenants comprising multiple protocols are provided over one or more lines from the CO to a NIC at a multi-tenant dwelling. The requirements for each subscriber in a multi-tenant dwelling are then subdivided by a master multiplexor, and multiplexed, if required, over one or more single interior twisted-pair to a slave demultiplexor at the respective tenants premises.

1 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from multiple digital lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when one or more pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of said multiple digital lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, said system comprising: 
 a master multiplexer subscriber line unit located on a subscriber's side of said network interface connector comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 multiple network interface connections to connect said master multiplexor unit to said network interface connection such that each of said multiple network interface connections is connected to a different one of said multiple digital lines;  
 an interior connection to connect said master multiplexor unit to said one or more interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines;  
   a slave demultiplexor subscriber line unit located within said subscriber's premises comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 an interior connection to connect said slave multiplexor to said one or more interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines;  
 multiple subscriber device connections to connect said slave multiplexor unit to more than one digital data receiving device, and  
   wherein said master multiplexor unit multiplexes digital data received at each of said multiple network interface connections across said pre-existing, interior twisted-pair line to said slave demultiplexor unit, said slave demultiplexor unit demultiplexes said multiplexed digital data to replicate said multiple digital lines inside said subscriber's premises thereby increasing the interior existing line capacity without physically adding additional lines internally.    
     
     
         2 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from multiple digital lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of said multiple digital lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 1   , said slave multiplexor unit further comprising: 
 an AC power supply providing power to said slave multiplexor unit from subscriber owned AC power, and    wherein a portion of said power supplied to said slave multiplexor unit is transmitted to said master multiplexor unit via said interior, pre-existing twisted-pair line.    
     
     
         3 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from multiple digital lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of said multiple digital lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 1   , wherein said multiple digital lines comprise any one of: T1, E1, Frame Relay, ISDN, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Switched Multimegabit Data Service, or xDSL.  
     
     
         4 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when one or more pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, said system comprising: 
 a master multiplexor subscriber line unit located on a subscriber's side of said network interface connector comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 at least two multiple network interface connections to connect said master multiplexor unit to said network interface connection such that at least one of said multiple network interface connections is connected to said at least one digital line and at least one of said network interface connections is connected to said at least one analog line;  
 an interior connection to connect said master multiplexor unit to said one or more interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines;  
 an analog to digital converter to digitize analog signals from said at least one analog line;  
   a slave demultiplexor subscriber line unit located within said subscriber's premises comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 an interior connection to connect said slave multiplexor to said one or more interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines;  
 at least two subscriber device connections to connect said slave multiplexor unit to at least a digital data receiving device and an analog data receiving device  
 a digital to analog converter to convert said digitized analog signals into analog signals, and  
   wherein said master multiplexor unit multiplexes digital data received from said at least one digital line and said digitized analog signals across said pre-existing, interior twisted-pair line to said slave demultiplexor unit, said slave demultiplexor unit demultiplexes said multiplexed digital data and said digitized analog signals, said slave demultiplexor converting said digitized analog signals into analog signals via said digital to analog converter and providing said digital data and said converted digitized signals to said at least two subscriber device connections to replicate said at least one digital line and at least one analog line inside said subscriber's premises thereby increasing the interior existing line capacity without physically adding additional lines internally.    
     
     
         5 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 4   , said slave multiplexor unit further comprising: 
 an AC power supply providing power to said slave multiplexor unit from subscriber owned AC power, and    wherein a portion of said power supplied to said slave multiplexor unit is transmitted to said master multiplexor unit via said interior, pre-existing twisted-pair line.    
     
     
         6 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 4   , wherein said at least one digital line comprises any one of T1, E1, Frame Relay, ISDN, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Switched Multimegabit Data Service, or xDSL.  
     
     
         7 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 4   , wherein said at least one analog line comprises a traditional POTS line.  
     
     
         8 . A system for providing multiple data services provided to a plurality of tenants in a multi-tenant dwelling from a central office to a network interface connection supporting said plurality of tenants, said multiple data services multiplexed to each respective tenant over one or more pre-existing interior twisted-pair lines, said system comprising: 
 a master multiplexor subscriber line unit located on a subscriber's side of said network interface connector comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 a network interface connection to connect said master multiplexor unit to said network interface connection such that said master multiplexor receives said multiple data services for each of said plurality of tenants;  
 a plurality of interior connections to connect said master multiplexor unit to a plurality of interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines, one or more of each of said lines terminating at a different one of said plurality of tenants' premises;  
   a plurality of slave demultiplexor subscriber line units located, each slave demultiplexor subscriber line unit located within one of said plurality of tenants' premises, each of said slave demultiplexor subscriber line unit comprising: 
 multiplexing and demultiplexing circuitry;  
 an interior connection to connect said slave multiplexor to said one or more interior, pre-existing twisted-pair lines terminating at said tenant's premises;  
 at least one subscriber device connection to connect said slave multiplexor unit to a data receiving device;  
   wherein said master multiplexor receives said multiple data services for each tenant and multiplexes said multiple data services for each tenant across one or more corresponding pre-existing, interior twisted-pair lines connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of slave demultiplexor units via said interior connection, each of said slave demultiplexor units demultiplexes said multiplexed multiple services and provides each of said services to a respective receiving device.    
     
     
         9 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 8   , wherein said master multiplexor further comprises protocol conversion circuitry.  
     
     
         10 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 8   , wherein said multiple services comprise any one of: T1, E1, Frame Relay, ISDN, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Switched Multimegabit Data Service, or xDSL.  
     
     
         11 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 8   , wherein said master multiplexor further comprises: 
 a power supply providing power to said master multiplexor unit.    
     
     
         12 . A system for allowing a subscriber to receive services from at least one digital line and at least one analog lines provided between a central office and a network interface connection located at said subscriber's premises when a number of pre-existing interior twisted pair lines at said subscriber's premises is less than the number of digital and analog lines by increasing the interior existing twisted-pair line capacity, as per    claim 8   , wherein said slave multiplexor further comprises: 
 a power supply providing power to said slave multiplexor unit.