Patent ID: 6192399
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
A communication system for passing communication between a plurality of terminal devices, including telephones and computers, and a plurality of information services, including a telephone network and a data network, comprising:a twisted pair wiring network coupled to the terminal devices including a plurality of separate twisted pair wiring networks for passing voice signals in a telephone voice frequency band between the telephone network and the one or more telephones on each of said separate twisted pair wiring networks, wherein each separate twisted pair wiring network includes a two-conductor network; andcircuitry for combining telephone and data signals includinga first data hub coupled to the data network and including a plurality of data ports each associated with a different one of the separate twisted pair wiring networks, wherein the first data hub includes circuitry for inhibiting transmission of data received from the data network and addressed to a computer coupled to one of the data ports from being transmitted on other of the data ports, andfor each of the data ports, circuitry coupled to the telephone network and to said data port, coupled to the separate twisted pair wiring network associated with said data port, and configured to combine on said separate twisted pair wiring network (a) telephone voice signals in the telephone voice frequency band passing between the telephone network and the one or more telephones on said separate network, and (b) high frequency signals in a high band of frequencies higher that those of the telephone voice frequency band passing information between said data port and one or more of the computers coupled to said separate twisted pair wiring network, wherein the circuitry coupled to the telephone network and to said data port further includes a first media adapter including circuitry for communicating with the first data hub over more than two conductors and for communicating with the one or more computers on said separate twisted pair wiring network over the two-conductor network and configured to communicate with the first data hub using Ethernet signals over four conductors, and wherein the first media adapter further includes circuitry coupled to the two-conductor network for transmitting a first control signal in a first frequency band to indicate that it is transmitting data onto the two-conductor network in the high band of frequencies and for detecting a second control signal in a second frequency band while transmitting said first control signal, said second control signal indicative of another device transmitting data onto the two-conductor network in the high band of frequencies, whereby the signals in the first and second frequency band provide information for detecting data collisions on the two-conductor network.