Patent ID: 6886181
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for distributing ADSL signals to customer premises from a central office, comprising: a central office having a POTS switching system and ADSL terminals that connect to a data network; a plurality of customer locations at least some of which have at least one voice frequency POTS terminal and at least one ADSL terminal; a field cabinet remote from the central office associated with the plurality of customers; a plurality of individual metallic telephone lines each extending from a respective one of the customers to the field cabinet; a trunk cable containing a large number of metallic telephone lines and extending from the field cabinet to the central office; the field cabinet including a plurality of connections for connecting the individual telephone lines to the trunk cable for connection of signals between the customer locations and the central office; the individual metallic telephone lines each being arranged to transmit both voice frequency POTS signals and ADSL signals between the respective customer location and the field cabinet; a bi-directional link separate from the trunk cable for the broadband transmission of ADSL signals in a modulated analog form in pre-selected frequency bands between the central office and the field cabinet; the ADSL terminals at the central office including ADSL modems arranged to communicate the ADSL signals in their modulated analog form over the bi-directional link; a splitter and interface module at the field cabinet, remote from the central office having: a plurality of signal splitting coupler units each associated with a respective one of the individual telephone lines and each arranged to separate the ADSL signals and the voice frequency POTS signals from the respective telephone line; a plurality of connectors each arranged to connect the separated voice frequency POTS signals between the respective individual telephone line and the trunk cable; a plurality of interface and frequency translation units each associated, with a respective one of the coupler units for receiving the separated ADSL signals from the coupler unit and for communicating the bi-directional ADSL signals in their analog form on the bi-directional link between the central office and the respective individual telephone line in a pre-selected one or more of the frequency bands that are associated with the respective individual telephone line; and a plurality of frequency translation and interface units at the telephone central office each of which is associated with the pre-selected band or bands on the bi-directional link associated with a respective individual telephone line and each of which provides an interface between the respective ADSL signals on the bi-directional link and the ADSL modem of the ADSL terminal of the central office.