Patent ID: 7197028

Claim:
A gateway device for coupling first and second telephone wire pairs to each other and for coupling a digitized analog signal carried over the first telephone wire pair to an analog device, each telephone wire pair being composed of two conductors and each telephone wire pair being connected for carrying a respective one of first and second analog telephone signals in respective first and second analog telephone frequency bands, the first telephone wire pair being connected for concurrently carrying a first bi-directional serial digital data signal using frequency division multiplexing, wherein the first bi-directional serial digital data signal is carried in a first digital data frequency band distinct from and higher than the first analog telephone frequency band, the first bi-directional serial digital data signal includes first digitized analog data, the second telephone wire pair being connected for concurrently carrying a second bi-directional serial digital data signal using frequency division multiplexing, the second bi-directional serial digital data signal being carried in a second digital data frequency band distinct from and higher than the second analog telephone frequency band, said gateway device comprising a single enclosure and, within said single enclosure: a first wiring connector for connecting said device to the first telephone wire pair; a first telephone line modem for conducting the first bi-directional serial digital data signal over the first telephone wire pair; a first high pass filter coupled between said first wiring connector and said first telephone line modem for substantially passing only signals in the first digital data frequency band and for substantially blocking signals in the first analog telephone frequency band; a second wiring connector distinct from said first wiring connector for connecting said device to the second telephone wire pair; a second telephone line modem for conducting the second bi-directional serial digital data signal over the second telephone wire pair; a second high pass filter coupled between said second wiring connector and said second telephone line modem for substantially passing only signals in the second digital data frequency band and for substantially blocking signals in the second analog telephone frequency band; a first port for coupling a first analog signal to an analog device; a converter between analog and digital signals coupled between said first port and said first modem for converting between the first analog signal and the first digitized analog data; and a multiplexer connected between said first telephone line modem and said converter for passing only the first digitized analog data between said first telephone line modem and said converter, and wherein said first and second telephone line modems are coupled to each other for bi-directionally passing data between said first and second telephone wire pairs.