Patent ID: 7058174

Claim:
A system for providing backup power other than battery backup power for digital subscriber line service for a customer premise, said system comprising: a switching office having a switching office power supply and a digital subscriber line terminal unit; an integrated access device at the customer premise configured to route voice service to one or more telephones and data service to a data device, said integrated access device connected to said digital subscriber line terminal unit and to a commercial power grid supplying commercial power to the integrated access device, the integrated access device not relying upon battery backup power to supplement said commercial power; a tip-ring pair connecting the switching office to the integrated access device; and a controller for determining power status of the integrated access device and configured to provide power from the switching office power supply on said tip-ring pair so as to maintain said voice service and said data service at the customer premise when said commercial power at the integrated access device is determined to be off and not to provide power when said commercial power is determined to be on, the controller characterized in that said power supplied on said tip-ring pair from the switching office power supply is sized to accommodate said voice service and said data service at a full power level for a predetermined number of one or more integrated access devices having lost commercial power, the predetermined number being fewer than all the integrated devices supported by the switching office.