Patent ID: 7003103

Claim:
A method for supplying electrical power to a utility device comprising the steps of: (a) providing a controlled transistor switch circuit which is operative to couple a prescribed operational voltage to said utility device for each of respectively different modes of operation of said utility device; and (b) selectively adjusting current handling capability of said controlled transistor switch circuit and causing said controlled transistor switch circuit to couple said prescribed operational voltage to said utility device, for each of respectively different drive currents coupled to a drive input port of said transistor switch circuit, by selectively coupling said drive input port of said transistor switch circuit to receive said respectively different drive currents for said respectively different modes of operation of said utility device and, wherein said utility device comprises a subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC), and wherein said controlled transistor switch circuit is operative to couple one of a high battery supply voltage and a low battery supply voltage to said SLIC in association with respectively different on-hook and off-hook modes of operation of said SLIC.