Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     None.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     None.  
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENTIAL LISTING, ETC.  
       [0003]     None.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0004]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0005]     The present disclosure relates to peripheral devices equipped with a phone jack and, more particularly, to systems and methods for detecting a connection condition of a phone jack associated with a peripheral device.  
         [0006]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0007]     Peripheral devices, such as all-in-one printers (AIOs), multi-function peripherals (MFPs), printers, scanners, facsimile machines and the like, have become commonplace in the home and office environment and may be used to perform a wide variety of tasks. As used herein, “peripheral device” broadly refers to any stand-alone device or any device connected to a computer, a host, a network, a server or the like.  
         [0008]     Peripheral devices typically include one or more phone jacks and/or one or more data connection ports, thereby allowing the peripheral device to connect and/or communicate with a network (e.g., a Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”)), a host device, a slave device or any other system. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a peripheral device, such as all-in-one printer  10 , may include two RJ-11 phone jack circuits  12   a ,  12   b  (the numeral “12” shall refer to phone jacks circuits generally) and one USB port  14 . Each phone jack circuit  12   a ,  12   b  may include two or more connection pins  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 .  
         [0009]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , each phone jack circuit  12   a ,  12   b  may include (i.e., may be integral with, associated with or connected to) a Data Access Arrangement (“DAA”) circuit  22 . A Data Access Arrangement (DAA) is an electronic interface within a computer and its modem to a public telephone line. A DAA is also sometimes called a Telephone Line Interface Circuit (or Module). DAAs are required in any device that attaches to the public switched telephone network, including facsimile machines, private branch exchanges or cable set-top boxes, and alarm systems. Among other things, the DAA isolates the electronic device from the higher voltage on the telephone line. DAA circuitry requires registration with the telephone system governing authority (such as the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S.). A DAA can be built into a computer&#39;s motherboard but is more commonly built into the modem.  
         [0010]     The DAA  22  may connect the pins (only tip  19  and ring  18  pin are shown in  FIG. 2 ) to the processor (not shown) of the printer  10 . Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the printer  10  may be connected to a network  24 , such as a PSTN, by connecting a phone line to one or more of the phone jack circuits  12   a ,  12   b.    
         [0011]     Modern peripheral devices may include USB ports positioned in the proximity of the phone jacks  12   a ,  12   b . The close proximity may stem from the size of the peripheral device, the amount of circuit board space available, ergonomics or any of a number of reasons. In particular, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the USB port  14  and phone jacks  12   a ,  12   b  may be relatively the same size and shape and may be positioned generally adjacent to each other. Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 4 , modern peripheral devices may experience a short  26  between two or more of the pins  19 ,  18  of the jack  12  when a USB cable is inserted into the jack.  
         [0012]     Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for detecting when a USB connector is inserted into a phone jack. Furthermore, there is a need for a system and method for determining whether a phone jack is connected to a network.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     In one aspect, a connection detection system is provided and includes a phone jack circuit having a DAA circuit in communication with at least two pins, a stimulus input in communication with the phone jack circuit, the stimulus input being adapted to communicate a stimulus to the phone jack circuit, and a detection circuit in communication with the phone jack circuit, the detection circuit being adapted to detect a response of the phone jack circuit to the stimulus.  
         [0014]     In another aspect, a peripheral device is provided and includes a processor, a phone jack circuit electrically isolated from and in communication with the processor, the phone jack circuit including a data access arrangement circuit and at least two pins, a stimulus input in communication with the phone jack circuit and the processor, the stimulus input being adapted to introduce a stimulus to the phone jack circuit in response to a command from the processor, and a detection circuit in communication with the phone jack circuit and the processor, the detection circuit being adapted to detect a response of the phone jack circuit to the stimulus and communicate a signal indicative of the response to the processor.  
         [0015]     In another aspect, a method for determining a connection condition of a phone jack circuit having at least two pins is provided. The method includes introducing a stimulus to the phone jack circuit, detecting a response of the phone jack circuit to the stimulus, and correlating the response to the connection condition.  
         [0016]     Other aspects of the disclosed system and method will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a peripheral device including two RJ-11 phone jacks and a USB connection port;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a prior art phone jack assembly including a tip pin and a ring pin;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3 . is a block diagram of the prior art assembly of  FIG. 2 , wherein the tip and ring pins are connected to a network;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the prior art assembly of  FIG. 2  including a short between the tip and ring pins;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a first aspect of a connection detection system;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of the connection detection system of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the system of  FIG. 5  experiencing a short;  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a second aspect of the connection detection system;  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a third aspect of the connection detection system;  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is a block diagram of a fourth aspect of the connection detection system; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is a flow diagram of one aspect of a connection detection method according to an aspect of the disclosed connection detection system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0028]     In one aspect, a peripheral device, such as device  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , may be provided with a connection detection system. The connection detection system may, among other things, detect whether a network has been connected to a phone jack  12  of the device  10  and/or determine whether a short has occurred between two or more pins  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21  of the phone jack  12 .  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , a first aspect of a connection detection system, generally designated  100 , may include a DAA circuit  102 , a tip pin  104 , a ring pin  106 , a first isolation component  108 , a second isolation component  110 , a third isolation component  112 , a stimulus input  114 , a detection circuit  116  and a processor  118  associated with a peripheral device (not shown). The tip  104  and ring  106  pins may be associated with a phone jack  12  (e.g., an RJ-11 jack) of the peripheral device (see  FIG. 1 ). The processor  118  may be in communication with the stimulus input  114  and the detection circuit  116  by communication lines  115 ,  117 , which may be wired or wireless.  
         [0030]     The tip  104  and ring  106  pins may be selectively connected to a network  120 , such as a PSTN or the like, by way of a phone line, a cable, wirelessly or by other means. Thus, when the tip  104  and ring  106  pins are connected to a network  120 , a load  122  may be applied to the system  100 . The load  122  may be a characteristic impedance of the network  120 , such as a 600 ohm or a 720 ohm complex line impedance of a PSTN.  
         [0031]     In one aspect, the DAA circuit  102  may be any available Data Access Arrangement and may be adapted to extract digital data from analog signals received from the network  120 . In another aspect, the DAA circuit  102  may be any circuit, system or the like capable of interfacing a peripheral device (e.g., a facsimile machine) with a network  120  (e.g., a PSTN). In another aspect, the DAA circuit  102  may be capable of detecting a digital PBX system connection. For example, the DAA  102  may be a model CX20493 SmartDAA available from Conexant Systems, Inc.  
         [0032]     Stimulus input  114  may be any device, circuit or system capable of introducing an electrical stimulus into the system  100 . For example, the electrical stimulus may be a DTMF (dual tone multifrequency) tone, a GPIO (general purpose input output) pin, a square wave from a pulse width modulator (“PWM”) output of an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a sinusoidal wave or the like. The detection circuit  116  may be any device, circuit, system or sensor capable of detecting the stimulus and/or the effect of the stimulus on the load  122 . For example, the detection circuit  116  may be a high impedance A/D input or the like.  
         [0033]     The first, second and third isolation components  108 ,  110 ,  112  may be any isolation components capable of electrically isolating the main component side of the system from the DAA side of the system (i.e., no direct electrical connection between the processor  118  and the network  120 ). For example, isolation components  108 ,  110 ,  112  may be capacitors, Y-caps (see  FIG. 6 ), transformers, optocouplers or the like.  
         [0034]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first isolation component  108  may electrically isolate the detection circuit  116  from the DAA side of the system  100 , the second isolation component  110  may electrically isolate the stimulus input  114  from the DAA side of the system and the third isolation component  112  may electrically isolate the processor  118  and other portions of the main component side of the system from the DAA side of the system.  
         [0035]     Accordingly, the stimulus input  114  may introduce a stimulus to the system  100  (e.g., to the Ring pin  106 ) by way of the second isolation component  110  (i.e., to the DAA side of the system). When the system  100  is connected to a network  120  that applies a load  122  (e.g., 600 ohms) to the system, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the stimulus may interact with the load  122  and a unique characteristic response may be detected, over the first isolation component  108 , by the detection circuit  116 . Alternatively, when the system is not connected to a network  120  (i.e., nothing is plugged into the jack), a second unique characteristic response may be detected by the detection circuit  116 . Still alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 7 , when there is a short  124  between the tip  104  and ring  106  pins (e.g., when a USB connector is mistakenly inserted into the phone jack  12 ), a third unique characteristic response may be detected by the detection circuit  116 .  
         [0036]     Thus, each of the characteristic responses of the system  100  may be predetermined such that the processor  118  may determine whether or not the pins  104 ,  106  are connected to a network  120  and/or whether there is a short  124  between the pins  104 ,  106  based upon the response observed at the detection circuit  116 .  
         [0037]     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a second aspect of a connection detection system, generally designated  200 , may include a DAA circuit  202 , a tip pin  204 , a ring pin  206 , first and second isolation components  208 ,  210 , a stimulus input  212 , a detection circuit  214  and a processor  216 . The tip  204  and ring  206  pins may be associated with a phone jack  12  (e.g., an RJ-11 jack) of a peripheral device (see  FIG. 1 ) and may be adapted to connect to a network  218  to apply a load  220  on the system. The processor  216  may be in communication with the detection circuit  214  by communication line  215  and with the stimulus input  212  and DAA circuit  202  over the second isolation component  210 .  
         [0038]     Thus, in the second aspect, the stimulus input  212  may be on the DAA side of the system  200  and the detection circuit  214  may be outside and isolated from the DAA side of the system.  
         [0039]     Accordingly, the processor  216  may signal the stimulus input  212 , by way of the second isolation component  210 , to introduce a stimulus to the system  200 . Based upon the characteristic response detected by the detection circuit  214  (by way of the first isolation component  208 ), the processor  216  may determine whether or not the pins  204 ,  206  are connected to a network  218  and/or whether there is a short between the pins  204 ,  206 .  
         [0040]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , a third aspect of a connection detection system, generally designated  300 , may include a DAA circuit  302 , a tip pin  304 , a ring pin  306 , first and second isolation components  308 ,  310 , a stimulus input  312 , a detection circuit  314  and a processor  316 . The tip  304  and ring  306  pins may be associated with a phone jack  12  (e.g., an RJ-11 jack) of a peripheral device (see  FIG. 1 ) and may be adapted to connect to a network  318  to apply a load  320  on the system. The processor  316  may be in communication with the stimulus input  312  by communication line  315  and with the detection circuit  314  and DAA circuit  302  over the second isolation component  310 .  
         [0041]     Thus, in the third aspect, the detection circuit  314  may be on the DAA side of the system  300  and the stimulus input  312  may be outside and isolated from the DAA side of the system.  
         [0042]     Accordingly, the processor  316  may signal the stimulus input  312 , by way of line  315 , to introduce, by way of the first isolation component  308 , a stimulus to the system  300 . Based upon the characteristic response detected by the detection circuit  314  and communicated to the processor  316  over the second isolation component  310 , the processor  316  may determine whether or not the pins  304 ,  306  are connected to a network  318  and/or whether there is a short between the pins  304 ,  306 .  
         [0043]     As shown in  FIG. 10 , a fourth aspect of a connection detection system, generally designated  400 , may include a DAA circuit  402 , a tip pin  404 , a ring pin  406 , an isolation component  408 , a stimulus input  410 , a detection circuit  412  and a processor  414 . The tip  404  and ring  406  pins may be associated with a phone jack  12  (e.g., an RJ-11 jack) of a peripheral device (see  FIG. 1 ) and may be adapted to connect to a network  416  to apply a load  418  on the system. The processor  414  may be in communication with the stimulus input  410 , the detection circuit  412  and the DAA circuit  402  over the isolation component  408 .  
         [0044]     Thus, in the fourth aspect, the stimulus input  410  and the detection circuit  412  may be on the DAA side of the system  400 . In an exemplary aspect, the stimulus input  410  and the detection circuit  412  may be part of the DAA  402 . For example, the DC and/or AC drivers of the DAA  402  may be the stimulus input  410  and the tip and ring DC measurement input pin (“TRDC”) of the DAA  402  may be the detection circuit  412 .  
         [0045]     Accordingly, the processor  414  may signal the stimulus input  410 , by way of the isolation component  408 , to introduce a stimulus to the system  400 . Based upon the characteristic response detected by the detection circuit  412  and communicated to the processor  414  over the isolation component  408 , the processor  414  may determine whether or not the pins  404 ,  406  are connected to a network  416  and/or whether there is a short between the pins  404 ,  406 .  
         [0046]     Thus, referring to  FIG. 11 , the disclosed systems may detect a network connection and/or a short as follows. In general, a stimulus to applied and one of a plurality of characteristic responses is detected and correlated with an appropriate notification that is presented to the user. As shown in block  500 , a stimulus may be applied to the system and the unique response may be monitored. When the response detected by the detecting circuit suggests that the system is experiencing a first characteristic such as a short caused by the insertion of a USB cable in the RJ-11 jack (block  502 ), the user is notified of the short condition, as shown in block  508 . When the second characteristic response suggests that no network is connected to the system (block  504 ), the user is notified accordingly, as shown in block  510 , that no line is connected or that is it not working. When the detected characteristic response suggests that the system is connected to an appropriate network (block  506 ), the user is notified accordingly, as shown in block  512 , that the connection is good.  
         [0047]     Although various aspects of the disclosed system and method have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Technology Category: 5