WO2001028112A1

WO2001028112A1 - Wireless phone/data jack using 900 mhz rf technology

Info

Publication number: WO2001028112A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/028399
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott R. Bullock; David W. Thorson
Original assignee: Phonex Broadband Corporation
Priority date: 1999-10-13
Filing date: 2000-10-13
Publication date: 2001-04-19
Also published as: AU1084301A

Abstract

A wireless telephone jack that utilizes the ISM frequency band (902 MHz to 928 MHz). This jack supports both voice and data communications and operates as a convenient means for providing telephone device communication in locations where telephone wiring is limited or unavailable. A base station is provided to connect the the telephone lines, or a central office (101) via a line I/F circuitry (102), which has an RF transmitter (104) and associated antenna (106) and an RF receiver (105) and associated antenna (107), for communicating with a provided extension unit, which also has an RF transmitter and receiver for communicating with the base station. This wireless telephone jack is designed to work with standard telephone communication signals and standard telephone equipment.

Description

WIRELESS PHONE/DATA JACK USING 900 MHZ RF

TECHNOLOGY

SPECIFICATION

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Scott R. Bullock and David W. Thorson, citizens of the United States of America, have invented a new and useful invention entitled WIRELESS PHONE/DATA JACK USING 900 MHZ RF TECHNOLOGY of which the following comprises a complete specification.

WIRELESS PHONE/DATA JACK USING 900 MHZ RF

TECHNOLOGY

Background of the Invention Field of the Invention. This invention relates to wireless telephone / data communication systems. More specifically, this invention relates to wireless communication between a central office and extension units using the 900 MHz band. Description of Related Art. A variety of wireless communication systems and devices have been proposed and are widely used. Traditionally, these devices and systems have not accommodated both voice signals and data signals in the 900 MHz band for wireless communications. For general background material, the reader is directed to the following U.S. Patent documents, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material contained therein.

U.S. Patent No. 4,462,1 13 describes a cordless transmitting and receiving apparatus, which is capable of providing transmitting and receiving between a key transmitting and receiving apparatus such as a telephone and a portable remote transmitting and receiving apparatus.

U.S. Patent No. 4,467,140 describes a cordless telephone system, which includes a base unit operatively, coupled to a user's telephone lines and a relatively compact portable cordless handset.

U.S. Patent Nos. 4,468,538, 4,468,539, 4,468,540, 4,469,918, 4,471,166, 4,471 , 167, and 4,471,168 describe a wireless extension telephone system, that includes a base unit connected to a telephone line and a remote extension unit. U.S. Patent No. 4,471,493 describes a remote unit for use in a wireless extension telephone system having a self-contained dipole antenna.

U.S. Patent No. 4,685,099 describes a method and apparatus for a duplex communication system wherein a local station transmits a modulated signal at a nominal fixed frequency to a remote station.

U.S. Patent No. 4,688,257 describes an apparatus and method for synchronizing the operation of the frequency sensitive devices of two or more transceiver units in a secure, wireless communication system.

U.S. Patent No. 4,706,274 describes a cordless telephone system that includes a control unit having a speaker, a microphone and control circuitry for selective operation in a "normal" mode for communications between the handset and an outside party.

U.S. Patent No. 5,115,463 describes an extended cordless telephone system for communicating information signals from a plurality of telephone lines through a telephone exchange, including a central station and a plurality of remote units.

U.S. Patent No. 5,201,066 describes a radio-telephone system employing a manner of changing a channel and a privacy digital code and interstoring them between by wireless and a method of changing the privacy digital code.

U.S. Patent No. 5,239,682 describes a call hand-over technique, that uses channel information from both the target base station and subscriber terminal in determining which radio traffic channel will be used. U.S. Patent No. 5,265,150 describes a wireless PBX system that provides installation ease without site engineering or trial-and-error placement of components within the system.

U.S. Patent Nos. 5,276,908 and 5,345,597 describe a call set-up technique that is characterized by the use of channel information from both base station and subscriber terminal in determining the radio traffic channel upon which to set-up a new call.

U.S. Patent No. 5,297,203 describes a digital cordless telephone apparatus, that comprises a microprocessor based battery powered portable hand-set unit and a microprocessor based stationary base unit which each transmit and receive digital voice data and digital command data to and from one another over multiple RF channel frequencies in the 902-928 MHz band.

U.S. Patent Nos. 5,406,615 and 5,574,775 describe a universal wireless radiotelephone communication apparatus that includes a first base station having a wide area of coverage, transmitting radiotelephone signals at a first band of frequencies and a second base station having a localized area of coverage, transmitting radiotelephone signals at a second band of frequencies higher than said first band of frequencies.

U.S. Patent Nos. 5,428,668, 5,526,402, and 5,535,259 describe a communications system where transceiver frequency and optionally power level are allocated to a radio personal communications system, which includes a base station connected to a wire telephone network and a cellular terminal operating within a region of a wide area cellular network. U.S. Patent No. 5,446,759 describes a system and method for transmission of information subject to fading by using a RF carrier modulated with a sub-carrier modulated with the information.

U.S. Patent No. 5,479,479 describes a cellular telephone that is interconnected to a control unit via a cable. The cable contains both appropriate interdisciplinary connections for attachment to the telephone at one end and to the control unit at the other end via a universal connector.

U.S. Patent No. 5,504,803 describes a personal communications system that permits a wireless handset to access either a cellular mobile telephone system or a private wireless telephone system.

U.S. Patent No. 5,550,895 describes a bimodal portable telephone that provides cellular service and improved cordless service in a common handset.

U.S. Patent No. 5,592,480 describes a wireless communication system base station making use of a wideband, multi-channel digital transceiver having incorporated therein a time division multiple access bus.

U.S. Patent No. 5,623,495 describes a portable base station-switching device for use in a wireless ATM local area network.

U.S. Patent No. 5,657,325 describes an improved wireless transmitter and method for transmitting incremental redundancy. U.S. Patent No. 5,657,358 describes a toll quality terrestrial wireless digital multiple access terrestrial communication system having a base station in communication with telephone lines and with mobile subscriber stations. U.S. Patent No. 5,661,802 describes a telephone and auxiliary power distribution system in a building that has a flexible multi-conductor signal and power distribution cable.

U.S. Patent No. 5,666,398 describes a radio telephone system that is designed to meet the basic telecommunication needs of areas, which are insufficiently or not yet covered.

U.S. Patent No. 5,677,927 describes an impulse radio communications system that uses one or more subcarriers to communicate information from an impulse radio transmitter to an impulse radio receiver. U.S. Patent No. 5,678,202 describes an antenna system and method for use in a portable unit of a wireless telephone headset, wireless telephone headset adapter, or other telecommunication device.

U.S. Patent No. 5,687,194 describes a system for the wireless transmission of multiple information signals that utilizes digital time division circuits between a base station and a plurality of subscriber stations.

U.S. Patent No. 5,710,798 describes a system and method for wireless transmission of information, which is subject to fading by using a RF carrier modulated with a subcarrier modulated with the information.

U.S. Patent No. 5,715,516 describes a cellular communications system that includes forward channel communications to users and corresponding reverse channel communications from mobile users. U.S. Patent No. 5,717,737 describes an apparatus and method is provided for transparent communication between a wireless remote or mobile device and a fixed wired communication host network.

U.S. Patent No. 5,734,678 describes a terrestrial RF telephone system that provides a plurality of voice signal channels on a plurality of forward direction carrier frequencies.

U.S. Patent No. 5,745,532 describes a system and method for wireless transmission of information which is subject to fading by using a RF carrier modulated with a subcarrier modulated with the information. U.S. Patent No. 5,751,773 describes a system for wireless serial transmission of encoded information which are subject to fading that causes erroneous uncorrectable bit errors.

U.S. Patent No. 5,761,621 describes a network and method of operating a network of wireless service providers that is adapted to interact with a plurality of omni-modal wireless products within a given geographic area in a manner to permit the wireless service providers to "borrow" radio frequencies from other wireless service providers within the same geographic region.

U.S. Patent No. 5,784,402 describes a binary and quadrature Feher's modulation transmitter - receiver system and circuit. U.S. Patent No. 5,805,667 describes an apparatus for, and method of, range- testing a cordless communication device. U.S. Patent No. 5,812,539 describes a method and apparatus of communicating information using Time Division Multiple Access and adaptive transmission and reception.

U.S. Patent No. 5,835,863 describes a wireless telephone set that performs digital communication and that employs light-emitting diodes for illumination.

U.S. Patent No. 5,844,596 describes a system that provides video signal communication between a source of the video signal and a plurality of units that include destinations of the video signal.

U.S. Patent No. 5,845,203 describes a method for seamlessly transmitting application specific messages over cellular radio system control channels and switches.

U.S. Patent No. 5,852,604 describes a power-conserving time division multiple access radio telephone system.

U.S. Patent No. 5,854,985 describes a frequency and protocol agile wireless communication produce and chipset for forming the same.

U.S. Patent No. 5,890,055 describes a wireless communications system that includes a number of clusters of repeaters wherein all repeaters within a cluster are connected to a common hub via respective millimeter-wave radio links.

U.S. Patent No. 5,896,569 describes a system and method for providing wireless access to a telephone line of a telephone network that uses a mobile terminal and a crossconnect base station.

U.S. Patent No. 5,901 ,246 describes an adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function. U.S. Patent No. 5,909,491 describes a method for sending a secure message in a telecommunications system using public encryption keys.

U.S. Patent No. 5,913,163 describes an integrated local communication system that comprises a plurality of locally-positioned communication devices, at least one of which locally-positioned communication devices is operably coupled to a local interface module.

U.S. Patent No. 5,915,021 describes a method for sending a secure message in a telecommunications system that uses public encryption keys.

U.S. Patent No. 5,915,207 describes a device for implementing a multimedia communication dissemination system.

U.S. Patent No. 5,920,821 describes an analog cellular voice telephone system and subscriber stations that are controlled to conserve power and to provide alternate service carriers.

U.S. Patent No. 5,930,719 describes a cordless system that comprises a laptop computer with a modem connected to a modem data port on a cordless telephone handset.

U.S. Patent No. 5,930,728 describes a communication system for wireless dual purpose phone that is operable at 1900 megahertz in the PCS system that includes a plurality of transceiver wherein at least three communication links are formed. U.S. Patent No. 5,930,729 describes an accessory apparatus for mobile radio telephones, particularly those used in cellular networks and that permits utilization of the full communication range capable of a vehicle-mounted cellular radio telephone by a cordless portable handset remote from the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

It is desirable to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that provides the means for connecting multiple telephones, fax machines, modems and the like without requiring the use of telephone wires. In particular, it is desirable to provide a telephone / data communication system that communicates between the base station and extension units in one frequency band and communicates between the extension units and the base station using a second frequency band.

Therefore, it is the general object of this invention to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that communicates between a base station and one or more extension units using the ISM frequency band (902 to 928 MHz).

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that supports both voice and data communication.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that provides a convenient means for adding a telephone line to a location without requiring additional telephone wiring.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that provides a base station that is connected to an existing telephone jack.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a wireless telephone / data jack that permits extension units to be placed anywhere within the transmission range of the base unit and which can be connected communication devices, such as modems, telephones, set-top boxes, fax machines and the like. These and other objects of this invention are achieved by the system described herein and will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a review of the following drawings, detailed description and claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure la is a block diagram of the preferred base station of the invention, showing its major components.

Figure lb is a block diagram of the preferred extension unit of the invention, showing its major components.

Figure 2a is a detailed block diagram of the transmitter component of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2b is a detailed block diagram of the receiver component of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention This invention is a wireless telephone / data jack, which provides the means for connecting multiple telephones, fax machines, modems, and other telecommunications devices without the use of dedicated telephone wires. As new communication devices become available the need for additional communication channels has become more acute. This is particularly true for communication users who are limited by the telephone wiring in their building or structure. This invention address the need for additional communication links, by providing a wireless connection between a central office to one or more extension units, where a standard telephone, modem, fax machine and the like can be connected. In particular, this invention makes use of the ISM frequency band (902 MHz to 928 MHz) for RF communication between the central office (base station) and the extension units. This jack supports both voice and data communication. The system of this invention includes a base station and one or more extension units. The base station is connected electrically to an existing standard telephone jack, while the extension unit is positioned within the transmission range of the base station and is connected to the desired telephone communications device (telephone, modem, set top box, fax machine, and the like). Both the base unit and the extension units have a transmitter and a receiver. This invention also provides a new and unique method for ensuring that base and extension units continue to be in communication. Figure 1 a shows a block diagram of the preferred base unit of this invention.

The base unit is connected to a central office 101, which provides access to the external telephone network. The connection between the base unit and the central office is made by the base line interface circuitry 102, which is designed to comply with the existing telecommunications regulations and standards for interfacing with a telephone line, such as are well known in the art. Information received by the base line interface circuitry 102 from the central office 101 is transferred to the base transmitter 104, under control of the base controller 103, where it is then frequency modulated on to a carrier frequency between 925 MHz and 928 MHz. The signal is amplified, filtered and sent out through the base transmitting antenna 106 to the extension unit. Signals received from the extension unit come to the base station by way of the base receiver antenna 107, to the base receiver 105. The base receiver 105 then, under control of the base controller 103, sends a demodulated and converted signal to the central office 101 via the base line interface circuitry 102. Figure lb shows the block diagram for the preferred extension unit. The extension unit receives data from the base station via the extension receiver antenna

114 and the extension receiver 112, demodulates the data signal and sends the data, through the extension line interface circuitry 109 to the telephonic communications device or devices 108. These devices 108 are may include standard telephones, modems, fax machines, set top boxes and other data devices. Signals from the telephonic communications device or devices 108 are communicated through the extension line interface circuitry 109 to the extension transmitter 111 , from the extension transmitter antenna 1 13 to the base receiver antenna 107, thereby to the base station. In the preferred embodiment, signals from the extension unit are transmitted at a carrier frequency between 902 MHz and 905 MHz.

Figure 2a provides a detailed block diagram of the preferred transmitter 104, 111 , used in both the base station and the extension unit. A VCO 204 receives three signals: transmit data 201, transmit audio 202 and control 203. The control signal 203 sets the center frequency of the VCO, while transmit data 201 and transmit audio 202 signals serve to modulate the carrier signal from the VCO 204. Following the VCO 204 is a buffer stage 205, which provides isolation between the VCO 204 and the antenna 208. A power amplifier 206 is electrically connected to receive the output of the buffer 205 to boost the signal. A low pass filter 207 is provided to suppress harmonics in the signal before presenting the signal to the antenna 208.

Figure 2b is a detailed block diagram of the preferred receiver 105, 112, used in both the base station and the extension unit. The signal is received by the receiver antenna 209. The received signal then passes through a first band pass filter 210 for selection of the appropriate frequency band and to reject the transmit frequency. A low noise amplifier 211 receives the output from the first band pass filter 210 to boost the signal to the appropriate level for demodulation. A second band pass filter 212, filters the resulting signal prior to input to a mixer 213. A control line sets the first local oscillator 214 to the appropriate frequency to downconvert the signal received from the second band pass filter 212, to an intermediate frequency of 82.7 MHz. A reference signal provides the necessary feedback to a phase locked loop circuit employed in the mixer 213. The resulting signal passes through a intermediate band pass filter 215 and an amplifier 216 before entering the demodulating wideband FM receiver circuit 217. This preferred demodulator 217 is an MC 13156. The demodulator 217 uses a second local oscillator 218 to downconvert to 10.7 MHz and then demodulates the FM signal. The demodulated FM signal is filtered by a low pass filter 219, which sends the received audio 220 to the line interface circuitry 102, 109 and the received data signal to the control unit 103, 110. The described embodiment of this invention is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. Although the embodiment described in detail here, includes certain specific components and connections, the invention is not limited thereto. The scope of this invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes and alternatives, which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be considered as embraced as within their scope.

Claims

ClaimsWe claim:

1. A wireless telephone jack, comprising:

(A) a base station, connected to central office telephone equipment source; (B) an extension unit, connected to a telephone device; and

(C) a communication channel communicating between said base station and said extension unit.

2. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said communication channel uses a frequency band between 902 MHz and 928 MHz.

3. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said central office telephone equipment source further comprises a standard RJ-11 telephone connection.

4. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1, wherein said base station further comprises a central office line interface circuit electrically connected to said central office source.

5. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 4, wherein said base station further comprises a base controller electrically connected to said central office line interface circuit.

6. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 4, wherein said base station further comprises a base transmitter electrically connected to said central office line interface circuit.

7. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 6, wherein said base station further comprises a base transmit antenna electrically connected to said base transmitter.

8. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 4, wherein said base station further comprises a base receiver electrically connected to said central office line interface circuit.

9. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 8, wherein said base station further comprises a base receiver antenna electrically connected to said base receiver.

10. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said telephone device is selected from the group consisting of a telephone receiver, a modem, a set top box, and a fax machine.

11. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein said extension unit further comprises a subscriber line interface circuit electrically connected to said telephone device.

12. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 1 , wherein said extension unit further comprises an extension controller electrically connected to said subscriber line interface circuit.

13. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 1 1 wherein said extension unit further comprises an extension transmitter electrically connected to said subscriber line interface circuit.

14. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 13, wherein said extension unit further comprises an extension transmitter antenna electrically connected to said extension transmitter.

15. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 11, wherein said extension unit further comprises an extension receiver electrically connected to said subscriber line interface circuit.

16. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 15, wherein said extension unit further comprises an extension receiver antenna electrically connected to said extension receiver.

17. A wireless telephone jack, comprising:

(A) a base station, having a base transmitter and a base receiver;

(B) an extension unit, having an extension transmitter and an extension receiver; and

(C) a communication link using the an RF frequency band between 902 MHz to 928 MHz.

18. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 17, wherein said base transmitter transmits at a frequency between 925 MHz and 928 MHz.

19. A wireless telephone jack, as recited in claim 17, wherein said extension transmitter transmits at a frequency between 902 MHz and 905 MHz.

20. A wireless telephone jack, comprising:

(A) a base station;

(B) an extension unit; and (C) a communication channel providing signal communication between said base station and said extension unit.