EP0208501A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wideband digital signal distribution system
Assignee: AT&T Inc
•
Filing: 1986-07-01
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2006-07-01
Abstract
Abstract Wideband digital signals, such as video program signals, are distributed to multiple customer locations by providing the wideband digital signals to all customer line interface units (46) in an intermediate selection terminal (11) which is remote from a central wideband signal distribution office (10). The individual signals are made available to all line interface circuits by way of nonreflectively terminated (43) transmission lines (42) and high-input-impedance signal tapping cir- cults (61, 62). Control signals from customer terminals are used at the corresponding line interface circuit to control digital selection (34) of channels for customer use, any number of customers being able to select simultaneously a common one of said transmission lines. Other control signals from the central office are used to limit customer access to all wideband signals (48).
Inventors
- 👤 Steven Scott O'connell
- 👤 Daniel Nash Utberg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 10:46
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/236; H04N21/2365; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/434; H04N21/4347; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17345; H04N7/17354
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A wideband digital signal distribution system CHARACTERIZED BY a plurality of signal transmission paths 42 each including a nonreflectively terminated 43 transmission line, means 61,62 for separately tapping signals from at least one of said transmission lines, and a plurality of subscriber line interface circuits 46 each including means for selectably coupling 63 at least one of said tapping means to an output connection 47 of said line interface circuit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
70 words
A wideband digital signal distribution system CHARACTERIZED BY a plurality of signal transmission paths 42 each including a nonreflectively terminated 43 transmission line, means 61,62 for separately tapping signals from at least one of said transmission lines, and a plurality of subscriber line interface circuits 46 each including means for selectably coupling 63 at least one of said tapping means to an output connection 47 of said line interface circuit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The digital signal distribution system in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said means for selectably coupling includes means for simultaneously coupling signals from at least one of said lines to a plurality of said line interface circuits.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
The signal distribution system in accordance with claim 1 in which said selectably coupling means of each interface circuit is CHARACTERIZED BY means for receiving control signals, and means, responsive to said control signals, for coupling a plurality of said at least one tapping means to said output connection of said each interface circuit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
136 words
The signal distribution system in accordance with claim 1 further CHARACTERIZED BY digital data signals of plural wideband digital signal channels, said line interface circuits are grouped into subsets of such circuts, each interface circuit subset being coupled to a different set of said transmission means for separately amplifying each of said wideband digital data signals for presenting it at plural fanout output connections of a different one of such separately amplifying means, and means for coupling a different output of each of said separately amplifying means to respective lines of a different one of said subsets of lines, such different output coupling means including buffer amplifier means at an input to each line for isolating such line from lines in other ones of said subsets coupled to the same one of said separately amplifying means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
68 words
The signal distribution system in accordance with claim 4 in which said selectably coupling means in each line interface circuit is CHARACTERIZED BY means in each line interface circuit for receiving subscriber originated transmission line select control signals, and means, responsive to said transmission line select control signals, for coupling one of said at least one tapping means to said output connection of said each line interface circuit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
The signal distribution system in accordance with claim 5 in which said selectably coupling means in each line interface circuit is further CHARACTERIZED BY means for receiving access control signals, and means, responsive to said access control signals, for limiting operation of said selectably coupling means to at least one predetermined time-and- transmission-line combination.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
166 words
The digital signal distribution system in accordance with claim 4 CHARACTERIZED BY means for receiving any one or more of voice and data signals for at least a particular customer, in addition to said broadband digital data signals, and in which there are provided in each of said line interface circuits, means, including said line interface circuit output connection, for bidirectional transmission of voice and data signals from and to said line interface circuit with respect to a corresponding customer terminal, said bidirectional transmission means including means for receiving control signals from such customer terminal, means for transmitting customer voice and data signals received from such customer terminal to said central office, means for applying at least a portion of said control signals to control said selectable coupling means, means for multiplexing together said voice and data signals with said broadband digital data signals from said selectable coupling means, and means for applying multiplexed signals from an output of said multiplexing means to said output connection.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3701849A
Cited
US3757225A
Cited
US3992686A
Cited
DE2538638A1
Cited
US4302771A
Cited
US4430731A
Cited
US4527194A
Cited
DE3403659A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.