DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
[39 of 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(Section 10; Rule 13)

A CUSTOMER PREMISE EQUIPMENT (CPE) FOR DISTRIBUTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS TO A PLURALITY OF COMMUNICATION DEVICES

Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Limited,
122, Madhapur Rd, Kavuri Hills Phase 1,
Kavuri Hills, Jubilee Hills,
Telangana 500033,
An Indian Company

The following Specification particularly describes the invention and the method it is being performed

RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention claims benefit of the Indian Provisional Application No. 201641021627 titled “A CUSTOMER PREMISE EQUIPMENT FOR DISTRIBUTION OF OPTICAL SIGNALS TO A PLURALITY OF COMMUNICATION DEVICES” filed on 23rd June 2016 by Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Limited, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to fiber optic cable communications, and more particularly relates to a customer premise equipment for distribution of optical signals to a plurality of communication devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For decades, transmission of broadcasted signals from an external source to a television (TV) device is happened using customer premise equipment such as a set-up- box. The signals are transmitted via an Ethernet cable and by tuning set-up-boxes, content such as audio, video, images etc. are made to be displayed on a screen of the television device.

The existing set-up boxes allows users to view programs broadcasted by broadcasters and local operators on the Television sets. However, if the user wants to browse Internet via the conventional televisions then some modifications are required at the set-up box level. Further, in order to browse the Internet, the user may require additional components such as modem and a communication device including, but not limited to a personal computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet and the like. Also, different types of communication devices are required for meeting different requirements of the users.

The current set-up boxes are not capable of handling multiple devices at a single time, as they are customized based on the type of communication devices. For example, an IPTV requires a customized set-up box that is capable of providing Internet related services other than normal services provided on a conventional TV. Even in the IPTV, the user is able to use only Internet related services and cannot make a voice call. Currently, cabling systems used for making a voice call is different from viewing TV channels using set-up boxes. Thus, the user cannot avail plurality of services in the same TV set. Also, the existing Ethernet cables is not capable of managing multiple services.

Hence, there exists no solution, to have a set-up box which avoids multiple cabling system and multiple communication devices to meet the user’s requirements. In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a set-up box, which is capable of providing all types of communications to the conventional TV set.

The above-mentioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed herein and which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments herein describe a customer premise equipment (CPE) for distribution of optical signals to a plurality of communication devices. According to one embodiment, the CPE device comprises of an optical transceiver (102) for receiving optical signals through a Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON), a GPON Stack, a residential gateway for connecting one or more user equipment’s to a service provider voice network, one or more subscriber line interface channels (SLIC) to connect the CPE with at least one subscriber telephone, an Ethernet port to provide an interface between the CPE with one or more subscriber devices, a universal serial bus (USB) connector, and a plurality of registered jacks (RJ) associated with the SLIC and the Ethernet port, wherein the CPE is capable of providing wireless communication to a conventional television devices thereby reducing a need of having multiple cabling.

According to one embodiment, the GPON is a box having fiber input with minimum gateway function with one Telephone (RJ11) and two Internet (RJ45) outputs.

According to one embodiment, the optical fiber cables of type 24 core All Dielectric Self-Supporting Cables (ADSC) are used for optical signal transmission.

According to one embodiment, the CPE box is at least one of a IPTV basic box, Triple Play IPTV box (TPIP) box, Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) box, Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) Wi-Fi box, GPON Enterprise box, and GPON Enterprise Wi-Fi box.

According to one embodiment, the IPTV basic box comprises of an Ethernet (RJ45) input with IPTV functionality, wherein the Ethernet input is adapted for connecting LCD/LED TV or traditional TVs (AV input), at least one Ethernet port, at least one Telephone Interface, and a wireless communication means comprising of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

According to one embodiment, the Triple Play IPTV box (TPIP) box comprises of a GPON fiber input cable, where TPIP is adapted for receiving GPON fiber input with IPTV functionality and connecting LCD/LED TV or traditional TVs, an Ethernet port, one telephone interface for providing telephone communication on traditional TV sets, a Bluetooth interface for providing telephone Bluetooth communication on the traditional TV sets, and a Wireless local area network (WLAN) module for providing Wi-Fi communication.

According to one embodiment, the Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) box comprises of a GPON fiber as input with RF TV out to support cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission), at least one Ethernet port, at least one Telephone interface, and at least one universal serial bus (USB) port.

According to one embodiment, the Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) Wi-Fi box comprises of a GPON fiber as input with RF TV out to support cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission), at least one Ethernet port, at least one Telephone interface, and a WLAN module.

According to one embodiment, the GPON Enterprise box comprises of a GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality adapted for connecting at least 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces.

According to one embodiment, the GPON Enterprise Wi-Fi box comprises of a GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality to connect at least 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to one embodiment.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to another embodiment.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to yet another embodiment.

Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to further embodiment.

Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to another embodiment.

Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to yet another embodiment.

Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to another embodiment.

Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to further embodiment.

Although specific features of the present invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is done for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a customer premise equipment for distribution of optical signals to a plurality of communication devices. In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The present invention describes a customer premise equipment (CPE) for distribution of optical signals to a plurality of communication devices. The CPE device may look like a set-up box that is attached to a television set in the existing arts but provides more services than the conventional CPE’s. In one embodiment, the CPE device is capable of providing services to plurality of communication devices including, but not limited to, television, telephone, laptop, desktop, mobile device and so on. The services provided by CPE comprises but not limited to Internet, Voice and Video call services, Video on demand, content on demand, video conferencing, utility bill collection, Telephony services etc. Based on user requirement, the CPE device is customized to provide the user desired services. The different models of CPE device are explained herein in detail in the following sections.

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment (CPE) device, according to one embodiment. The CPE device as shown in Figure 1 is a gigabit-capable passive optical network (GPON) Basic device, wherein GPON is a type of network where no active components exist between multiple system operators and home. The CPE device comprises of an optical transceiver 102, a GPON stack 104, a residential gateway 106, a Voice over IP (VOIP)/ subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC) 108, an Ethernet port 110, a universal serial bus (USB) connector 112 and plurality of registered jacks (RJ) 114 and 116 associated with VOIP 108 and Ethernet port 110. As shown in Figure 1, the GPON Basic is the box and receives optical fiber as input with minimum Gateway function with one Telephone (RJ11) and two Internet (RJ45) outputs. Thus, this GPON basic box is capable of providing Internet services and Telephone functionality to the users.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to another embodiment. The CPE as shown in Figure 2 is used for basic IP enabled television sets (IPTV basic). The IPTV basic has Ethernet (RJ45) input, and one HDMI AV port 204, 1 AV port for IPTV and 2 USB 2.0 ports (206). The CPE device provides basic IPTV functionality to a television set 212 and further comprises of at least one Ethernet port 202, Bluetooth 208 and IR remote 210.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to yet another embodiment. The CPE device as shown in Figure 3 is called as Triple Play IPTV box (TPIP) box. The TPIP box is a combination of CPEs as shown in Figure 1 and 2. The TPIP box is capable of receiving GPON fiber input with IPTV functionality and capable of connecting LCD/LED TV or tradition TVs (AV input). The TPIP further comprises of an Ethernet port 202, one telephone interface and a Bluetooth interface 208 for providing telephone and Bluetooth communication on the traditional TV sets. Since, the CPE of this type is a combination of models as mentioned in Figure 1, and 2, the CPE provides services such as Internet, Telephone facility and IPTV services. Further, in the same TPIP box, Wireless local area network (WLAN) features are enabled for providing Wi-Fi communication. The same is illustrated in Figure 4. This type of CPE is referred as TPIP-Wi-Fi. Features such as Internet, Telephone and IPTV services with added feature for Wi-Fi functionality can be availed using TPIP Wi-Fi box.

Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to further embodiment. The CPE of the type as shown in Figure 5 is termed as Triple Play RF Out cable TV box (TPRF) box. The TPRF box comprises of components as shown in Figure 1, but additionally has optical to RF electrical. As shown in Figure 5, the TPRF comprises of a GPON fiber input with RF TV out to support existing Cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission) and one Ethernet port 202 and one Telephone interface. By deploying TPRF, a user can avail facilities such as Internet, Telephone and cable TV services, which can be connected to an existing Set Top box through RF Out for cable TV feed.

Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to another embodiment. The CPE of the type as shown in Figure 6, is termed as TPRF Wi-Fi. The TPRF Wi-Fi box is capable of receiving GPON fiber as input with RF TV out to support existing Cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission) and one Ethernet port 202 and one Telephone interface. Further, the CPE box is enabled with WLAN functionality 602 too. Thus, a user can avail facilities such as Internet, Telephone and cable TV services, which can be connected to an existing Set Top box through RF Out for cable TV feed, with added feature for Wi-Fi Functionality.

Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to yet another embodiment. The CPE of the type as shown in Figure 7 is called as GPON Enterprise. The GPON enterprise resembles a GPON Basic box of Figure 1 and has minor changes to it. The GPON has GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality and capable of accommodating a minimum of 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces. Thus, the GPON enterprise can be deployed in premises such as Offices or agencies or enterprises with 4 Internet connections and 2 telephone connections.

Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components of a customer premise equipment, according to yet another embodiment. The CPE of the type as shown in Figure 8 is called as GPON Enterprise Wi-Fi. The box has GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality, able to connect minimum 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces and also having WLAN functionality. All the types of CPE use optical fiber cables of the type 24 core all dielectric self-supporting cables (ADSS). Thus, this type of CPE boxes can be deployed in locations like offices/agencies/enterprises and provides 4 Internet connections, 2 telephone connections with added feature for Wi-Fi Functionality.

Depiction of different features as modules/units is intended to highlight different functional aspects of the devices illustrated and does not necessarily imply that such modules/units must be realized by separate hardware or software components. Rather, functionality associated with one or more modules/units may be integrated within common or separate hardware or software components. Various embodiments have been described. These and other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
,CLAIMS:CLAIMS
We Claim:
1. A Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) comprising:
an optical transceiver (102) for receiving optical signals through a Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON);
a GPON Stack;
a residential gateway for connecting one or more user equipment’s to a service provider voice network;
one or more subscriber line interface channels (SLIC) to connect the CPE with at least one subscriber telephone;
an Ethernet port to provide an interface between the CPE with one or more subscriber devices;
a universal serial bus (USB) connector; and
a plurality of registered jacks (RJ) associated with the SLIC and the Ethernet port;
wherein the CPE is capable of providing wireless communication to a conventional television devices thereby reducing a need of having multiple cabling.

2. The CPE of claim 1, wherein the GPON is a box having fiber input with minimum gateway function with one Telephone (RJ11) and two Internet (RJ45) outputs.

3. The CPE of claim 1, wherein optical fiber cables of type 24 core All Dielectric Self-Supporting Cables (ADSC) are used for optical signal transmission.

4. The CPE of claim 1 is at least one of a:
IPTV basic box;
Triple Play IPTV box (TPIP) box;
Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) box;
Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) Wi-Fi box;
GPON Enterprise box; and
GPON Enterprise Wi-Fi box.

5. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the IPTV basic box comprises of:
an Ethernet (RJ45) input with IPTV functionality, wherein the Ethernet input is adapted for connecting LCD/LED TV or traditional TVs (AV input);
at least one Ethernet port;
at least one Telephone Interface; and
a wireless communication means comprising of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

6. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the Triple Play IPTV box (TPIP) box comprises of:
a GPON fiber input cable, where TPIP is adapted for receiving GPON fiber input with IPTV functionality and connecting LCD/LED TV or traditional TVs;
an Ethernet port;
one telephone interface for providing telephone communication on traditional TV sets;
a Bluetooth interface for providing telephone Bluetooth communication on the traditional TV sets; and
a Wireless local area network (WLAN) module for providing Wi-Fi communication.

7. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) box comprises of:
GPON fiber as input with RF TV out to support cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission);
at least one Ethernet port;
at least one Telephone interface; and
at least one universal serial bus (USB) port.

8. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the Triple Play RF Out cable TV (TPRF) Wi-Fi box comprises of:
GPON fiber as input with RF TV out to support cable TV requirements (Cable Set-top box or Analog Transmission);
at least one Ethernet port;
at least one Telephone interface; and
a WLAN module.

9. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the GPON Enterprise box comprises of:
a GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality adapted for connecting at least 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces.

10. The CPE of claim 4, wherein the GPON Enterprise Wi-Fi box comprises of:
a GPON fiber input with Resident Home Gateway functionality and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) functionality to connect at least 4 Ethernet ports and 2 Telephone interfaces.

Dated this the 23rd day of June 2017
Signature

KEERTHI J S
Patent agent
Agent for the applicant