Method and apparatus for providing life line service to access gateway telephony subscribers
OwnerIsmail I. Eldumiati, Charles F. Raasch +2inventors
InventorsIsmail I. Eldumiati, Charles F. Raasch, Carlos A. Laiz, Joel D. Peshkin
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Abstract
Lifeline services ensured to local access gateway telephony users by connection of local telephone string to central office and bypassing failed gateway or digital channel. Central office provides PSTN service to local telephone string allowing phone service to continue. Dual-function phones provide digital and analog capability ensuring lifeline service.
Claims28
A method for providing life-line service to facilities having voice service through an access gateway connected to a central office by a digital communications channel comprising the steps of:
- providing the capability to provide public-switched-telephone-network (PSTN) or digital telephone service to a local telephone string from an access gateway;
- and
- providing the capability to connect the local telephone string to a central office in the event of a failure in the access gateway or impairment of the digital communications channel connecting the access gateway to the central office.
A system for providing life-line service to facilities having voice service through an access gateway for connection to a central office through a digital communications channel comprising:
- access gateway comprising a local biasing unit that provides public switched telephone network (PSTN) or digital telephone service to a local telephone string;
- failure detection unit that monitors the operational status of either the access gateway, the fidelity of the digital communications channel or both and generates a cross-over signal in the event that the access gateway experiences a failure or if the fidelity of the digital communications channel is impaired;
- and
- cross-over connection unit that receives the cross-over signal and connects the local telephone string to a central office if the cross-over signal becomes active.
A system for providing life-line service to facilities having voice service through an access gateway comprising:
- access gateway comprising local biasing unit that provides PSTN or digital telephone service to a local telephone service string;
- failure detection unit that monitors the operational status of the access gateway and generates a health signal so long as the access gateway has not experienced a failure;
- and
- cross-over connection unit that receives the health signal and connects the local telephone string to a central office if the health signal becomes inactive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.