PSTN architecture for video-on-demand services

A public switched telephone network for providing digital video signals from a video information provider to any one of a plurality of subscriber premises, comprising:

• a telephone company central office receiving digital video signals from a video information provider and subscriber orders from a prescribed subscribe, said central office including a video gateway for providing video scheduling and routing data in response to subscriber orders, a packet data network responsive to said video gateway from supplying command signals to said video information provider, a network management system and a digital cross-connect switch controlled by said network management system and said packet data network for routing video signals from said video information provider to the prescribed subscriber in accordance with said scheduling and routing data;
• a central office interface including, for each subscriber, a first frequency multiplexer/demultiplexer for transmitting or receiving audio telephone service signals, subscriber control signals and digital video signals on, respectively, a first bidirectional signal channel and second and third unidirectional signal channels all displaced from each other in frequency;
• each said subscriber premises including a second frequency multiplexer/demultiplexer for transmitting or receiving audio telephone service signals, subscriber control signals and digital video signals on, respectively, the first, second and third signal channels;
• and
• a plurality of subscriber local loops interconnecting corresponding central office and subscriber interfaces;
• said central office further including a voice switch responsive to telephone number data transmitted from said subscriber interface for establishing an audio connection from the local loop of a prescribed subscriber to the video gateway and further supplying caller identification information to said video gateway that, in turn, supplies network address information to said cross-connect switch for directing video data from the video information provider to a prescribed central office interface.

A public switched telephone network for providing digital video signals from a video information provider to any one of a plurality of subscriber premises, comprising:

• a telephone company central office receiving digital video signals from a video information provider and subscriber orders from a prescribed subscriber, said central office including a video gateway for providing video scheduling and routing data in response to subscriber orders, a packet data network responsive to said video gateway for supplying command signals to said video information provider, a network management system and a digital cross-connect switch controlled by said network management system and said packet data network for routing video signals from said video information provider to the prescribed subscriber in accordance with said scheduling and routing data;
• a central office interface including, for each subscriber, a first frequency multiplexer/demultiplexer for transmitting or receiving subscriber control signals and digital video signals on first and second unidirectional signal channels;
• each said subscriber premises including a telephone set and a second frequency multiplexer/demultiplexer for transmitting or receiving audio subscriber control signals and digital video signals on, respectively, the first and second signal channels;
• and
• a plurality of subscriber local loops interconnecting corresponding central office and subscriber interfaces;
• said central office further including a voice switch responsive to telephone number data transmitted from said subscriber telephone set for establishing an audio connection from the prescribed subscriber to the video gateway and further supplying caller identification information to said video gateway that, in turn, supplies network address information to said cross-connect switch for directing video data from the video information provider to a prescribed central office interface.