Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.

Bell Atlantic Corporation

Verizon Corporation Services Group Inc.

Kenneth R Brooks

John A Bigham

Ulric E Arthur

Colton E O'Donoghue, Jr

Amos H Lucas, Jr

George A Farry

Mark A Wegleitner

A fiber-based digital loop carrier (DLC) system provides multiplexed optical transport for telephone line circuits between a terminal in a central office and a remote terminal. The remote terminal performs the multiplexing and demultiplexing for interfacing channels on the fiber(s) to individual subscriber line circuits. To expand the capacity of DLC systems to carry broadband services, fibers are run from broadband terminations in the central office to the remote terminal. The remote terminal includes interfaces for coupling to optical fibers, for two-way telephone communications and for broadband communications. This terminal also includes a line card rack, for mounting various line cards and providing appropriate connections of the cards to the channels through the fiber interfaces. Some of the line cards provide normal telephone type service connections for one or more telephone lines. One or more of the line cards supports xDSL technology, for example Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) type service. An ADSL line provides multiplexed transport of two-way telephone service signals, and one or more downstream and corresponding upstream digital broadband channel. The ADSL line card connects to one or more narrowband channels for telephone service and signaling communications and connects to a broadband channel, through backplane buses of the remote terminal. The ADSL line card also performs the digital encoding and multiplexing/demultiplexing of the narrowband and broadband communications for transport over a wire pair together with analog or ISDN type telephone signals.

Digital loop carrier remote terminal having integrated digital subscriber plug-in line cards for multiplexing of telephone and broadband signals

Apparatus and method for selectively executing a resident terminal application and an information provider-specific application stored in a digital entertainment terminal adapted to decode broadband data signals from a video dial tone network. The digital entertainment terminal stores the resident terminal application related to native operations including network communications in a nonvolatile memory, and stores the information provider-specific applications used for accessing the information provider's services in a dynamic memory. The digital entertainment terminal is adapted to suspend execution of one of the resident application and the information provider-specific application and begin execution of the other application in response to a toggle input from a user's remote control, and resume execution of the suspended application in response to a second toggle input from the user's remote control. Decoding of received broadband signals from the video dial tone network is based upon stored connection block descriptors, and is thus independent of the suspension of one of the applications. Thus, a user may pause an interactive session to scan broadcast channels, or to initiate a second interactive session.

Digital entertainment terminal providing dynamic execution in video dial

A digital switching network is described which accommodates a full range of broadband and narrowband digital technologies, including video, wideband data, narrowband data, video on demand and telephone channels in an integrated manner. Optical fiber connects information sources to the switching component of the network utilizing a standardized transport stream such as SONET OC-N. A broadband ATM switch, a digital cross-connect switch or other distribution mechanisms may be utilized to interconnect information sources and subscribers. A level 1 gateway is utilized to control access to all information resources on the network.

Full service network

Trading card storage system with individual card storing components

A digital switching network is described which accommodates a full range of broadband and narrowband digital technologies, including video, wideband data, narrowband data, video-on-demand and telephone channels in an integrated manner. Optical fiber connects information sources to the switching component of the network utilizing a standardized transport stream such as SONET OC-N. A broadband ATM switch, a digital cross-connect switch or other distribution mechanisms may be utilized to interconnect information sources and subscribers. A level 1 gateway is utilized to control access to all information resources on the network.

Rope shackle

Rope hook

Growing community of inventors

Middletown, MD, United States of America

Kenneth R Brooks