Prior art

The following prior art patents are cited by US Patent 10,868,908. The information below focuses on patents that are not part of the same patent family as US10868908 (e.g., continuation patents or provisional applications, which establish priority rather than acting as prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102). A definitive claim-by-claim anticipation analysis requires a detailed legal review beyond the scope of this summary. However, a high-level assessment of potential anticipation is provided based on the abstracts and general disclosures of the cited references in relation to the inventive concepts of US10868908.

1. U.S. Patent 6,404,746 B1

• Full Citation: US6404746B1, "Telephony client with broadband data connection"
• Publication Date: June 11, 2002
• Filing Date: April 21, 1999
• Brief Description: This patent describes a telephony client device that provides both conventional telephone service and a broadband data connection over a single telephone line, such as a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). It allows for concurrent voice and data services, with the voice data being packetized and transmitted over the broadband connection.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent potentially anticipates claims of US10868908 that broadly cover a device providing combined packetized voice and data services over a POTS line, particularly using a broadband connection. Elements such as the concurrent use of voice and data, and the device acting as a gateway, could be found in the general scope of this reference. The RCG's fundamental function of enabling packetized voice and data over an existing POTS line is a strong point of overlap.

2. U.S. Patent 6,643,274 B1

• Full Citation: US6643274B1, "Systems and methods for providing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: November 4, 2003
• Filing Date: October 18, 2001
• Brief Description: This patent discloses systems and methods for offering Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service using a dial-up connection, often an existing Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) line. It describes a gateway device at the customer premises that converts voice signals to VoIP packets for transmission over a data connection established via a modem.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to US10868908, as it explicitly addresses providing VoIP services over dial-up POTS lines. Claims in US10868908 related to enabling VoIP over a customer's existing POTS line, using a modem connection, and device registration with a service provider for VoIP routing, could be potentially anticipated by this patent.

3. U.S. Patent 6,665,315 B1

• Full Citation: US6665315B1, "IP based PBX"
• Publication Date: December 16, 2003
• Filing Date: January 18, 2001
• Brief Description: This patent describes an Internet Protocol (IP) based Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system that provides telephony services. It focuses on using IP networks for communication, potentially integrating with existing telephone lines.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While US10868908 focuses on residential gateways and may not be a full PBX, some of its functionalities, such as managing multiple telephone lines and providing advanced calling features (e.g., call forwarding, conferencing), could overlap with concepts in an IP-based PBX system. Claims related to offering multiple telephone numbers or advanced call features over an IP network could face challenges from this reference.

4. U.S. Patent 6,850,527 B1

• Full Citation: US6850527B1, "Systems and methods for providing data over a POTS line utilizing an xDSL transceiver in a bridge tap configuration"
• Publication Date: February 1, 2005
• Filing Date: June 14, 2002
• Brief Description: This patent describes using xDSL technology to provide data services over a POTS line, particularly addressing bridge tap configurations. It focuses on overcoming physical line limitations to deliver broadband data.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is relevant to the "Broadband Over POTS" aspect of US10868908, particularly where US10868908 seeks to overcome the 56 Kbps POTS limitation for data transfer. While US10868908 uses multilink PPP over multiple POTS lines with a wireless interface rather than xDSL on a single line, the general concept of delivering higher bandwidth data over existing POTS infrastructure is similar. Claims related to enhancing data transfer rates over POTS lines could be potentially anticipated.

5. U.S. Patent 7,003,004 B1

• Full Citation: US7003004B1, "Gateway for providing Voice over IP communication and data services for multiple telephone lines over a single POTS line"
• Publication Date: February 21, 2006
• Filing Date: May 10, 2002
• Brief Description: This patent describes a gateway device for a subscriber premises that provides both VoIP communication and data services. A key feature is its ability to handle multiple telephone lines or numbers over a single physical POTS line.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference appears highly anticipatory of core aspects of US10868908. Claims related to a residential gateway providing multiple telephone lines/numbers, VoIP communication, and data services over a single POTS line, especially the integration of these functions in a single device at the customer premises, are directly addressed by this patent. The RCG's ability to offer "up to three separate telephone numbers per residence" over an existing POTS line (as described in US10868908) is a clear overlap.

6. U.S. Patent 7,016,335 B2

• Full Citation: US7016335B2, "System and method for voice over IP over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: March 21, 2006
• Filing Date: October 18, 2001
• Brief Description: This patent presents a system and method for enabling VoIP communications over a standard dial-up modem connection. It focuses on the signaling and media path establishment for VoIP calls using an ordinary telephone line.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US6643274B1, this patent directly describes providing VoIP over dial-up POTS lines. Claims in US10868908 concerning the establishment and maintenance of VoIP calls via a modem connected to a POTS line, and the general architecture for enabling such service, could be potentially anticipated.

7. U.S. Patent 7,061,918 B2

• Full Citation: US7061918B2, "Systems and methods for providing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: June 13, 2006
• Filing Date: November 4, 2003 (This is a continuation of US6643274B1, which has an earlier filing date of October 18, 2001. Therefore, its effective prior art date for relevant disclosures would be its parent's filing date.)
• Brief Description: This patent describes systems and methods for offering Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service using a dial-up connection, often an existing Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) line. It further elaborates on the concepts introduced in its parent patent (US6643274B1).
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Being a continuation of US6643274B1, this patent reiterates and expands upon the provision of VoIP services over dial-up POTS connections. Its disclosures would anticipate similar claims in US10868908 related to enabling VoIP communication over existing POTS infrastructure via a modem.

8. U.S. Patent 7,103,024 B2

• Full Citation: US7103024B2, "System and method for voice over IP over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: September 5, 2006
• Filing Date: March 2, 2004 (This is a continuation of US7016335B2, which has an earlier filing date of October 18, 2001. Its effective prior art date for relevant disclosures would be its parent's filing date.)
• Brief Description: This patent details a system and method for providing VoIP over dial-up connections, building upon the concepts of its parent (US7016335B2). It focuses on efficiently setting up and managing VoIP calls over a modem-based POTS link.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As a continuation of US7016335B2, this patent also strongly anticipates claims in US10868908 regarding the provision of VoIP services and data communication over a dial-up POTS line.

9. U.S. Patent 7,187,659 B2

• Full Citation: US7187659B2, "System and method for voice over IP over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: March 6, 2007
• Filing Date: August 15, 2005 (This is a continuation of US7103024B2, which has an earlier filing date of October 18, 2001. Its effective prior art date for relevant disclosures would be its parent's filing date.)
• Brief Description: This patent further refines the system and method for delivering VoIP over dial-up connections, stemming from earlier applications in the same family (e.g., US7016335B2, US7103024B2).
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its lineage from US7016335B2, this patent would also anticipate claims in US10868908 related to enabling VoIP and data over modem-based POTS connections.

10. U.S. Patent 7,424,010 B2

• Full Citation: US7424010B2, "Systems and methods for providing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: September 9, 2008
• Filing Date: October 26, 2006 (This is a continuation of US7061918B2, which has an earlier filing date of October 18, 2001. Its effective prior art date for relevant disclosures would be its parent's filing date.)
• Brief Description: This patent continues the disclosure of systems and methods for providing VoIP service over a dial-up connection, part of the patent family originating from US6643274B1.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to its family members (US6643274B1, US7061918B2), this patent would strongly anticipate claims in US10868908 that broadly describe providing VoIP and data communication over a dial-up connection using a POTS line.

11. U.S. Patent 7,477,640 B2

• Full Citation: US7477640B2, "Systems and methods for providing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service over a dial-up connection"
• Publication Date: January 13, 2009
• Filing Date: August 15, 2008 (This is a continuation of US7424010B2, which has an earlier filing date of October 18, 2001. Its effective prior art date for relevant disclosures would be its parent's filing date.)
• Brief Description: This patent is another continuation within the family that describes systems and methods for enabling VoIP over dial-up connections.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As part of the same patent family as US6643274B1, this patent anticipates claims in US10868908 relating to the core idea of delivering VoIP and data services over a modem-enabled POTS line.

Summary of Potential Anticipation:
The cited prior art, particularly US6643274B1, US7003004B1, US7016335B2, and their continuations, appear highly relevant to the fundamental aspects of US10868908. Many claims in US10868908 related to:

• Providing packetized voice (VoIP) and data services.
• Over an existing Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) line.
• Using a modem-based connection.
• A residential gateway device performing these functions.
• Supporting multiple virtual telephone lines/numbers over a single physical POTS line.
• The general system architecture for call flow between an RCG and another RCG or the PSTN.

These aspects could be potentially anticipated by the cited prior art, which broadly covers the concept of enabling broadband-like services, including VoIP, over conventional dial-up or POTS infrastructure using customer premises equipment. The novelty of US10868908 might reside in the specific implementation details, such as the multilink PPP bundling over multiple RCGs via a wireless interface to aggregate bandwidth, the dynamic bandwidth allocation with voice prioritization, or the self-configuring and hopping features of the RCG network, which may not be explicitly detailed in these earlier cited patents. However, the core functionality of delivering packetized voice and data over a single POTS line through a residential device is well-established in the cited prior art.