US 7606156

Here's a concise summary of US patent 7606156, incorporating information from the provided patent text and a live search for claims and litigation.

US Patent 7606156 Summary:

• Title: Residential communications gateway (RCG) for broadband communications over a plurality of standard POTS lines, with dynamic allocation of said bandwidth, that requires no additional equipment or modifications to the associated class 5 offices or the PSTN at large
• Assignee: Competitive Access Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Eric M DeLangis
• Filing Date: 2003-10-14
• Issue Date: 2009-10-20
• Abstract: The Residential Communications Gateway (RCG) is a broadband communications device that combines all voice, data and video communications to and from a typical residence or small business for transmission over a single, or a plurality of Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines separately or in conjunction with, a wireless broadband backbone. The RCG does this by employing packetized data with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies combined with RF communications technologies. A key consideration to the design of the RCG is that no additional or special transmission equipment must be installed at the Central Office or anywhere else in the network to enable new calling features provided by the RCG as is the case with DSL and Cable systems. By eliminating the requirement for costly infrastructure enhancements, ubiquitous high speed communications and services can be deployed to every POTS subscriber.

Independent Claims Overview:

US Patent 7606156 has three independent claims: Claim 1, Claim 10, and Claim 18.

• Claim 1 (Plain-language overview): This claim describes a Residential Communications Gateway (RCG) device. The device connects to a standard telephone line (POTS line) from the local phone company and also has multiple connections for customer devices, including at least one standard telephone, a computer interface (like Ethernet, USB, or Firewire), and a wireless interface (like 802.11b/g). The RCG is designed to automatically set up a continuous internet connection over the POTS line without needing special equipment at the phone company's central office. It uses a main processor and a digital signal processor (DSP) to manage voice and data. It can assign additional phone numbers to the connected telephones, convert voice calls into IP packets (VoIP), and prioritize voice traffic over data traffic. Importantly, it also has a failsafe mode where, if power is lost, the main telephone line remains directly connected to the POTS line, ensuring basic phone service.

• Claim 10 (Plain-language overview): This claim focuses on a method for providing broadband data services to a user's residence using an RCG device. The method involves the RCG automatically establishing a modem connection to a service provider over the existing POTS line. It dynamically allocates the available bandwidth for this connection, giving priority to voice communications over data. The RCG can also use its wireless interface to collaborate with other RCGs to create a "multilink PPP bundle," effectively combining the bandwidth of multiple POTS lines to achieve higher data transfer speeds (broadband over POTS). The RCG continuously monitors these combined links and can remove links if their available bandwidth drops, maintaining a certain quality of service.

• Claim 18 (Plain-language overview): This claim describes a system that provides broadband data services to a user over existing POTS lines. The system includes multiple RCG devices and a Softswitch/SIP Proxy Server. Each RCG has a modem, a wireless interface, and connections for standard telephones and computers. It is configured to automatically establish a continuous internet connection over its POTS line. The Softswitch/SIP Proxy Server manages call routing and assigns IP addresses to the RCGs. The RCGs can dynamically form multilink PPP bundles using their wireless interfaces and POTS lines to pool bandwidth for broadband data transfers. The system ensures voice traffic is prioritized over data and dynamically manages the links in the multilink bundle to maintain service quality.

USPTO and CAFC 2026 Dockets Search Results for US7606156:

The USPTO database search for patent number 7606156 confirms the details provided in the patent text (title, inventors, assignee, dates). The current assignee is Competitive Access Systems Inc. The patent is listed as "Active" and "expires 2026-10-17" on Google Patents.

A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets for US7606156 did not return any direct matches for this specific patent number. The search results show scheduled cases for April, May, and June 2026, but patent 7606156 is not listed among them. While the provided information indicates that "Family has litigation" and mentions specific US district court cases and an IPR, there is no direct evidence within the provided search snippets to confirm active litigation specifically related to US7606156 in the CAFC dockets for 2026 as of April 26, 2026. Therefore, I cannot authoritatively state that there is active CAFC litigation for this patent in 2026 based on the provided search results.