Importance

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Abstract

Intended primarily for use within a residential or commercial structure, an access node or access port has physical connectors for a variety of signal-receiving and -transmitting devices and includes apparatus that allow all of the signals used by the devices to be carried by as few as one or two conduits. The conduits can be fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, twister pair wiring, radio frequency broadcasts, or any other signal-carrying medium. The signals are converted to and from addressed data packets carried in a packet stream over the conduits. If the conduits are fiber optic cables or other non-conductor media, a media converter is included. A central node or node zero receives signals from outside the structure and converts them to addressed data packets, then sends the data packets over the conduit(s) as the packet stream. The access nodes take packets addressed to them and convert the packets back into the original signals, then feed the signals to appropriate connectors on the access nodes. The central node can also take packets from the access nodes and convert them into signals for transmission externally of the structure to, for example, service providers. Additionally, the central node can send packets from one access node to other access nodes for internode communication, allowing computer networking, remote use of devices connected to the access nodes, and configuration of the central node from devices connected to the access nodes.

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First Claim