Alarm system monitor sensor for multimedia terminal adapter
View Patent ↗The methods, systems, and apparatuses described in this disclosure enable the identification of an alarm condition and the termination of a connection between an MTA and one or more telephony devices. An alarm condition can be identified at an MTA through the monitoring of feedback received from an alarm interface, and the MTA can respond to the identification of the alarm condition by terminating a connection to a telephony device for which communications are not routed through a corresponding alarm interface. An interface between the MTA and alarm interface may route communications to and from a telephony network through a first pair of wires and may receive feedback from the alarm interface through a second pair of wires.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a first interface configured to be used to output communications to an alarm interface along a first wire pair and to receive feedback from the alarm interface along a second wire pair;
a second interface configured to be used to output communications to and receive communications from a telephony device;
a sensor configured to:
monitor voltage carried by the second wire pair; and
determine that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair;
a module configured to terminate a connection to the telephony device through the second interface when the determination is made that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first interface comprises:
a first pair of pins configured to be used to output communications to and receive communications from the alarm interface; and
a second pair of pins configured to be used to receive feedback from the alarm interface.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first interface comprises a registered jack interface.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second interface is configured to output communications to and receive communications from a cordless telephone.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a module configured to:
monitor subscriber line interface voltage; and
determine that voltage is absent from the subscriber line interface.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the module is further configured to terminate a connection with an upstream component.
7. A method executed by a processor comprising:
receiving feedback from an alarm interface at a multimedia terminal adapter;
determining, at the multimedia terminal adapter, that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered, wherein the determination is based upon feedback received from the alarm interface; and
terminating a connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and a telephony device, wherein the telephony device interfaces with the multimedia terminal adapter by the processor.
8. The method executed by the processor of claim 7 , wherein determining that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered comprises:
wherein a first wire pair routes communications between the multimedia terminal adapter and the alarm interface and a second wire pair carries feedback from the alarm interface to the multimedia terminal adapter;
monitoring, at the multimedia terminal adapter, voltage carried by the second wire pair; and
determining that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair.
9. The method executed by the processor of claim 8 , wherein the second wire pair and the first wire pair are connected to the multimedia terminal adapter at the same interface, and the connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and alarm interface through the first wire pair is maintained after it is determined that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair.
10. The method executed by the processor of claim 9 , wherein the interface comprises a registered jack interface.
11. The method executed by the processor of claim 7 , wherein determining that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered comprises:
monitoring voltage at a subscriber line interface associated with the multimedia terminal adapter; and
determining that voltage is absent from the subscriber line interface.
12. The method executed by the processor of claim 7 , wherein the alarm interface is integrated into the multimedia terminal adapter.
13. The method executed by the processor of claim 7 , further comprising:
terminating a connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and an upstream network component.
14. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:
receiving feedback from an alarm interface at a multimedia terminal adapter;
determining, at the multimedia terminal adapter, that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered;
terminating a connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and a telephony device, wherein the telephony device interfaces with the multimedia terminal adapter.
15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein determining that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered comprises:
wherein a first wire pair routes communications between the multimedia terminal adapter and the alarm interface and a second wire pair carries feedback from the alarm interface to the multimedia terminal adapter;
monitoring, at the multimedia terminal adapter, voltage carried by the second wire pair; and
determining that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair.
16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the second wire pair and the first wire pair are connected to the multimedia terminal adapter at the same interface, and the connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and alarm interface through the first wire pair is maintained after it is determined that voltage has dropped below a threshold level at the second wire pair.
17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein the interface comprises a registered jack interface.
18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein determining that an alarm connected to the alarm interface is triggered comprises:
monitoring voltage at a subscriber line interface associated with the multimedia terminal adapter; and
determining that voltage is absent from the subscriber line interface.
19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the alarm interface is integrated into the multimedia terminal adapter.
20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:
terminating a connection between the multimedia terminal adapter and an upstream network component.