Cable Modem Patents (Class 725/111)
  • Patent number: 8677418
    Abstract: A system and method of displaying messages at a television is described. The method of displaying messages at a television includes: establishing communication over the Internet between a television and a server. A user-generated communication is received at the television from the server. A notification is displayed on the television that the user-generated communication has been received. The user-generated communication is displayed on the television.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Ling Jun Wong
  • Publication number: 20140059632
    Abstract: The present invention is an integrated cable modem tuner. In one embodiment, the upstream path and the downstream path are integrated on a common semiconductor substrate. The down-stream path can include a TV tuner and digital receiver portion that is integrated on a common semiconductor substrate with the power amplifier of the upstream path. In another embodiment, the TV tuner is implemented on a first semiconductor substrate and the digital receiver portion and the power amplifier are configured on a second semiconductor substrate. However, the two substrates are mounted on a common carrier so that the cable modem appears to be a single chip configuration to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Donald G. McMULLIN, Lawrence M. Burns, Leonard Dauphinee, Ramon A. Gomez, Loke Tan
  • Patent number: 8650606
    Abstract: Cable communication systems and methods to provide voice and/or data services to subscriber premises via a cable plant that conveys upstream information over an upstream path bandwidth, and a cable modem system including one or more demodulation tuners to receive and demodulate one or more upstream radio frequency (RF) signals. An RF signal includes an encoded carrier wave having a carrier frequency of between approximately 5 MHz and at least approximately 42 MHz that is modulated using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) with voice and/or data information constituting at least some of the upstream information. A modulation order of the QAM for the first upstream RF signal is at least 256, and at least one demodulation tuner of the cable modem system is configured to receive and demodulate the first upstream RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: CertusView Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Steven Nielsen, Ronald Totten, Travis Halky
  • Patent number: 8650605
    Abstract: A handheld leakage detector for finding digital QAM signal leaks in a HFC network, comprises a radio receiver, a leakage receiver, leakage sampler, a correlator, and a display. The radio receiver receives samples of the QAM signal taken from the HFC network, called “reference samples.” The leakage receiver receives a QAM leakage signal, which is related to the QAM signal from the HFC network. The leakage sampler samples the leakage signal to form leakage samples. The correlator performs a coherent cross-correlation of the reference samples and the leakage samples, to produce a correlation peak. A value is determined from the correlation peak and displayed on the display. The value generally becomes more optimized as the detector approaches the leak. The leak is sought by iteratively changing the position of the detector until the displayed value becomes substantially optimized or the leak is found.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: ARCOM Digital, LLC
    Inventor: Victor M. Zinevich
  • Publication number: 20140040966
    Abstract: In one aspect the present invention provides a mechanism to carry analog video, digital video and other types of data over a single cable simultaneously between the camera modem and the monitor modem. The analog video has low latency and can be used as real time monitoring, while the digital video is usually compressed high definition video and carried in IP packets. In the camera modem, the analog video is digitized and decoded into digital video, which is further compressed by a near-zero latency video encoder. All types of data, including the compressed analog video and digital video, are multiplexed together to form a single digital stream and transmitted over the cable. In the monitor modem at the other end of the cable, the near-zero latency video stream originated from analog video is de-multiplexed from the single digital downstream, decompressed and finally the corresponding analog video is reconstructed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Inventors: Shidong Chen, Honghui Xu
  • Patent number: 8646015
    Abstract: An Internet gateway video server transmits selection information to a set top box connected to a television. The set top box displays the selection information on the television. A user views the selection information, and inputs user selection requests to the set top box. The Internet gateway video server receives user the requests for information and retrieves the information. The server then converts the network information from a network format to a television format. The conversion includes scanning the network information for selection elements, and adding selection elements for transmission in the television format. The converted network information is then transmitted to the set top box for display on the television. The user may then make further selections based on the displayed network information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Lin, Howard S. K. Wan
  • Patent number: 8644706
    Abstract: Distributed and highly software reconfigurable CMTS (CMRTS) device, based on MAC and PHY units with FPGA and DSP components, for a HFC CATV network. The various CATV RF modulators, such as QAM modulators, may be divided between QAM modulators located at the cable plant, and remote QAM modulators ideally located at the fiber nodes. A basic set of CATV QAM data waveforms may optionally be transmitted to the nodes using a first fiber, and a second set of IP/on-demand data may be transmitted to the nodes using an alternate fiber or alternate fiber frequency, and optionally using other protocols such as Ethernet protocols. The nodes will extract the data specific to each neighborhood and inject this data into unused QAM channels, thus achieving improved data transmission rates through finer granularity. A computerized “virtual shelf” control system for managing and reconfiguring the FPGA and DSP based CMTRS units is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Gainspeed, Inc.
    Inventor: Shlomo Selim Rakib
  • Patent number: 8640157
    Abstract: Firmware is installed in a cable modem, enabling detection of the presence or absence of a cable trap in the feed of a customer location. Such a cable modem includes a trap-detection module and a trap-detection object. The trap-detection module is configured to determine whether a video signal is present at a cable-television frequency. The trap-detection object is configured to store data as to whether the video signal is present. For example, a first piece of data is stored if the video signal is present, indicating absence of a properly functioning cable trap between a cable head-end and the cable modem. A second piece of data is stored if the video signal is absent, indicating presence of a properly functioning cable trap between the cable head-end and the cable modem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: CSC Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Eric Joseph Godas
  • Publication number: 20140026174
    Abstract: An access node comprises a control unit that determines an anticipated working set of television channels based on a historically delivered working set of television channels to which a subscriber network has previously subscribed. The anticipated working set indicates a time at which the subscriber network is expected to subscribe to a different set of channels. The access node includes at least one interface that couples the access node to the subscriber network, that prior to the time at which the subscriber network is expected to subscribe to the different set of channels, subscribes to the different set of television channels in accordance with the anticipated working set such that media content associated with the different channels of the anticipated working set is available for delivery to the subscriber network at the time during which the access node expects the subscriber network to subscribe to the different set of channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: CALIX, INC.
    Inventor: Berkay Baykal
  • Patent number: 8635314
    Abstract: An apparatus may include a port to receive a ranging request from a cable modem and a processor in communication with the port. The processor may assign a service identifier to the cable modem, match the service identifier with a link layer address of the cable modem, receive a router advertisement and comparing the source link layer address from the router advertisement to the link layer address of the cable modem, and determine if the link layer address of the cable modem is the same as the source link layer address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ralph E. Droms, Madhu Sudan, Sanjeev Hemantkumar Desai, John T. Chapman, Raman S. Krishnan
  • Publication number: 20140013373
    Abstract: An interactive system includes a server system, a modem, and a terminal device. The server system provides service content that may include a video stream and selection items. The modem connects to the server system via a network. The modem can transmit information according to priority levels. The terminal device connects to the modem. The terminal device is configured to assign a highest transmission priority level to a selection result of a selected item selected by a user from the selection items. The server system is configured to provide response information according to the selection result and transmit the response information in a unicast manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2011
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: STARBUCKS (HK) LIMITED
    Inventors: Keith Huang, Chit Rex Ching, Tsz Kit Chan, Felix To, Wesley Ng, Pui Chi Chan
  • Patent number: 8627392
    Abstract: A proxy in a cable modem termination system receives IP packets having an address associated with set top box out of band messages. The proxy encapsulates the packets in an Ethernet frame containing an Ethernet address. A cable modem associated with the set top box is preconfigured to detect the Ethernet encapsulated packets and pass the out of band messages in the packets to the set top box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: John T. Chapman
  • Patent number: 8627393
    Abstract: During tuner manufacture, the unique power parameters as a function of frequency and channel are stored on a memory unique to each tuner. When the tuner is subsequently incorporated into another device, such as a modem, the stored power parameters are made available to the subsequent device, thereby overriding the need for subsequent calibration tests to be run. The stored parameters aid in remote testing of the communication device and also allow for individual channel by channel setting of TOP levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: CSR Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Koch, Thomas Widmer, Manfred Reiss
  • Patent number: 8619844
    Abstract: A method and device for reducing interference between a first signal of the carrier current type (Se) transmitted between modems (MCPL) in an electrical network (Re) and a second signal (S) transmitted between modems (M) in another network (R), the signals (Se, S) being coded by distribution of the data over allocated carrier frequencies in the same reserved frequency band (BF). The method includes: a step of measurement, by each modem (MCPL) in the electrical network, of transmission characteristics of each carrier frequency (F) that may be used for coding the first signal (Se), a step of detection, by analysis of the measured transmission characteristics, of at least one second, carrier frequency (F2,n), which is allocated or may be allocated for coding the second signal (S) and is common with at least one first carrier frequency (F1,m), which is allocated for coding the first signal (Se), and a steps of optimisation of the distribution of the data of the first signal (Se) over carrier frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Sagemcom Broadband SAS
    Inventor: Roger Samy
  • Patent number: 8621539
    Abstract: A physical layer transmitter that communicates between nodes in a broadband cable network by transmitting and receiving packets containing data and control information. Packets are constructed by the physical layer transmitter and transmitted to one or more receiving nodes that are capable of processing the packets. Packets are directed to specific nodes utilizing link layer control data. The packets may also contain control information that may include formatting, encoding and modulation parameters that are capable of being processed by the appropriate receiving nodes. The physical layer transmitter allows node-to-node communication within a broadband cable network and each node in the network is capable of communicating with every other node in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Entropic Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Anton Monk, Ron Porat, Wee Peng Goh, Magnus Berggren, Ron Lee, Edward Warner, Brett Bernath, Yusuf Ozturk
  • Publication number: 20130340020
    Abstract: A modem system may include modems that have multiple upstream transmitters for transmitting signals upstream in a communication network. In some embodiments herein, one or more of those upstream transmitters may be retasked to transmit downstream signals for reception at devices within a modem's premises. The downstream signal may be modulated differently from its original modulation as received by the modem, and may be modulated in a manner that can be received by legacy components on the premises, such as analog televisions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: David Urban, Jorge Salinger
  • Patent number: 8611405
    Abstract: A modem or associated computing or testing device is configured to detect the presence of one or more faults that affect DSL communications, and upon their detection, generate, for example, an indication, communication or message that recommends corrective action. In this context, a fault is generally caused by one or more unfiltered devices, impulsive noises, malfunctioning modems, or other factor that does not affect measured attenuation or measured noise, but does affect the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the link. In addition to being able to generate a message guiding a user through corrective action, the system can estimate the rate impact of the detected fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Aware, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Cunningham, Jianming Zhu
  • Patent number: 8613030
    Abstract: A wireless video camera system including a single or dual HDTV digital camera; a system for the wireless transmission of uncompressed single or multiple SMPTE 292M, HDSDI data streams over an RF band; and automatic self-pointing transmitting and receiving antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Inventors: Philip S Kossin, John E Nelson
  • Patent number: 8613011
    Abstract: A services gateway includes a processor configured to send a request for a video-on-demand content, receive a first content stream from a video-on-demand content server, and process the first content stream to retrieve the video-on-demand content. The first content stream includes the video-on-demand content and is protected with a first digital rights management scheme. The processor is further configured to encode the video-on-demand content in a second content stream, and provide the second content stream over a local area network to a playback device. The second content stream is protected with a second digital rights management scheme. In an embodiment, the processor can be further configured to store the video-on-demand content in a mass storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: John Alson Hicks, III, Nicholas S. Huslak
  • Patent number: 8605747
    Abstract: A system facilitates initialization of devices in a cable modem network. The system may provide downstream channels for transmitting data to the devices and upstream channels for receiving data from the devices. At least one of the upstream channels may be dedicated to providing initialization opportunities. This dedicated upstream channel(s) includes less than all of the upstream channels. The system may transmit upstream channel identifiers on the downstream channels, where each of the upstream channel identifiers identifies one of the upstream channels. The system receives initialization data on the dedicated upstream channel(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Nurettin Burcak Beser
  • Patent number: 8601089
    Abstract: A system is provided for selectively presenting a portion of an event to a user. The system includes a first device, a second device, and a network allowing communication between the first and the second device. An application at the first device displays a plurality of sub-events that characterize an event; receives an input from a user whereby the user selects a sub-event from the plurality of sub-events; sends a request to a second device, the request comprising information associated with the selected sub-event; receives media data from the second device whereby the media data represents the selected sub-event; and presents the received media data. An application at the second device receives the request from the first device, selects the media data that represents the selected sub-event from a database using the information associated with the selected sub-event, and sends the selected media data to the first device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: MLB Advanced Media, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert A. Bowman, John Dinn Mann, Justin Alexander Shaffer, Joseph Francis Choti
  • Patent number: 8601523
    Abstract: Methods and systems to detect topographic fraud are provided herein. The system includes a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) to periodically poll active cable modems and generate polling data. The system also includes a processor and a memory coupled to the CMTS. The processor is configured to, based on instructions in the memory, periodically determine a current geographic location for each polled cable modem based on the polling data from the CMTS, determine a geographic radius within which each polled cable modem is to be operated in and determine cable modems whose current geographic location is outside of their geographic radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: CSC Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Sellers, Robert Zito
  • Patent number: 8594116
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for assigning physical channels in a content-based network. In an exemplary embodiment, the network comprises a cable television network having a plurality of cable modems, and the physical channels are assigned to the cable modems based at least in part on any multicast transmissions that may exist on the system. When two cable modems are receiving the same multicast transmission, the invention causes tuning of one or more of the cable modems to the same physical channel in order to limit the total number multicast transmissions on the network. Multicast transmissions typically comprise video or audio information, but other types of information may also be multicast according to the invention. In another embodiment, a multicast transmission list (containing a list of multicast transmissions and the corresponding physical channels) is sent to the set of cable modems. This list is used by the modems (or associated CPE) to manage channel allocation and tuning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
    Inventor: Kenneth Gould
  • Patent number: 8595781
    Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying which video segment is being displayed on a screen of a television system. The video segment is identified by deriving data from the television signals, the derived data being indicative of the video segment being displayed on the screen. This feature can be used to extract a viewer's reaction (such as changing the channel) to a specific video segment (such as an advertisement) and reporting the extracted information as metrics. The systems and methods may further provide contextually targeted content to the television system. The contextual targeting is based on not only identification of the video segment being displayed, but also a determination concerning the playing time or offset time of the particular portion of the video segment being currently displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Cognitive Media Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Zeev Neumeier, Edo Liberty
  • Patent number: 8588285
    Abstract: A digital subscriber line arrangement includes a downstream modem, an upstream modem and a copper pair connection between the modems. Each modem includes electrical length estimation function code means which causes the respective modem to measure the attenuation of signals transmitted by the other modem at a plurality of different frequencies, and to combine these measurements, or functions thereof, together to form a combined attenuation measure and to use this combined measure to form an electrical length estimation, KL0bis. The downstream modem is operable to transmit its electrical length estimation to the upstream modem, and the upstream modem is operable to generate a definitive electrical length estimation in dependence upon both the received estimation from the downstream modem and the estimation made by the upstream modem. Having generated a definitive electrical length estimation, the upstream modem is operable to transmit this to the downstream modem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: British Telecommunications Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Leslie Derek Humphrey, Andrew David Wallace
  • Patent number: 8588249
    Abstract: Multicast information contained in a request from an IP TV set top box for video content to an IGMP manager is passed to an SA processor to perform a lookup of an SA table. A result of the lookup is the frequency of the downstream legacy channel over which the requested content is being delivered from an edge QAM device. The SA processor instructs a legacy QAM tuner to tune the determined frequency. The IGMP manager selects packets corresponding to the request content based on a program identifier that is associated with the multicast address in the SA table. As selected packets are received by the IGMP manager, multicast address information is placed into them, and they are passed on from the manager to the IP TV set top box. The IP TV set top box receives the requested content packets based on the multicast address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Wheelock
  • Patent number: 8576898
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling transmission of signals are described. A camera-side modem is configured to receive two signals from a video camera and to extract a received passband signal from a transmission line. A detector in the camera-side modem generates an enable signal when the received passband signal is identified. The enable signal is used to control transmission of at least one of the baseband video signal and the passband video signal. The passband signal may be identified by an estimate of mean square error in a quadrature amplitude demodulator, a measurement of reliability provided by a constellation detector, a measurement of reliability based on a sequence of frame synchronizations and/or an estimate of mean square error in an equalizer. The detector may monitor a gain factor in an automatic gain control module of the camera-side modem and/or a magnitude of the received passband signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Techwell, Inc.
    Inventors: Khanh Lam, Mark Fimoff, Greg Tomezak, Dennis Mutzabaugh
  • Patent number: 8578434
    Abstract: The present invention is an integrated cable modem tuner. In one embodiment, the upstream path and the downstream path are integrated on a common semiconductor substrate. The down-stream path can include a TV tuner and digital receiver portion that is integrated on a common semiconductor substrate with the power amplifier of the upstream path. In another embodiment, the TV tuner is implemented on a first semiconductor substrate and the digital receiver portion and the power amplifier are configured on a second semiconductor substrate. However, the two substrates are mounted on a common carrier so that the cable modem appears to be a single chip configuration to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Donald G. McMullin, Lawrence M. Burns, Leonard Dauphinee, Ramon A. Gomez, Loke Tan
  • Patent number: 8578435
    Abstract: A method performed by a central network device, such as a network edge device, or a CMTS, determines whether some of a plurality of user devices coupled to a communication device are transmitting at substantially their respective maximum power output level over a given channel. If the central device determines that some of the devices are operating at near their maximum output level (“power pegged,) the central device searches for another channel that can carry the traffic of the power pegged devices at reduced data rate. If another channel can accommodate transmission of signals of the power pegged device, the central device instructs the power pegged devices to tune to the new channel at a reduced data rate compared to the data rate of the current channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Ayham Al-Banna, Thomas Cloonan
  • Publication number: 20130291034
    Abstract: A method of mapping a network path in which a geographic path of cables of a network between a geographic location of a network component and a geographic location of a terminal network element is estimated electronically using Keyhole Markup Language (KML) data. A geographically accurate street map is populated with the geographic location of the network component, the geographic location of the terminal network element, and the estimated geographic path. The map is capable of being displayed with the use of geospatial software implementing KML encoding. A signal processing electronic device for populating a display of an interactive graphical user interface with network path mapping information and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the above referenced operations are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian M. Basile, David B. Bowler, David Dankulich, Mohammad Jalaluddin Riaz
  • Publication number: 20130291044
    Abstract: A handheld leakage detector for finding digital QAM signal leaks in a HFC network, comprises a radio receiver, a leakage receiver, leakage sampler, a correlator, and a display. The radio receiver receives samples of the QAM signal taken from the HFC network, called “reference samples.” The leakage receiver receives a QAM leakage signal, which is related to the QAM signal from the HFC network. The leakage sampler samples the leakage signal to form leakage samples. The correlator performs a coherent cross-correlation of the reference samples and the leakage samples, to produce a correlation peak. A value is determined from the correlation peak and displayed on the display. The value generally becomes more optimized as the detector approaches the leak. The leak is sought by iteratively changing the position of the detector until the displayed value becomes substantially optimized or the leak is found.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: ARCOM DIGITAL, LLC
    Inventor: Victor M. Zinevich
  • Patent number: 8565266
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving the signal quality and performance in a cable operator's Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) plant by adding DOCSIS intelligence to components within the HFC plant. These intelligent DOCSIS devices, referred to here as DOCSIS Intelligent Nodes (DINs), intercept the upstream signal from cable modems and set top boxes, and perform various types of signal processing on the signals based upon knowledge of the signal characteristics obtained from CMTS control structures such as MAPs and Upstream Channel Descriptors (UCDs). The DIN functionality can be integrated into any type of device found in HFC networks such as RF amplifiers and fiber nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Casa Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: David Bryan Fox, Douglas Keith Rosich, Weidong Chen, Jerry Guo
  • Publication number: 20130276047
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for up-converting a downstream set-top box control signal to a frequency that is above a cable television system upstream communications band. The downstream set-top box control signal is down-converted to a frequency in a set-top box control band and injected into a set-top box communications pathway. The downstream set-top box control signal may be up-converted from baseband or from the set-top box control band to a frequency in cable television system downstream communications band and transmitted on a DOCSIS RF channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: John T. Chapman, Mark A. Palazzo
  • Patent number: 8548035
    Abstract: A PLC cable modem is provided which includes an analog electromagnetic field transducer for generating an electromagnetic field based on an analog electrical signal and also for generating an analog electrical signal based on an electromagnetic field. The PLC cable modem also includes an analog signal processing unit operatively coupled to the analog electromagnetic field transducer and a digital signal processing unit for processing signals received from (or to be sent to) the analog signal processing unit. An interface port is provided for communicating digital signals to and from a data transmission or receiving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Patrick Dawson, Ryuichi Iwamura
  • Patent number: 8544051
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for offering broadcast IPTV solutions over cable (HFC networks). Rather than bypass the CMTS, a reduced number of downstream ports are utilized for video streams. Each input video stream is streamed to a multicast group address. In one embodiment, several RF channels are configured so that they are RF spanned across all the Fibernodes in the CMTS service area. In an embodiment, an STB sends a service request for a desired video stream using an IGMP request, and the CMTS responds by issuing a DBC request to tune the corresponding CM to the RF channel that is carrying the requested stream. Preferably, the CMTS ports that carry the static multicast streams are RF spanned across all the Fibernodes, or a selected subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sangeeta Ramakrishnan, Prasanna Mucharikar, Gitesh Shah, Harshavardhan Parandekar, Tung-Fai Chan
  • Patent number: 8528034
    Abstract: A modem system may include modems that have multiple upstream transmitters for transmitting signals upstream in a communication network. In some embodiments herein, one or more of those upstream transmitters may be retasked to transmit downstream signals for reception at devices within a modem's premises. The downstream signal may be modulated differently from its original modulation as received by the modem, and may be modulated in a manner that can be received by legacy components on the premises, such as analog televisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: David Urban, Jorge Salinger
  • Patent number: 8520527
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for locating cloned CPEs in a communication system are provided. A clone detector receives from each access router in a communication system the MAC addresses of CPEs registered with the access router. The clone detector compares the MAC addresses to identify a cloned MAC address. The clone detector determines the service address for the cloned MAC address and identifies neighboring CPEs to the service address. The clone detector determines the access router to which the neighboring CPEs are registered and identifies a CPE having the cloned MAC address and registered to any other access router than the access router to which the neighboring CPEs are registered as a cloned CPE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Arris Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian V. Belmont, Harindranath P. Nair, Deepak Garageswari, Punit Agarwalla
  • Patent number: 8514916
    Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments for determining the length of a connecting cable between a modem and a transceiver by measuring the propagation time of a signal along the connecting cable. A cable length signal is used to adjust the gain of the modem, that ensures that the transceiver circuit operates in the correct power range for both transmitting and receiving signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald M. Bishop
  • Patent number: 8510786
    Abstract: System and method to extend the data carrying capacity of a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network by adding wideband RF signal capability above 1 GHz, and replacing at least some CATV active devices such as amplifiers with a new type of Coax Domain Node (CDN) device that acts to segment the CATV cable portion of the HFC network into a series of smaller domains. The CDN generally filter RF signals from 5-865 MHz, while amplifying and passing RF signals over 1 GHz. Upstream capability is enhanced because the CDN intercept 5-42 MHz upstream signals from each domain and convert to 1 GHz+ signals. Downstream capability is also enhanced because the CDN can take efficiently encoded 1 GHz+ digital data, QAM modulate it, and locally inject into each domain without crosstalk between domains. The system pushes data management and downstream from the head end to the CDN, creating more throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Inventor: Shlomo Selim Rakib
  • Patent number: 8499338
    Abstract: An Internet Protocol (IP) controlled modem receives a single modem command packet from a user IP system. The modem command packet indicates a destination IP address, a destination IP port number, and a modem command to initiate a voice call. The IP controlled modem determines if the destination IP address and the destination IP port number are authorized for modem control. If the destination IP address and the destination IP port number are authorized for modem control, then the IP controlled modem processes the modem command to wirelessly transfer call set-up signaling to a wireless communication network to initiate the voice call. The IP controlled modem receives a user data packet from the user IP system and wirelessly transfers the user data packet over the voice call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Jeremy R. Breau, Sei Y. Ng, John Eric Belser
  • Patent number: 8489958
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for transmitting data across multiple carriers using Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Transport Stream (TS) packet multiplexing. At a processing device coupled to at least one subscriber device data associated with the at least one subscriber device are received. The data are encapsulated into MPEG-TS packets, where the MPEG-TS packet headers identify a single data channel for the at least one subscriber device. The MPEG-TS packets are multiplexed across a plurality of radio-frequency (RF) carriers for transmission, and the MPEG-TS packets are transmitted using the plurality of RF carriers. Each of the plurality of RF carriers have the same RF modulation, use the same symbol rate, and are driven by the same clock such that the carriers are synchronous. Techniques are also provided recover the data at the subscriber device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Chapman, Alon S. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 8484690
    Abstract: Methods, computer program products and apparatus for providing broadband television service (BTS) are provided. The method includes receiving a channel selection at a receiver located at a service location. The channel selection is correlated to an Internet address. Data is requested from the Internet address. The request is made to a digital subscriber line (DSL) network via a modem. Video data packets containing live streaming video content are received from the Internet address in response to the requesting. The video data packets are received from the DSL network via the modem. The video data packets are assembled into video signals for display on a television and the video signals are transmitted to the television.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Steven Ryals, Donald Scott Smith
  • Patent number: 8473589
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a router is configured to relay a provisioning request originating from a remote network device to a remote provisioning server. When the router receives back a provisioning response including provisioning information identifying a first remotely stored configuration file, the router is configured to modify the provisioning information such that the modified provisioning information no longer identifies the first remotely stored configuration file. The router then relays the provisioning reply, which may identify a second different configuration file, to the remote network device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Ford, Steve Lee
  • Patent number: 8473995
    Abstract: A cable modem termination system measures signal qualities of upstream transmissions associated with one or more cable modems. The system monitors the measured upstream signal qualities, and selectively commands at least one of the one or more cable modems to switch between upstream channels based on the signal quality monitoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Nurettin Burcak Beser
  • Patent number: 8467686
    Abstract: A device for routing an upstream signal from a two-way digital output to an existing hybrid fiber coax network. A first path includes an input for receiving downstream optical signals associated with data and a two-way digital port for communicating the data of the downstream optical signals to a subscriber. A second path includes a hybrid fiber coax input and a two-way hybrid fiber coax port for communicating with the subscriber. A filter is disposed in the first path for routing an upstream signal from the subscriber at the two-way digital port to the second path for forwarding upstream via the hybrid fiber coax input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert S. Lonn
  • Patent number: 8464301
    Abstract: An upstream bandwidth conditioning premise device for use as part of a CATV system and for placement on or near a user's premise to reduce noise created on the user's premise that would otherwise be injected into upstream transmission channels and passed into an RF main signal distribution system of the CATV system. The device includes a variable attenuation device, a signal measurement circuit, a memory circuit and an electronic circuit, which is configured to iteratively determine (i) whether an incremental amount of additional attenuation is to be applied and (ii) whether at least a portion of a previously applied incremental amount of attenuation is to be removed. The electronic circuit includes a counting circuit, a threshold comparison circuit configured to compare a peak signal strength to a predetermined threshold, and a peak comparison circuit configured to compare a contemporary peak signal strength to a previous peak signal strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: PPC Broadband, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Olson, David Kelma, Joseph Lai, Raymond Palinkas
  • Patent number: 8453216
    Abstract: An extensible authentication framework is used in cable networks such as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) cable networks. The authentication scheme allows for centralized authentication of cable modems, as well as authentication of the cable network by cable modems. Additionally, the authentication scheme allows a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) to authenticate devices downstream from cable modems, such as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shengyou Zeng, Jason Frazier, Joshua B. Littlefield, Joseph A. Salowey
  • Patent number: 8441939
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving notification of a cable modem operational issue for a cable modem and establishing layer-2 logging communications with the cable modem. The method comprises receiving a message from the cable modem, the message generated by the cable modem in response to the operational issue and indicating the operational issue associated with the cable modem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Che-Ming Chang, Jeffrey Riddel, Gangadharan Byju Pularikkal
  • Patent number: 8413200
    Abstract: A cable television method for a cable television network involves sending a polling message to a modem forming a part of a television set top box from a cable television headend via a cable television cable connection to the set top box; wherein the polling message instructs the cable television set top box to report a currently tuned channel of the television set top box; receiving a response message from the cable television set top box transmitted by the modem and containing the currently tuned channel of the television set top box; and compiling the currently tuned channel information from a plurality of set top boxes received in response messages to determine actual program viewing statistics for a television time slot during which the polling responses were sent. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Aran London Sadja, Eric James Holcomb, Leo M. Pedlow, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20130074138
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for controlling downstream Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) access points. At the CCAP access point having a network interface and a coaxial interface, control plane information is received from a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) via the network interface, where the control plane information is designed to configure the CCAP access point to enable communication over the network interface and the coaxial interface. At the CCAP access point, data plane and control plane information is transmitted to the CMTS, and may include information from one or more customer termination devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: John T. Chapman