Digital domain content processing and distribution apparatus and methods

• US 10,200,731 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2018
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hardin, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Marandi, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/898,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20180242031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 353 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/69 Optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/77 using carrier waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/00 Modulated-carrier systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23895 involving multiplex stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for distributing content using a spectrum generation device. In one embodiment, digital content is received via a time-multiplexed network transport (such as Gigabit Ethernet), and converted to frequency channels suitable for transmission over a content distribution (e.g., Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC)) network. In one variant, the conversion is performed using digital domain processing performed by a full spectrum generation device. Additionally, methods and apparatus for selectively adding, removing, and/or changing digital content from the full spectrum device are also disclosed. Various aspects of the present invention enable physical (infrastructure) consolidation, and software-implemented remote management of content distribution.

Claims

1. Network apparatus for distributing content from a plurality of content sources to a plurality of computerized client devices, the network apparatus comprising:

spectrum generation apparatus comprising;

first computerized apparatus configured to receive, from one or more of the plurality of content sources, data packets of a plurality of multiplexed program streams in a packet stream, the data packets associated with a first domain;

second computerized apparatus configured to transform, via an inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), the data packets of the first domain to a second domain for transmission via a plurality of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) radio frequency (RF) channels; and

third computerized apparatus configured to transmit the transformed data packets to one or more of the plurality of computerized client devices;

wherein at least one of;

(i) the one or more of the plurality of content sources, and (ii) the plurality of QAM RF channels, is defined by a network-administered software configuration file.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the plurality of computerized client devices comprise user devices associated with a common service group within a managed content distribution network.

3. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectrum generation apparatus is disposed at a hubsite of a managed content distribution network, the hubsite not part of a core of said managed content distribution network.

4. The network apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) combiner apparatus configured to combine the plurality of QAM RF channels output from the spectrum generation apparatus with those of another spectrum generation apparatus , the plurality of QAM RF channels comprising one or more time domain signals.

5. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network-administered software configuration data structure enables the spectrum generation apparatus to be reprogrammable via a remote data interface such that spectrum allocation of the plurality of QAM RF channels can be changed dynamically.

6. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network-administered software configuration data structure comprises one or more software updates that determine at least in part the transformation of the data packets from the first domain to second domain.

7. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receipt of the content signals from the one or more of the plurality of content sources at the first computerized apparatus of the spectrum generation apparatus comprises delivery of digital content signals over a packet switched backbone of a managed content distribution network.

8. A computerized method of providing requested content to a computerized client device of a user of a content distribution network, the computerized method comprising:

receiving data representative of a request for a digital content element, the request originating from at least the computerized client device of the user;

retrieving the digital content element from the content distribution network;

transmitting the digital content element as part of a packet stream to a computerized transformation device; and

providing the computerized transformation device with a software configuration data structure that causes the computerized transformation device to;

(i) transform the digital content element to one or more time domain signals using digital domain processing;

(ii) identify one or more radio frequency carriers for transmission of the one or more time domain signals; and

(iii) transmit the one or more time domain signals to at least the computerized client device over the one or more identified radio frequency carriers.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting of the digital content element as part of the packet stream to the computerized transformation device comprises encapsulating one or more Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) frames into Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-TS (transport stream) packets.

10. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the transmission of the transformed signals to the computerized client device over the one or more radio frequency carriers comprises transmission to consumer premises equipment (CPE) over quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)-modulated channels.

11. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the providing the computerized transformation device with the software configuration data structure comprises reprogramming the computerized transformation device such that an allocation of the one or more time domain signals to the one or more radio frequency carriers can be changed dynamically and without rewiring or rerouting of hardware of the computerized transformation device or the content distribution network.

12. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the retrieving of the digital content element from the content distribution network comprises accessing a plurality of digitally rendered on-demand content via at least a computerized on-demand server apparatus, the plurality of digitally rendered on-demand content being characterized by a proportion of one or more narrowcast programs to other content.

13. The computerized method of claim 12, wherein the computerized transformation device comprises a programmable inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) apparatus, and the providing the computerized transformation device with the software configuration data structure causes the programmable IFFT apparatus to:

selectively assign the time domain signals corresponding to individual ones of the plurality of digitally rendered on-demand content to the one or more radio frequency carriers as a function of time, thereby providing time and frequency diversity; and

dynamically adjust the proportion of one or more narrowcast programs to the other content responsive to a change in a number of computerized client devices receiving the one or more time domain signals.

14. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the providing the computerized transformation device with the software configuration data structure comprises at least partly configuring an inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) process, the IFFT process causing the computerized transformation device to convert the received digital content element into a plurality of time domain content, and the method further comprises converting the time domain content to an analog data stream suitable for transmission to at least the computerized client device via at least one of (i) a coaxial cable, and/or (ii) an optical fiber.

15. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the providing the computerized transformation device with the software configuration data structure further comprises configuring the computerized transformation device to apply an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) operation to multiplex the one or more time domain signals onto the one or more radio frequency carriers.

16. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a processing apparatus:

receive, at a spectrum generation apparatus, content data packets from one or more of a plurality of content sources, the content data packets comprising content data packets of (i) a first domain and (ii) a multiplexed program stream;

transform, by the spectrum generation apparatus and via an inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), the content data packets of the first domain to a second domain; and

transmit, via a plurality of Quadrature Amplitude Modulated (QAM) RF channels, the transformed content data packets to one or more of a plurality of computerized client devices;

wherein at least one of the one or more of the plurality of content sources or the plurality of QAM RF channels is defined by data managed by a network process and received at the spectrum generation apparatus via a network data interface via a data networking protocol.

17. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, further comprising configuring one or more of the plurality of RF channels as one or more guard bands.

18. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least a portion the plurality of RF channels are contiguous with one another within a radio frequency spectrum assigned for provision of one or more subscriber services.

19. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, wherein the data managed by the network process comprises at least one software configuration data structure comprising a pre-compiled binary image file.

20. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the first domain comprises a frequency domain;

the second domain comprises a time domain;

the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus, encrypt the content packets of the frequency domain; and

wherein the transformation comprises conversion of the encrypted content packets of the frequency domain to data packets of the time domain.