Allocation of bit streams for communication over-multi-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (FDM)
First Claim
1. A method of communicating data across a plurality of transmission streams that have different bit rates, the method comprising the steps of:
- utilizing superframes to group bits from a flow of bits into a plurality of blocks of data, the plurality of blocks of data being a number of data blocks that is at least partially based upon the different bit rates of the plurality of transmission streams;
allocating octets between the flow of bits and the plurality of blocks of data;
allocating the plurality of blocks of data across the plurality of transmission streams based on the ratios of the different bit rates; and
utilizing the plurality of transmission streams in communicating the flows of bits within the plurality of blocks of data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Also, the modulation indices of various upstream frequency channels may be different, but a plurality of upstream channels may be used to carry a single data flow generally in parallel. The upstream data flow is fragmented into blocks and formed into superframes to allow transmission over at least one upstream frequency channel. When a plurality of upstream frequency channels are utilized, the superframes facilitate the possibility of having different modulation indices on the plurality of frequency channels. The upstream frequency channels or tones generally use a smaller amount of frequency bandwidth than the amount of frequency bandwidth commonly used to carry television channels on a cable transmission network. The smaller frequency bandwidth generally allows a plurality of the smaller frequency channels to be frequency-division multiplexed into a larger frequency channel capable of carrying television channels on a cable transmission network. Smaller frequency bandwidth channels allow a more efficient allocation of bandwidth to a client device and allows more accurate control over transmission characteristics (such as but not limited to group delay) of the frequency bandwidth. The smaller frequency channels generally can each be assigned to a different client device. Thus, client devices may share one of the large frequency bandwidth channels using frequency-division multiplexing of the smaller frequency bandwidth channels.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of communicating data across a plurality of transmission streams that have different bit rates, the method comprising the steps of:
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utilizing superframes to group bits from a flow of bits into a plurality of blocks of data, the plurality of blocks of data being a number of data blocks that is at least partially based upon the different bit rates of the plurality of transmission streams;
allocating octets between the flow of bits and the plurality of blocks of data;
allocating the plurality of blocks of data across the plurality of transmission streams based on the ratios of the different bit rates; and
utilizing the plurality of transmission streams in communicating the flows of bits within the plurality of blocks of data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A device of communicating data across a plurality of transmission streams that have different bit rates, the device comprising:
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logic configured to utilize superframes to group bits from a flow of bits into a plurality of blocks of data, the plurality of blocks of data being a number of data blocks that is at least partially based upon the different bit rates of the plurality of transmission streams;
logic configured to allocate octets between the flow of bits and the plurality of blocks of data;
logic configured to allocate the plurality of blocks of data across the plurality of transmission streams based on the ratios of the different bit rates; and
logic configured to utilize the plurality of transmission streams in communicating the flows of bits within the plurality of blocks of data. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification