System and method for delivery network resource management in a broadband

• US 20040179538A1
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Babecki, Glenn, Didomenico, Steve, Makofka, Douglas S.
• Application Number:
  US10/737,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20040179538A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/398
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A scaleable digital broadband network capable of delivering broadcast digital video data, on-demand digital video data, video and audio telephony, and data originating or emanating with an end user personal computer, e.g. Internet data, is disclosed. The network of the present invention is partitioned into a service applications content management subsystem, a delivery network subsystem coupled to the applications management subsystem, and a network management subsystem coupled to the delivery network subsystem. The present invention permits the service applications content management subsystem to request delivery network resource devices for the manipulation, formatting, or any other necessary preparation of the deliverable data in the form of generic functional blocks. The service applications content management subsystem does not need to understand what actual devices are used to provide the requested functionality. The delivery network subsystem maps the functional block(s) requests to actual network resource devices and allocates such resource devices for use in data delivery.

Claims

1. A system for delivering digital data to end user devices over a network, said system comprising:

a service application management subsystem, said service application management subsystem structuring a manner in which at least one end user device can access said digital data; and

a delivery network subsystem coupled to said service application management subsystem, said delivery network subsystem receiving and selectively delivering said digital data from said service application management subsystem to a requesting end user device in response to requests in the form of generic, high-level, resources from said service application management subsystem, said requests being mapped, by said delivery network subsystem, into functional blocks corresponding to unique resource devices.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network management subsystem coupled to said delivery network subsystem and said service application management subsystem, said network management subsystem providing configuration information to said service application management subsystem and said delivery network subsystem.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said delivery network subsystem further comprises:

a delivery network resource device manager, said delivery network resource device manager handling requests for said resource devices in the form of said functional blocks and allocating said resource devices to perform a function of said functional blocks.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said delivery network subsystem further comprises:

a device manager coupled said delivery network resource device manager, said device manager translating functional block behaviour requests into specific commands for said resource devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said functional blocks comprise one of a radio frequency modulator, upconverter, encryptor, inserter, multiplexer, jitter buffer, quality of service sharper, and transcoder function.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of service groups, each of said service groups having a unique set of said resource devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of service groups comprises one or more node groups, said node groups providing at least one of input and output for at least one end user device.

8. A method for delivering digital data to end user devices over a network, said method comprising:

receiving a request for digital data in a service application content management subsystem, said service application management subsystem structuring a manner, in the form of a session request, in which at least one end user device can access said digital data; and

receiving said session request in a delivery network subsystem from said service application management subsystem, said delivery network subsystem receiving and selectively delivering said digital data from said service application management subsystem to said end user device in response to said session request in a form of generic, high-level, resources from said service application management subsystem, said session request being mapped, by said delivery network subsystem, into functional blocks corresponding to unique resource devices; and

delivering said digital data to said end user device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of said service application management subsystem receiving said request for digital data from said at least one end user device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of providing said corresponding resource devices to receive said digital data and process said session request further comprises:

receiving said functional blocks in a delivery network resource device manager, said delivery network resource device manager handling requests for said resource devices in the form of said functional blocks and allocating said resource devices to perform a function of said functional blocks.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of allocating resource devices further comprises:

translating functional block behaviour requests into specific commands for said resource devices in a device manager.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of requesting functional blocks comprises one of requesting a radio frequency modulator, upconverter, encryptor, inserter, multiplexer, jitter buffer, quality of service sharper, and transcoder function.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of delivering said digital data to said end user device further comprises sending said digital data to a node group.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of delivering said digital data to said node group further comprises sending said digital data from said node group to said end user device.

15. A computer-readable carrier including computer program instructions that instruct a computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a request for digital data in a service application content management subsystem, said service application management subsystem structuring a manner, in the form of a session request, in which at least one end user device can access said digital data; and

receiving said session request in a delivery network subsystem from said service application management subsystem, said delivery network subsystem receiving and selectively delivering said digital data from said service application management subsystem to said end user device in response to said session request in a form of generic, high-level, resources from said service application management subsystem, said session request being mapped, by said delivery network subsystem, into functional blocks corresponding to unique resource devices; and

delivering said digital data to said end user device.

16. The computer-readable carrier of claim 15 further comprising the step of said service application management subsystem receiving said request for digital data from said at least one end user device.

17. The computer-readable carrier of claim 15, wherein said step of providing said corresponding resource devices to receive said digital data and process said session request further comprises:

receiving said functional blocks in a delivery network resource device manager, said delivery network resource device manager handling requests for said resource devices in the form of said functional blocks and allocating said resource devices to perform a function of said functional blocks.

18. The computer-readable carrier of claim 17, wherein said step of allocating resource devices further comprises:

translating functional block behaviour requests into specific commands for said resource devices in a device manager.

19. The computer-readable carrier of claim 17, wherein said step of requesting functional blocks comprises one of requesting a radio frequency modulator, upconverter, encryptor, inserter, multiplexer, jitter buffer, quality of service sharper, and transcoder function.

20. The computer-readable carrier of claim 15, wherein said step of delivering said digital data to said end user device further comprises sending said digital data to a node group.

21. The computer-readable carrier of claim 20 , wherein said step of delivering said digital data to said node group further comprises sending said digital data from said node group to said end user device.

22. A service application management subsystem for delivering digital data to end user devices over a network, said system comprising:

at least one transmitter for sending a request, to a delivery network subsystem, for data delivery to at least one end user device;

said request structured in a manner such that said at least one end user device can access said digital data; and

a receiver to receive a source input identifier from said delivery network subsystem;

said at least one transmitter sending said digital data to said source input for delivery of said digital data to said at least one end user device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said request is in the form of generic, high-level, resources;

said request being used by said delivery network subsystem to map said request into functional blocks corresponding to unique resource devices used by said delivery network subsystem to deliver said digital data to said at least one end user device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said functional blocks comprise one of a radio frequency modulator, upconverter, encryptor, inserter, multiplexer, jitter buffer, quality of service sharper, and transcoder function.

25. A delivery network subsystem for delivering digital data to end user devices over a network, said system comprising:

at least one receiver for receiving a request, from a service application management subsystem, for resources for digital data delivery to at least one end user device; and

for receiving said digital data from said service application management subsystem for delivery to said at least one end user device; and

at least one transmitter for selectively delivering said digital data to a requesting end user device in response to said request from said service application management subsystem

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said at least one transmitter sends a source input identifier to said service application management subsystem.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said request is in the form of generic, high-level, resources;

said request being used by to map said request into functional blocks corresponding to unique resource devices used to deliver said digital data to said at least one end user device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said functional blocks comprise one of a radio frequency modulator, upconverter, encryptor, inserter, multiplexer, jitter buffer, quality of service sharper, and transcoder function.