Device, system and method for connecting a subscriber device to a wideband distribution network

• US 20050155082A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATX Networks Incorporated (United Communications Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xtend Networks Ltd. (National Vision Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weinstein, Hillel, Strull, Yishaiahu, Orbach, Zeev
• Granted Patent: US 7,748,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/46 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53-H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/102 Circuits therefor, e.g. noise reducers, equalisers, amplifiers H04N7/108 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, device and/or system for connecting at least one subscriber device, e.g., a legacy subscriber device, to a wideband distribution network. The device may include, for example, an up-converter to up-convert a subscriber upstream signal within a subscriber upstream frequency band supported by the subscriber device, into an up-converted upstream signal within an upstream sub-band of an extended upstream frequency band; and/or a down-converter to down-convert an extended downstream signal in an extended downstream frequency band, into a down-converted subscriber downstream signal within a subscriber downstream frequency band supported by the subscriber device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for connecting a subscriber device to a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, the apparatus comprising:

an up-converter to up-convert a subscriber upstream signal within a subscriber upstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device, into an up-converted upstream signal within an upstream sub-band of said extended upstream frequency band.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said up-converter is able to allocate said upstream sub-band based on a predetermined sub-band allocation scheme.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network further supports an extended downstream frequency band, and wherein the apparatus comprises:

a down-converter to down-convert an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band into a down-converted downstream signal within a downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 comprising a multiplexer able to:

selectively route said extended downstream signal to said down-converter; and

selectively route said up-converted upstream signal to said network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said multiplexer is further able to:

selectively route a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to another subscriber device supporting said legacy downstream frequency band; and

selectively route an upstream signal in said legacy upstream frequency band from the other subscriber device to said network.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 comprising a diplexer to:

selectively route said subscriber upstream signal to said up-converter; and

selectively route said down-converted downstream signal to said subscriber device.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 100-800 MHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1250-1950 MHz.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a network diplexer able to:

selectively route a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to said subscriber device; and

selectively route said up-converted upstream signal to said network.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a subscriber diplexer to:

selectively route said subscriber upstream signal to said up-converter; and

selectively route the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band to said subscriber device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 comprising a splitter to split the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band into first and second downstream signals in said legacy downstream frequency band to be provided to said subscriber diplexer and to another subscriber device, respectively.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subscriber upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 5-60 MHz.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 2250-2750 MHz or 950-1150 Hz.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sub-band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 2250-2280 MHz, 2400-2430 MHz, 2550-2580 MHz, or 2600-2630 MHz.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said subscriber device comprises a customer-premises-equipment device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said customer-premises-equipment device comprises a customer-premises-equipment device selected from the group consisting of a legacy set-top-box and a legacy modem.

17. An apparatus for connecting a subscriber device to a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended downstream frequency band, the apparatus comprising:

a down-converter to down-convert an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band, into a down-converted subscriber downstream signal within a subscriber downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 comprising a subscriber multiplexer to:

selectively route an upstream signal in said legacy upstream frequency band from said subscriber device to a network multiplexer;

selectively route said down-converted downstream signal to said subscriber device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 comprising a network multiplexer is able to:

selectively route said extended downstream signal to said down-converter; and

selectively route the upstream signal in said legacy frequency band to said network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said network multiplexer is able to selectively route a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to said subscriber multiplexer, and wherein said subscriber multiplexer is able to selectively route the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band to said subscriber device.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the subscriber downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 100-400 MHz or 100-550 MHz.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1200-1500 MHz, or 1200-1650 MHz.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said legacy upstream frequency band and said legacy downstream frequency band comprise at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said subscriber device comprises a customer-premises-equipment device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said customer-premises-equipment device comprises a customer-premises-equipment device selected from the group consisting of a legacy set-top-box and a legacy modem.

26. A method of connecting a subscriber device to a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, the method comprising:

up-converting a subscriber upstream signal within a subscriber upstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device, into an up-converted upstream signal within an upstream sub-band of said extended upstream frequency band.

27. The method of claim 26 comprising allocating said upstream sub-band based on a predetermined sub-band allocation scheme.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said network further supports an extended downstream frequency band, and wherein the method comprises:

down-converting an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band into a down-converted downstream signal within a downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

29. The method of claim 28 comprising:

selectively routing said extended downstream signal to a down-converter; and

selectively routing said up-converted upstream signal to said network.

30. The method of claim 29 comprising:

selectively routing a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to another subscriber device supporting said legacy downstream frequency band; and

selectively routing an upstream signal in said legacy upstream frequency band from the other subscriber device to said network.

31. The method of claim 29 comprising:

selectively routing said subscriber upstream signal to an up-converter; and

selectively routing said down-converted downstream signal to said subscriber device.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 100-800 MHz.

33. The method of claims 28, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1250-1950 MHz.

34. The method of claim 26 comprising:

selectively routing a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to said subscriber device; and

selectively routing said up-converted upstream signal to said network.

35. The method of claim 34:

selectively routing said subscriber upstream signal to an up-converter; and

selectively routing the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band to said subscriber device.

36. The method of claim 35 comprising a splitting the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band into first and second downstream signals in said legacy downstream frequency band to be provided to said subscriber diplexer and to another subscriber device, respectively.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein the subscriber upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 5-60 MHz.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 2250-2750 MHz or 950-1150 MHz.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein said sub-band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 2250-2280 MHz, 2400-2430 MHz, 2550-2580 MHz, or 2600-2630 MHz.

40. A method of connecting a subscriber device to a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended downstream frequency band, the method comprising:

down-converting an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band, into a down-converted subscriber downstream signal within a subscriber downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

41. The method of claim 40 comprising:

selectively routing an upstream signal in said legacy upstream frequency band from said subscriber device to a network multiplexer;

selectively routing said down-converted downstream signal to said subscriber device.

42. The method of claim 41 comprising:

selectively routing said extended downstream signal to a down-converter; and

selectively routing the upstream signal in said legacy frequency band to said network.

43. The method of claim 42 comprising:

selectively routing a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to said subscriber device.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the subscriber downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 100-400 MHz or 100-550 MHz.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1200-1500 MHz, or 1200-1650 MHz.

46. A system comprising:

a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band;

an apparatus for connecting a subscriber device to said network, said apparatus comprising an up-converter to up-convert a subscriber upstream signal within a subscriber upstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device, into an up-converted upstream signal within an upstream sub-band of said extended upstream frequency band.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said apparatus comprises a network diplexer able to:

selectively route a downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band from said network to said subscriber device; and

selectively route said up-converted upstream signal to said network.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein said apparatus comprises a subscriber diplexer to:

selectively route said subscriber upstream signal to said up-converter; and

selectively route the downstream signal in said legacy downstream frequency band to said subscriber device.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein said network further supports an extended downstream frequency band, and wherein said apparatus comprises:

a down-converter to down-convert an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band into a down-converted downstream signal within a downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

50. A system comprising:

a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band, a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band;

an apparatus for connecting a subscriber device to said network, said apparatus comprising a down-converter to down-convert an extended downstream signal in said extended downstream frequency band, into a down-converted subscriber downstream signal within a subscriber downstream frequency band supported by said subscriber device.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein said apparatus comprises a subscriber multiplexer to:

selectively route an upstream signal in said legacy upstream frequency band from said subscriber device to a network multiplexer;

selectively route said down-converted downstream signal to said subscriber device.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein said apparatus comprises a network multiplexer is able to:

selectively route said extended downstream signal to said down-converter; and

selectively route the upstream signal in said legacy frequency band to said network.