System and method for allocating processing bandwith in a residential gateway utilizing transmission rules and data mapping

• US 20060215650A1
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Ansari, Ahmad C., Wollmershauser, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware

Abstract

A system and method of networking with configurable data mapping is disclosed. Data mapping can be utilized to match data transmission types with devices that can efficiently utilize the data transmission type. In one configuration, the data mapping teachings disclosed herein may be utilized to increase the processing efficiency of a home network and insure correct programming is allowed to pass to the correct device by applying a set of data transmission rules to data transmissions between a residential gateway and it'"'"'s clients. An exemplary method may include receiving a communication at a residential gateway from a client and identifying the client or the source of the transmission. The client may be identified by recognizing one or more of a data transmission type, a client identifier embedded in the transmission, and an identification of a network device hosting the client. The identification may, in some cases, be made automatically upon reception of a data transmission. The transmission type is then compared to the contents of a look-up table and the transmission can be modified according to a predetermined configuration. In one embodiment a bandwidth allocation of a client request is utilized to either allow the data stream or block the data stream from being passed to a particular network client.

Claims

1. A method of networking with diverse transmission rules comprising:

receiving a communication having a data transmission type at a residential gateway from a local network client residing on a network device;

identifying a client transmission;

locating a data transmission rule associated with the identified client transmission;

applying the data transmission rule to facilitate communications between the client and the residential gateway; and

outputting a transmission from the residential gateway to the client responsive to the request and in accordance with the applied data transmission rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission rule is tailored to a bandwidth of the client and applying the data transmission rule can prevent high bandwidth services from being provided to a low bandwidth client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission rule is tailored to a bandwidth of the client and applying the data transmission rule can prevent low bandwidth services from being provided to a high bandwidth client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying further comprising determining one of a media access control (MAC) address, an Internet protocol (IP) address, a private IP address, a user name, an application type, and a data type.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying an originator of a data transmission from a plurality of data transmitters and applying transmission rules to the originator based on the classification.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying a network client for one of identification data and communication data, and associating one of a data transmission rule and a data mapping function with the one of the identification data and communication data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data mapping functions and wherein the data mapping functions route one of a video packet, a video feed, a peripheral interchange program (PIP) stream, a gaming video packet, an alpha numeric format, a PIP type image feed format, a digital television format, a high definition television format and a mobile telephone format, and a personal digital assistant format to one of a device and a client.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the network device is one of a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, a computer, a HVAC controller, a lighting system, a security system, a utility system, an appliance, and a television.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the residential gateway has a plurality of ports and the client is assign to one of the plurality of ports based on one of a data transmission rule and a data mapping function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an application of one of a data transmission rule and a data mapping function is based on a minimal communication speed of the network device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when programming intended for a low bandwidth device does not have a minimized format converting the programming transmission.

12. A residential gateway comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor and configured to store instruction useable by the processor;

at least one port connectable to a network device, the network device having a client configured to request data transmissions from the residential gateway; and

a lookup table coupled to the processor and configured to store a set of data transmission rules for network devices wherein communications from the residential gateway to the network device are made in conformance with a stored second set of data transmission rules.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a second port configured to couple a second network device wherein the lookup table is configured to store a second data transmission rule for the second network device wherein communications from the residential gateway to the second network device are made in conformance with the second stored data transmission rule.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second network device are assigned transmission rules based on a network device type.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmission rules is a data mapping function.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data transmission rule is assigned based on a network transmission having one of a video packet from an Internet feed, a video feed, a video packet from a peripheral interchange program (PIP) stream, a gaming video, an alpha numeric format, a PIP type image feed format, a digital television format, a high definition television format and a mobile telephone format.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor can identify a network device transmitting and access the table to determine the data transmission rules for the network device transmitting.

18. A home communications network comprising:

a set top box;

a residential gateway coupled to the set top box and configured to communicate with the set top box utilizing a highest bandwidth service;

a network device capable of operating at a reduced quality of service and configured to communicatively couple to the residential gateway at a first data rate wherein the residential gateway provides a second data rate to the network device having a lower bandwidth than the highest data rate based on a table stored in the residential gateway.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein the residential gateway is configured to identify network devices and permit and deny data transmissions based on one of a bandwidth, a data format and a programming format in accordance with parameters of the network device.

20. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions to manipulate a processor to:

receive a communication having a data transmission type at a residential gateway from a local network client residing on a network device;

identify a client originating the transmission;

locate a data transmission rule associated with the identified client transmission;

apply the data transmission rule to facilitate communications between the client and the residential gateway; and

output a transmission from the residential gateway to the client responsive to the request and in accordance with the data transmission rule.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further manipulating the computing platform to identify a programming requested by a client and denying the programming request when the client can utilize a different format.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further manipulating the computing platform to identify one of a media access control (MAC) address, an Internet protocol (IP) address, a private IP address, a user name, an application type, and a data type.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further manipulating the computing platform to assign identifiers to network clients.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further manipulating the computing platform to identify one of an amount of bandwidth and a type of packet from a video feed format, a video packet from a peripheral interchange program (PIP) stream format, a gaming video packet, an alpha numeric format, a PIP type image feed format, a digital television format, a high definition television format and a mobile telephone format, a personal digital assistant format.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further manipulating the computing platform to utilize information in a header of the first data transmission to identify a client and to implement a lower data rate transmission protocol between the residential gateway and the client.