LOGICAL NODE IDENTIFICATION IN AN INFORMATION TRANSMISSION NETWORK

• US 20070147418A1
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Rajdev, Nikhil, Son, Yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,289,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/103 using a shared central buffer; using a shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• 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 21/64 Addressing network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system for generating and sending a Logical Node identification signal as part of a data stream is disclosed. The system also includes subscriber stations capable of receiving and extracting Logical Node identification information from a data stream. The subscriber stations create new messages including the Logical Node identification signal and send the message to the transmission network system control, such that switching of data streams to an appropriate channel over the information transmission network is done consistent with the network topology.

Claims

1. In a hybrid fiber coaxial network for broadcasting video programs from a headend to a plurality of subscriber stations, the network characterized by hubs for coupling coaxial portions to fiber portions of the network, and further characterized by at least a first and a second channel allocated between each of the hubs and corresponding subscriber stations, apparatus for responding to a program request from the subscriber stations by causing transmission of a requested program, comprising:

first means for periodically providing a logical node identifier for identifying a correspondence between a hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and a control station;

second means, responsive to the program request from a requesting one of the subscriber stations, for providing frequency and PIDs, indicative of the requested program, to the requesting subscriber station;

third means, responsive to the second means, for causing transmission of the requested program for receipt by the requesting subscriber station; and

fourth means, for receiving the logical node identifier from the requesting subscriber station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the fourth means for selecting a channel on which the third means causes transmission of requested programs using the logical node identifier received from the subscriber station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the fourth means for storing a mapping between the subscriber station and the selected channel on which the third means causes transmission of requested programs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the fourth means for determining the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and the control station using the logical node identifier received from the subscriber station.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the fourth means, responsive to a change of the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and the control station, for performing at least one configuration action based on the change of the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and the control station.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, the second means, responsive to another program request from the requesting one of the subscriber stations, for providing frequency and PIDs indicative of the other requested program to the requesting subscriber station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and the control station.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the third means, responsive to the second means, for causing transmission of the other requested program for receipt by the requesting subscriber station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting subscriber station and the control station.

8. An apparatus for causing transmission, over a network, of programming requested by a subscriber station coupled to the network by way of a network controller that assigns a channel for transmission of requested programming from the network controller to the requesting subscriber station, the network characterized by a first bandwidth between the apparatus and the network controller, and characterized by a second bandwidth between the network controller and the subscriber station, the second bandwidth being lower than the first bandwidth, the apparatus responding to a request by the requesting subscriber station for a requested program by causing transmission, for receipt by the requesting subscriber station, of a program identifier which uniquely identifies the requested program, and causing transmission, for receipt by the network controller of a logical identifier which uniquely identifies the network controller as a corresponding network controller and which is independent of physical organization of the subscriber stations on the network, the apparatus further causing transmission, for receipt by the requesting subscriber station, of the requested program, in response to receiving the logical identifier transmitted by the requesting subscriber station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a master control module, receiving the logical identifier transmitted by the requesting subscriber station, for associating the requesting subscriber station with a logical node identified by the logical identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a master control module, responsive to the request by the requesting subscriber station for the requested program, for assigning one of a plurality of other control modules to cause transmission of the program identifier, the logical identifier and the requested program.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the master control module causes a corresponding one of the other control modules to transmit requested programs to the first subscriber station using the logical identifier transmitted by the subscriber station to the master control module.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the master control module selects a DVM and a channel for transmitting requested programs to the subscriber station using the logical identifier transmitted by the subscriber station to the master control module.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the master control module switches, using the logical identifier transmitted by the subscriber station to the master control module, from a first DVM and a first channel for transmitting requested programs to the subscriber station to a second DVM and a second channel for transmitting requested programs to the subscriber station.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a transport processing module for providing the program identifier which uniquely identifies the requested program;

a logical node identification generator for generating the logical identifier transmitted to the subscriber station; and

a combiner for combining the program identifier and the logical identifier for transmission of the program identifier and the logical identifier for receipt by the subscriber station.

15. A video-on-demand system having a headend which may be put in communication with a subscriber device via an intermediate node, comprising:

a headend which may be put in communication with a subscriber device via an intermediate node;

the headend for providing first identification information into a first datastream, the first identification information for routing communication to the headend, the headend providing the first datastream to the intermediate node;

the intermediate node for receiving the first datastream from the headend and providing the first datastream to the subscriber device;

the subscriber device for receiving the first datastream from the intermediate node and using the first identification information in the first datastream to provide a second datastream intended for the headend, the second datastream having second identification information, the second identification information for routing communication to the subscriber device;

the subscriber device for providing the second datastream to the intermediate node;

the intermediate node for receiving the second data stream from the subscriber device and providing the second datastream to the headend; and

the headend for receiving the second data stream from the intermediate node and establishing a session with the subscriber device in response to receiving the second identification information in the second datastream.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the headend comprises a session manager.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the intermediate node is associated with a logical node.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first identification information comprises an address of the session manager and an identifier of the logical node.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second identification information comprises an identifier of the subscriber device.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the session is selected from a User Datagram Protocol (UDP)-based session and a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)-based session.