Device-to-device communication among customer premise equipment devices

• US 20070177614A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Siripunkaw, Pak, Weber, Emery
• Granted Patent: US 7,839,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes sending a customized configuration file to the cable modem. The configuration file contains service provisioning information and further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration. A message is passed from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration. The customer premise equipment device is initialized for device-to-device communication with any other customer premise equipment devices in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message, which relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among customer premise equipment devices. In this way, the customer premise equipment device knows how to communicate with other customer premise equipment devices, for example, at the same subscriber location.

Claims

1. A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device, the customer premise equipment device being connected to the cable modem, the cable modem being connected to a cable modem termination system, the cable modem termination system being connected to a provider network, the method including initializing the cable modem connection to the cable modem termination system, providing the cable modem with a network address, and the cable modem receiving a cable modem configuration file from a network server, wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem, the method further comprising:

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration, passing a message from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration;

receiving the message at the customer premise equipment device;

initializing the customer premise equipment device for device-to-device communication with any other customer premise equipment devices in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message; and

wherein the device-to-device communication configuration relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among customer premise equipment devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer premise equipment device is a set-top box, and wherein the device-to-device communication configuration relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among set-top boxes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the set-top box and the cable modem are both embedded in a subscriber gateway.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the cable modem has a hardware address, and wherein the device-to-device communication configuration indicated by information in the cable modem configuration file sent from the network server is based at least in part on the hardware address of the cable modem.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

establishing a plurality of device-to-device communication configurations;

for a plurality of cable modem/customer premise equipment device pairs, selecting a device-to-device communication configuration for each customer premise equipment device; and

relating the device-to-device configuration for each customer premise equipment device to the hardware address of the cable modem in the respective pair.

6. A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a set-top box, the set-top box being connected to the cable modem, the cable modem being connected to a cable modem termination system, the cable modem termination system being connected to a provider network, the method including initializing the cable modem connection to the cable modem termination system, providing the cable modem with a network address, and the cable modem receiving a cable modem configuration file from a network server, wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem, the method further comprising:

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration, passing a message from the cable modem to the set-top box indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration;

receiving the message at the set-top box;

initializing the set-top box for device-to-device communication with any other set-top boxes in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among set-top boxes;

wherein a second cable modem is connected to the cable modem termination system, and a second set-top box is connected to the second cable modem, initializing the second cable modem connection to the cable modem termination system, providing the second cable modem with a network address, and the second cable modem receiving a second cable modem configuration file from a network server, wherein the second configuration file includes service provisioning information;

wherein the second configuration file further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration, passing a message from the second cable modem to the second set-top box indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration;

receiving the message at the second set-top box; and

initializing the second set-top box for device-to-device communication with the other set-top box in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among set-top boxes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the set-top box and the cable modem are both embedded in a subscriber gateway.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second set-top box and the second cable modem are both embedded in a second subscriber gateway.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein each cable modem has a hardware address, and wherein the device-to-device communication configuration indicated by information in the respective cable modem configuration file is based at least in part on the hardware address of the respective cable modem.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

establishing a plurality of device-to-device communication configurations;

for a plurality of cable modem/set-top box pairs, selecting a device-to-device communication configuration for each set-top box; and

relating the device-to-device configuration for each set-top box to the hardware address of the cable modem in the respective pair.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

configuring a physical layer filter to block upstream traffic toward the cable modem termination system from the set-top boxes during device-to-device communications.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

configuring a data link layer filter to block upstream traffic toward the cable modem termination system from the set-top boxes during device-to-device communications.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

transferring video content between set-top boxes.

14. A subscriber gateway device for connecting to a provider network, wherein a cable modem termination system is connected to the provider network, the subscriber gateway device comprising:

an embedded cable modem for connecting to the cable modem termination system;

an embedded set-top box connected to the embedded cable modem;

wherein upon connection of the cable modem to the cable modem termination system, the cable modem is initialized and provided with a network address, and the cable modem receives a cable modem configuration file from a network server;

wherein the configuration file contains service provisioning information, the cable modem passing certain contents of the configuration file to the cable modem termination system, and the cable modem termination system passing certain identifiers back to the cable modem;

wherein the configuration file further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration;

wherein the cable modem passes a message from the cable modem to the set-top box indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration, the set-top box receives the message, and in response to the message, initializes for device-to-device communication in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message; and

wherein the device-to-device communication configuration relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among set-top boxes.