BROADBAND MULTI-DROP LOCAL NETWORK, INTERFACE AND METHOD FOR MULTIMEDIA ACCESS

• US 20080310436A1
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bernard F. Bareis
• Original Assignee: Bernard F. Bareis
• Inventors: BAREIS, BERNARD F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• 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 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/13 in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A broadband multi-drop local network, interface and method for multimedia access. A local network architecture include a wired bus coupleable directly to an external data network terminal and configured for carrying broadband packetized data traffic over a frequency spectrum uninterrupted by other defined data channels or services; and one or a plurality of network transceivers operable individually for coupling an addressable network device processing a defined class of information to the bus wherein each network appliance is configured for and further operable for providing communication interfacing of the class of information of each addressable network appliance with the packetized IP data traffic on the wired bus.

Claims

1. An interface transceiver for coupling an addressable network device to a multi-drop local network, comprising:

a modem, coupled via a physical interface to said multi-drop local network, for demodulating incoming packetized data from said network and modulating data output from said addressable network device to form packetized data to said multi-drop local network; and

a network controller, coupled between said modem and a communication interface with said addressable network device, for performing error correction and quality of service (QoS) affecting data traffic through said transceiver.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein said modem is a broadband modem configured to perform broadband modulation methods for modulating and demodulating said packetized data.

3. The interface of claim 2, wherein said broadband modulation methods are selected from the group consisting of multiple subcarrier modulation, carrierless amplitude phase (CAP) modulation, discrete multitone (DMT) modulation, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein said network controller is a microprocessor.

5. The interface of claim 1, wherein said network controller is adapted for performing carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD).

6. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a communication processor, disposed integrally with said communication interface with said addressable network device and configured to process data traffic between said network controller and said addressable network device.

7. A multi-drop network for coupling a number of addressable network devices, comprising:

a first addressable device comprising a broadband modem and a network controller, wherein said broadband modem is coupled to a bus formed by a broadband network and configured to demodulate packetized data incoming from said broadband network and to modulate packetized data for output to said broadband network, and wherein said network controller is configured to perform error correction and quality of service (QoS) affecting data traffic through said broadband modem; and

a second addressable device comprising a broadband modem and a network controller, wherein said broadband modem is coupled to said bus and configured to demodulate packetized data incoming from said broadband network and to modulate packetized data for output to said broadband network, and wherein said network controller is configured to perform error correction and quality of service (QoS) affecting data traffic through said broadband modem,

wherein said first and second addressable devices are adapted to be coupled to a broadband multi-drop interface via said bus formed by said broadband network.

8. The multi-drop network of claim 7, wherein said broadband multi-drop interface comprises:

a first physical interface for connecting said bus to a broadband multi-drop transceiver;

wherein said broadband multi-drop transceiver is configured to transfer digital electrical signals between said first physical interface and an outside plant communication transceiver; and

a second physical interface for connecting said outside plant communication transceiver to an outside plant communication medium, and wherein said outside plant communication transceiver is configured to transmit data to a local interconnect company via said outside plant communication medium and receive data from said local interconnect company via said outside plant communication medium.

9. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 8, wherein said outside plant communication medium is a coaxial wireline and said outside plant communication transceiver is a coaxial transceiver.

10. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 8, wherein said outside plant communication medium is an optical fiber and said outside plant communication transceiver is an optical fiber transceiver.

11. The multi-drop network of claim 7, wherein said first addressable device is configured to transmit said modulated data output via a first transmit frequency and said second addressable device is configured to transmit said modulated data output via a second transmit frequency.

12. The multi-drop network of claim 7, wherein said first addressable device is one of a telephone, television, television receiver, television set-top box, fiber-to-the home television receiver, cable television receiver, thermostat, utility metering equipment, high fidelity audio equipment, DVD device, VCR device, security camera, facsimile machine appliance, computer, and computer television reception card.

13. The multi-drop network of claim 7, wherein said first addressable device is adapted to connect to a broadband wireline local network.

14. The multi-drop network of claim 7, wherein said first addressable device is adapted to connect to an optical fiber local network.

23. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 14, further comprising a controller for performing Quality of Service (QoS).

15. A method for coupling an addressable network device via a physical interface to a multi-drop network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming broadband packetized data from a communication bus;

demodulating the received broadband packetized data received from the communication bus;

modulating a data output to form a broadband packetized data for broadcast to the communication bus;

performing error correction and quality of service (QoS) affecting data traffic; and

processing data traffic between the communication bus and the addressable network device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the steps modulating and demodulating of the packetized data further comprises selecting a modulation from the group consisting of multiple subcarrier modulation, carrierless amplitude phase (CAP) modulation, discrete multitone (DMT) modulation, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

17. A broadband multi-drop interface for coupling a multi-drop network to a local interconnect company, comprising

a first connection configured to connect to an outside plant communication medium;

a second connection configured to connect to a broadband multi-drop network;

a broadband multi-drop transceiver adapted to transfer digital electrical signals between said second connection and an outside plant communication transceiver; and

said outside plant communication transceiver configured to transmit data to said local interconnect company via said first connection and receive data from said local interconnect company via said first connection.

18. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 17, wherein said outside plant communication medium is a coaxial wireline and said outside plant communication transceiver is a coaxial transceiver.

19. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 17, wherein said outside plant communication medium is an optical fiber plant and said outside plant communication transceiver is an optical fiber transceiver.

20. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 17, wherein said multi-drop interface is configured to perform collision detection to minimize collisions between a modulated packetized data output by a first addressable device on said multi-drop network with modulated packetized data output by a second addressable device on said multi-drop network.

21. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 17, wherein said second connection is configured to connect to a wireline communication medium.

22. The broadband multi-drop interface of claim 17, wherein said second connection is configured to connect to an optical fiber communication medium.