APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTING AND CONFIGURING INTERNET CONTENT FOR BYPASS ENCAPSULATION WITHIN A BYPASS ARCHITECTURE

• US 20100083329A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flanagan, David, Bao, Qi, Patrick, Michael W., Joyce, Gerald R.
• Application Number:
  US12/241,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083329A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• 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 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for delivering Internet content within a system that includes an encapsulation database and a last-hop router as part of a bypass architecture, such as a bypass architecture that transmits IP content from a source to a downstream modulator, such as an EQAM modulator, in a manner that bypasses the system'"'"'s Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). The encapsulation database, which typically is controlled by the MSO, but also is in operable communication with the last-hop router and CMTS, is configured to store encapsulation identification information, which is used to identify which portions of the IP content receive bypass encapsulation. The encapsulation database also can include the QoS settings for such identified portions of IP content. The encapsulation database allows the MSO to provide QoS settings for select portions of IP content, such as videos from internet video providers with whom the MSO has made special arrangements.

Claims

1. An encapsulation database apparatus for use in a system for transmitting internet protocol (IP) content from at least one IP content source to a downstream modulator and having a bypass architecture, wherein the system includes a last-hop router coupled between the IP content source and the downstream modulator and a cable modem termination system (CMTS) coupled to the downstream modulator, and wherein the downstream modulator is configured to transmit IP content to at least one end user network element coupled to the downstream modulator, the apparatus comprising:

a first interface for coupling the encapsulation database apparatus to the last-hop router;

a controller coupled to the first interface;

a data storage element coupled to the controller for storing therein encapsulation identification information received by the encapsulation database apparatus; and

a second interface coupled to the controller and for coupling the encapsulation database apparatus to at least one of the cable modem termination system and the downstream modulator,

wherein the controller is configured to receive encapsulation identification information from at least one of the IP content source, the cable modem termination system and a PacketCable Application Manager coupled to the cable modem termination system,

wherein the controller is configured to provide encapsulation identification information to at least one component within the system coupled to the encapsulation database apparatus, wherein the encapsulation identification information is used to transmit IP content from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation identification information includes information that identifies which portions of the IP content are to be transmitted from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation identification information includes Quality of Service (QoS) settings for at least one portion of the IP content that is to be transmitted from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation database apparatus is configured in such a way that the encapsulation identification information stored therein is searchable by at least one component within the system coupled to the encapsulation database apparatus.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the encapsulation identification information stored in the encapsulation database apparatus is searchable by at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the IP content or a domain name within the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the IP content.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the last-hop router, the cable modem termination system and the PacketCable Application Manager provides at least a portion of the encapsulation identification information to the encapsulation database.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the last-hop router provides a bypass communication channel between the last-hop router and the downstream modulator for transmission of IP content from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the downstream modulator further comprises an Edge Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (EQAM) modulator.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one IP content source includes at least one of a video on demand (VOD) server, an IPTV broadcast video server, and an Internet video source.

10. A method for transmitting internet protocol (IP) content from at least one IP content source to a downstream modulator within an IP content delivery system having a bypass architecture, wherein the IP content delivery system includes a last-hop router coupled between the IP content source and the downstream modulator and a cable modem termination system (CMTS) coupled to the downstream modulator, and wherein the downstream modulator is configured to transmit IP content to at least one end user network element coupled to the downstream modulator, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving IP content transmitted from the at least one IP content source;

accessing encapsulation identification information from an encapsulation database apparatus to determine which portions of the IP content are to be receive bypass encapsulation;

performing bypass encapsulation on at least a portion of the received IP content based on the accessed encapsulation identification information; and

transmitting bypass encapsulated IP content to the at least one end user network element,

wherein bypass encapsulation is performed on the received IP content in such a way that the bypass encapsulated IP content can be transmitted to the at least one end user network element via the downstream modulator in such a way that the bypass encapsulated IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the encapsulation identification information includes information that identifies which portions of the IP content are to be transmitted from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the encapsulation identification information includes Quality of Service (QoS) settings for at least one portion of IP content that is to be transmitted from the at least one IP content source to the downstream modulator in such a way that the transmitted IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the accessing step includes searching the encapsulation database apparatus by at least one component within the IP content delivery system coupled to the encapsulation database apparatus.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the accessing step includes searching the encapsulation database apparatus by at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the IP content or a domain name within the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the IP content.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of providing encapsulation identification information to the encapsulation database apparatus by at least one of the last-hop router, the cable modem termination system and a PacketCable Application Manager coupled to the cable modem termination system.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the last-hop router accesses encapsulation identification information from the encapsulation database apparatus.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of the last-hop router providing a bypass communication channel between the last-hop router and the downstream modulator for transmission of the bypass encapsulated IP content from the last-hop router to the downstream modulator.

18. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a method for transmitting internet protocol (IP) content from at least one IP content source to a downstream modulator within an IP content delivery system having a bypass architecture, wherein the system includes a last-hop router coupled between the IP content source and the downstream modulator and a cable modem termination system (CMTS) coupled to the downstream modulator, and wherein the downstream modulator is configured to transmit IP content to at least one end user network element coupled to the downstream modulator, the computer readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving IP content transmitted from the at least one IP content source;

instructions for accessing encapsulation identification information from an encapsulation database apparatus to determine which portions of the IP content are to be receive bypass encapsulation;

instructions for performing bypass encapsulation on at least a portion of the received IP content based on the accessed encapsulation identification information; and

instructions for transmitting bypass encapsulated IP content to the at least one end user network element,

wherein bypass encapsulation is performed on the received IP content in such a way that the bypass encapsulated IP content can be transmitted to the at least one end user network element via the downstream modulator in such a way that the bypass encapsulated IP content bypasses the cable modem termination system.

19. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the encapsulation identification information includes at least one of information that identifies which portions of IP content are to receive bypass encapsulation and Quality of Service (QoS) settings for portions of IP content selected to receive bypass encapsulation.

20. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 18, further comprising instructions for searching the encapsulation database apparatus by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the IP content.