DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATION AMONG CUSTOMER PREMISE EQUIPMENT DEVICES

• US 20110026536A1
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• 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: Weber, Emery J., Siripunkaw, Pak
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,987 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 system, comprising:

a gateway communicatively coupled between a network and a plurality of user devices, wherein the gateway is configured to;

(i) receive information from the network, the information comprising first configuration information for communications between the gateway and the network, and second configuration information for user device-to-user device communications;

(ii) configure itself for communication with the network according to the first configuration information; and

(iii) forward the second configuration information to one or more of the plurality of user devices, and

wherein at least one of the user devices is configured to receive the second configuration information, wherein the gateway comprises at least one of the user devices, and

wherein at least two of the user devices are configured to receive at least part of the second configuration information, and to configure themselves for device-to-device communication accordingly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of user devices comprises a set-top box.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway comprises a cable modem and the network comprises a cable modem termination system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further configured to:

(iv) receive the first and second configuration information from a termination system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second configuration information comprises physical or data link layer configuration information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second configuration information identifies a radio frequency to be used in the device-to-device communication.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second configuration information is based at least in part on an address associated with the gateway.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the address comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is configured to forward the second configuration information to at least one of the plurality of user devices via a direct, dedicated connection between the gateway and the at least one of the plurality of user devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication comprises moving video programming stored on a first of the at least two of the user devices to a second of the at least two of the user devices.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a filter configured to block upstream traffic toward the network during the device-to-device communication.

12. A method comprising:

configuring a gateway for communication with a network according to first configuration information; and

forwarding second configuration information from the gateway to a plurality of user devices,

wherein at least one of the user devices is configured to receive the forwarded second configuration information, wherein the at least one of the user devices is included within the gateway, and

wherein at least two of the user devices are configured to receive at least part of the forwarded second configuration information, and to configure themselves for device-to-device communication accordingly.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the user devices comprises a set-top box.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the gateway comprises a cable modem and the network comprises a cable modem termination system.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the gateway, the first and second configuration information from the network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second configuration information comprises physical or data link layer configuration information.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second configuration information is based at least in part on an address associated with the gateway.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a gateway,

wherein the gateway is configured to communicate with a network according to first configuration information, and

wherein the gateway is configured to forward second configuration information to a user device to configure the user device for device-to-device communication with a second user device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

the second user device.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a filter configured to block upstream traffic toward the network during the device-to-device communication.