Multi-Mode Modem

• US 20130340020A1
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Urban, David, Salinger, Jorge
• Granted Patent: US 10,181,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• 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 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/102 Circuits therefor, e.g. noise reducers, equalisers, amplifiers H04N7/108 takes precedence

Abstract

A modem system may include modems that have multiple upstream transmitters for transmitting signals upstream in a communication network. In some embodiments herein, one or more of those upstream transmitters may be retasked to transmit downstream signals for reception at devices within a modem'"'"'s premises. The downstream signal may be modulated differently from its original modulation as received by the modem, and may be modulated in a manner that can be received by legacy components on the premises, such as analog televisions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting upstream to a network, by a transmitter, a first signal modulated within a first frequency band;

receiving downstream from the network, a second signal comprising content;

filtering out at least a different second frequency band from the second signal to generate a filtered signal;

retasking the transmitter to transmit at least a portion of the content downstream in a third signal modulated within the second frequency band; and

passing the filtered signal downstream while the transmitter is transmitting the third signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said retasking comprises retasking the transmitter to transmit at a VHF frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said retasking comprises retasking the transmitter to transmit at a UHF frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said filtering is performed by a filter, the method further comprising reconfiguring the filter from passing the second frequency band downstream to filtering out the second frequency band from being passed downstream.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the filter is coupled upstream of the transmitter, between the transmitter and the network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for the content, wherein said filtering out, said retasking, and said passing are performed in response to the request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said retasking is at least partially performed by a computing device that comprises the transmitter.

9. A method, comprising:

retasking a transmitter from transmitting a first signal upstream to a network within a first frequency band to transmitting a second signal downstream within a different second frequency band;

filtering out at least the second frequency band from a third signal received from the network to generated a filtered signal;

combining the filtered signal with the second signal to generate a combined signal; and

sending the combined signal downstream.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising deriving the second signal from the third signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the second signal independent of the third signal.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a request for content, wherein the second signal comprises at least a portion of the content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the third signal also comprises at least the portion of the content.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said retasking is performed in response to the request.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising reconfiguring a filter to perform said filtering out, wherein said reconfiguring is performed in response to the request.

16. A method, comprising:

transmitting upstream to a network, by a transmitter, a first signal modulated within an upstream frequency band;

retasking the transmitter to transmit a second signal modulated within a different downstream frequency band; and

setting a first filter to filter out at least the downstream frequency band prior to said retasking and to pass at least the downstream frequency band after said retasking.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting a second filter to pass at least the downstream frequency band prior to said retasking and to filter out at least the downstream frequency band after said retasking.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a request for content, wherein said retasking is performed in response to the request, and wherein the second signal comprises at least a portion of the content.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request for content; and

retrieving the content locally from a storage device coupled to the transmitter,

wherein the second signal comprises at least a portion of the content.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a first request for content; and

sending a second request for the content to the network,

wherein the first signal comprises at least a portion of the content.