Undesirable energy suppression system in a contention based communication network
First Claim
1. An undesirable energy suppression system in a contention based communication network wherein said contention based communications network includes a communication path between at least one remote point and a headend, said system comprising:
- a gate means in said communication path wherein said gate means connects said communication path when said gate means is closed and said gate means disconnects said communication path when said gate means is open;
means for transmitting a signal on said communication path wherein said signal includes a gate enabling signal; and
means for closing said gate means only in response to said gate enabling signal.
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Abstract
An undesirable energy suppression system in a contention based communications network having a shared communication path between a plurality of remote points and a headend in a simplex network or a bidirectional network. The system includes a method and apparatus for transmitting a signal on the shared communication path from any one of the plurality of remote points contending for the shared communication path, to the headend. The signal includes a gate enabling signal also known as a prybar signal. The shared communication path includes a gate where the gate connects the shared communication path when the gate is closed, and the gate disconnects the shared communication path when the gate is open. The system controls the gate in response to receiving the gate enabling signal. Absent a gate enabling signal, any signal or other energy on the shared communication path will not propagate through the network because the shared communication path is disconnected.
In one embodiment a single gate is located where it can serve an entire distribution branch of remote points in a tree and branch style network. In another embodiment there is a gate dedicated to each individual remote point in the network.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. An undesirable energy suppression system in a contention based communication network wherein said contention based communications network includes a communication path between at least one remote point and a headend, said system comprising:
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a gate means in said communication path wherein said gate means connects said communication path when said gate means is closed and said gate means disconnects said communication path when said gate means is open; means for transmitting a signal on said communication path wherein said signal includes a gate enabling signal; and means for closing said gate means only in response to said gate enabling signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A system to prevent undesirable energy from propagating along a bidirectional communication path of a contention based communication network, wherein said bidirectional communication path includes a forward path from a headend signal source toward a plurality of remote points and a return path from said plurality of remote points toward said headend, and wherein said communication network includes a tree type trunk and distribution branch configuration, said system comprising:
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a primary switch means on said return path of said bidirectional communication path; at least one secondary switch means in said return path between said primary switch means and said headend; means for assigning a unique coded switch enabling signal to each of said plurality of remote points; means for validating said unique coded switch enabling signal associated with a transmitting one of said plurality of remote points; and means, in response to validating said unique coded switch enabling signal, for enabling said primary switch means and said at least one secondary switch means to complete said return path and allow a transmission from a transmitting one of said plurality of remote points to pass. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. An undesirable energy suppression system in a contention based communications network wherein said contention based communications network includes a bidirectional communication path between a headend signal source and a plurality of remote points and wherein said bidirectional communication path includes a first direction from said headend toward said plurality of remote points and a second direction from said plurality of remote points toward said headend, said system comprising:
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means for transmitting a first signal in said first direction of said bidirectional communication path wherein said first signal includes a status signal indicative of transmission activity in said second direction; means responsive to said status signal, for transmitting a second signal in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path from any one of said plurality of remote points; and means for controlling a return gate in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path at a time substantially concurrently with said second signal being transmitted in said second direction wherein said controlling means is responsive to said status signal and a gate enabling signal from a transmitting one of said plurality of remote points. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for suppressing undesirable energy in a contention based communications network wherein said contention based communications network includes a bidirectional communication path between a headend signal source and a plurality of remote points and wherein said bidirectional communication path includes a first direction from said headend toward said plurality of remote points and a second direction from said plurality of remote points toward said headend, said system comprising:
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transmitting a first signal in said first direction of said bidirectional communication path wherein said first signal includes a status signal indicative of transmission activity in said second direction; transmitting a second signal in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path from any one of said plurality of remote points in response to said status signal; and controlling a return gate in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path at a time substantially concurrently with said second signal being transmitted in said second direction wherein said controlling step is responsive to said status signal and a gate enabling signal from a transmitting one of said plurality of remote points. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for suppressing undesirable energy in a contention based communications network having a bidirectional communication path between a headend signal source and a plurality of remote points wherein said bidirectional communication path includes a first direction from said headend toward said plurality of remote points and a second direction from said plurality of remote points toward said headend, said method comprising:
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determining transmission activity in said second direction and generating a status signal representing said transmission activity; transmitting a first signal in said first direction of said bidirectional communication path wherein said first signal includes said status signal; transmitting a second signal in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path from any one of said plurality of remote points only when said status signal indicates said second direction is clear; and enabling a return gate in said second direction of said bidirectional communication path at a time substantially concurrently with said second signal being transmitted in said second direction wherein said return gate connects said second direction when said status signal indicates that said second direction is clear and in response to said gate enabling signal from a transmitting one of said plurality of remote points. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification