Scalable multimedia network

• US 5,864,542 A
• Filed: 04/29/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Dev Vrat, Stone, Alan E., Sharper, Craig A., Chen, Yu-Ren Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGO, RICKY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US08/639,594
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 370/362, 370/364, 370/365, 370/366, 370/477, 370/467, 370/466, 370/257, 370/367, 370/408, 370/389, 370/395, 370/352, 340/825.5, 340/825.51
• US Class Current: 370/257
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2852 Metropolitan area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5612 Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5613 Bus (including DQDB)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5614 User Network Interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5615 Network termination, e.g. NT1, NT2, PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5638 Services, e.g. multimedia, GOS, QOS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5679 Arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6427 Subscriber Access Module; Concentrator; Group equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6448 Medium Access Control [MAC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6459 Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6464 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6483 Video, e.g. MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6489 : Buffer Management, Threshold setting, Scheduling, Shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/107 : using shared medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 : Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 : for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17345 : Control of the passage of the selected programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 : Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A Scalable Multimedia Network providing integrated networking of data, voice, video and image services over a variety of access facilities including metallic loops, fiber/coax or digital fiber is disclosed herein. The SMN provides a broadcast switch using a tiered system of buses. Channel units are made to interface to a bus of any tier depending on bandwidth requirements of the particular channel units. The SMN is based on a distributed switching platform that enables carriers to economically provide service to a small number of customers and add capacity incrementally as the customer base increases. The platform has a protocol adaptation capability which permits communications between customer premises equipment and potentially incompatible backbone networks or network servers.

Claims

1. A tiered bus system comprising a plurality of first buses, each said first bus for interconnecting a first set of communications equipment, and a second bus for interconnecting a second set of communication equipment with said first set of communication equipment, each said first bus comprising at least two independent parallel buses and said second bus comprising at least two independent serial buses and wherein both packet mode and circuit mode digital bits are communicated over said buses in one of two directions, a transmit direction and a receive direction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said buses are unidirectional and oppositely directed.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein some of the bits carry user data between units of the equipment and all units in the system convert user data into a standard format and in the receive direction convert the data into appropriate physical and frame format.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a contention mechanism is provided to avoid collision of digital bits.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the digital bits are formatted into cells and assigned a priority as part of the contention mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third bus coupled to one of said first buses for interconnecting a gateway device for transmitting and receiving user data to and from users.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the third bus is a coaxial cable.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the user data includes telephony and video services.

6. A system of tiered communication buses comprising:

a plurality of first buses carrying digital bits at a first rate, each said first bus comprising at least two independent parallel buses, and a plurality of second buses carrying digital bits at a second rate, each said second bus comprising at least two independent serial buses, said first buses interconnected to said second buses and wherein both packet mode and circuit mode digital bits are communicated over said buses in one of two directions, a transmit direction and a receive direction.