System and method for detecting correcting and discarding corrupted data packets in a cable data delivery system

• US 6,052,819 A
• Filed: 04/11/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barker, James E, Sedacca, David A., Hrastar, Scott E., Merrill, Todd A., Bowcutt, Roy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOISE, EMMANUEL LIONEL
• Application Number:
  US08/835,966
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 348/12, 370/77, 370/404, 370/469, 370/473, 370/474, 370/475, 370/476, 714/776, 714/752
• US Class Current: 714/776
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/84 which are fixed telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2863 Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 : involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method for transporting digital data from a sender to a receiver in a system where the digital data is broken into data packets for transmission over radio frequency channels, each data packet including forward error-correcting code, the method comprising the steps of receiving the data packets at the receiver; reconstructing the data packets to the digital data, the forward error-correcting code for fixing corrupted data packets; and halting the data packet reconstructing step if a data packet is uncorrectable.

Claims

1. A method for transporting digital data from a sender to a receiver in a system where the digital data is broken into data packets for transmission over radio frequency channels, each data packet including forward error-correcting code, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the data packets at the receiver;

reconstructing the data packets to the digital data, said forward error-correcting code for fixing corrupted data packets; and

halting the data packet reconstructing step if a data packet is uncorrectable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packets are modulated for transmission over the radio frequency channels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving step further comprises the step of demodulating the data packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises the step of tuning one of the radio frequency channels for reading the data packets.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the tuning step further comprises the step of reading destination addresses of the data packets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconstructing step further comprises the step of decoding the data packets.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconstructing step further comprises the step of determining whether the data packets contain errors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of storing error free data packets in a packet FIFO and storing error data packets in a fixit FIFO.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reconstructing step further comprises the step of fixing error data packets by using said forward error-correcting code.

10. An apparatus for transporting digital data from a sender to a receiver in a system where the digital data is broken into data packets for transmission over radio frequency channels, each data packet including forward error-correcting code, the apparatus comprising:

a tuner for receiving the data packets at the receiver;

a decoder for reconstructing the data packets to the digital data, said forward error-correcting code for fixing corrupted data packets; and

means for halting said decoder from reconstructing the data packets if a data packet is uncorrectable.