MPEG frame add/drop multiplexer with bandwidth controller
First Claim
1. A circuit for combining bit streams from different sources onto a common channel in a cable network, comprising:
- a multiplexer having a first input receiving a first bit stream from a first data source with a selectable guaranteed minimum percentage of idles, a second input receiving data from a second source, and an output generating a multiplexed bit stream from the first and second source onto a common channel on the cable network; and
an output controller monitoring the first bit stream and enabling the multiplexer to insert data from the second source over idles detected in the first bit stream, the selectable minimum percentage of idles in the first bit stream providing the second source with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth for broadcasting data on the cable network.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An add/drop multiplexer in a cable network multiplexes data from different sources together on a common cable television channel without corrupting MPEG time stamps. An idle insertion circuit coupled to a first data source inserts, if necessary, a selectable guaranteed minimum number of idle frames into a first bit stream. If the number of naturally occurring idle frames is above the guaranteed minimum number, the idle insertion circuit does not force idle frames into the first bit stream. A multiplexer is coupled between the idle insertion circuit and a second data source and replaces data with idles in the first bit stream from the second data source. The idles inserted into the bit stream are used to control the amount of bandwidth allocated to the second data source.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A circuit for combining bit streams from different sources onto a common channel in a cable network, comprising:
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a multiplexer having a first input receiving a first bit stream from a first data source with a selectable guaranteed minimum percentage of idles, a second input receiving data from a second source, and an output generating a multiplexed bit stream from the first and second source onto a common channel on the cable network; and
an output controller monitoring the first bit stream and enabling the multiplexer to insert data from the second source over idles detected in the first bit stream, the selectable minimum percentage of idles in the first bit stream providing the second source with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth for broadcasting data on the cable network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A circuit for combining bit streams from different sources onto a common channel in a cable network, comprising:
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a multiplexer having a first input receiving a first bit stream from a first data source with a selectable guaranteed minimum percentage of idles, a second input receiving data from a second source, and an output generating a multiplexed bit stream from the first and second source onto a common channel on the cable network;
an output controller monitoring the first bit stream and enabling the multiplexer to insert data from the second source over idles detected in the first bit stream, the selectable minimum percentage of idles in the first bit stream providing the second source with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth for broadcasting data on the cable network; and
an idle insertion circuit that inserts the selectable minimum percentage of idles into the first bit stream, wherein the idle insertion circuit includes the following;
an MPEG framer receiving both time stamps from a time stamp generator and data packets from a packet queue and outputting the first bit stream;
a counter circuit coupled to the MPEG framer for counting frames in the first bit stream and initiating the MPEG framer to insert a predetermined number of idles in the first bit stream; and
a masking circuit coupled between the counter and the MPEG framer preventing the MPEG framer from inserting idles when time stamps occur in t first bit stream. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A preconditioning circuit for generating a bit stream on a cable network, comprising:
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a packet queue containing data packets from a data source;
a time stamp generator generating time stamps establishing time references in the bit stream;
an idle insertion circuit coupled to both the packet queue and the time stamp generator that generates the bit stream by combining the data packets with the time stamps while guaranteeing a selectable minimum number of idle frames. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
a modulator for modulating the bit stream into an intermediate frequency; and
a frequency converter for converting the intermediate frequency into a cable TV channel frequency.
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13. A preconditioning circuit according to claim 12 including a cable TV link coupled to the idle insertion circuit for carrying the bit stream to multiple cable modems in remote cable TV subscriber locations.
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11. A preconditioning circuit for generating a bit stream on a cable network, comprising:
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a packet queue containing data packets from a data source;
a time stamp generator generating time stamps establishing time references in the bit stream; and
an idle insertion circuit coupled to both the packet queue and the time stamp generator that generates the bit stream by combining the data packets with the time stamps while guaranteeing a selectable minimum number of idle frames, wherein the idle insertion circuit includes the following;
a framer coupled to both the time stamp generator and the data queue and outputting a bit stream;
a counter coupled to the framer; and
a masking circuit coupled between the counter and the framer preventing the framer from inserting the idle frames over the time stamps. - View Dependent Claims (14)
a multiplexer multiplexing data packets from a second data source with the bit stream from the idle insertion circuit; and
a data output controller monitoring the bit stream from the idle insertion circuit and enabling the second source to output data through the multiplexer when idles appear in the bit stream.
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15. A cable network, comprising:
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a first data source generating a first bit stream;
a second data source generating data packets;
a cable link coupling the first data source to the second data source;
an idle insertion circuit coupled to the first data source that inserts a minimum number of idle bits into the first bit stream;
a multiplexer circuit coupled between the idle insertion circuit and the second data source replacing idle bits in the first bit stream with data packets from the second data source, the minimum number of idle bits guaranteeing the second data source a minimum amount of bandwidth on the cable network. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for multiplexing multiple MPEG bit streams onto a common TV channel in a television cable network, comprising:
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counting occurrences of MPEG frames in an MPEG bit stream;
identifying when a predetermined number of the MPEG frames have occurred in the MPEG bit stream;
detecting whether a time stamp exists in a next MPEG frame in the MPEG bit stream;
inserting an MPEG idle frame into the next MPEG frame when the predetermined number of MPEG frames have occurred and the time stamp is not detected; and
replacing idle frames in the MPEG bit stream with data packets from a second data source thereby forming a multiplexed MPEG bit stream and guaranteeing the second source a guaranteed portion of the multiplexed MPEG bit stream. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A method for multiplexing multiple MPEG bit streams onto a common TV channel in a television cable network, comprising:
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counting occurrences of MPEG frames in an MPEG bit stream;
identifying when a predetermined number of the MPEG frames have occurred in the MPEG bit stream;
detecting whether a time stamp exists in a next MPEG frame in the MPEG bit stream;
inserting an MPEG idle fame into the next MPEG frame when the predetermined number of MPEG frames have occurred and the time stamp is not detected;
replacing idle frames in the MPEG bit stream with data packets from a second data source thereby forming a multiplexed MPEG bit stream and guaranteeing the second source a guaranteed portion of the multiplexed MPEG bit stream;
inserting the MPEG idle frame after the next MPEG time frame when the time stamp is the next MPEG time frame;
modulating the multiplexed MPEG bit stream onto a TV channel;
transmitting the modulated MPEG bit stream on the cable television network to multiple cable modems at remote subscriber locations;
demodulating the modulated MPEG bit stream at the subscriber locations;
sending the demodulated MPEG bit stream from the first source and demodulated data packets from the second source over a LAN to a personal computer.
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21. An electronic storage medium containing computer executable software for multiplexing multiple bit streams onto a common channel in a television cable network, comprising:
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code for counting occurrences of frames in a bit stream;
code for identifying when a predetermined number of the frames have occurred in the bit stream;
code for detecting whether a time stamp exists in a next frame in the bit stream;
code for inserting an idle frame into the next frame when the predetermined number of frames have occurred and the time stamp is not detected; and
code for replacing idle frames in the bit stream with data packets from a second data source thereby forming a multiplexed bit stream and guaranteeing the second source a guaranteed portion of the multiplexed bit stream. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
code for modulating the multiplexed bit stream onto a channel;
code for transmitting the modulated bit stream on the television cable television network to multiple cable modems at remote subscriber locations;
code for demodulating the modulated bit stream at the subscriber locations; and
code for sending the demodulated bit stream from the first source and demodulated data packets from the second source to an endpoint.
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24. A system for multiplexing multiple bit streams onto a common channel in a television cable network, comprising:
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means for counting occurrences of frames in a bit stream;
means for identifying when a predetermined number of the frames have occurred in the bit stream;
means for detecting whether a time stamp exists in a next frame in the bit stream;
means for inserting an idle frame into the next frame when the predetermined number of frames have occurred and the time stamp is not detected; and
means for replacing idle frames in the bit stream with data packets from a second data source thereby forming a multiplexed bit stream and guaranteeing the second source a guaranteed portion of the multiplexed bit stream. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
means for modulating the multiplexed bit stream onto a channel;
means for transmitting the modulated bit stream on the cable television network to multiple cable modems at remote subscriber locations;
means for demodulating the modulated bit stream at the subscriber locations; and
means for sending the demodulated bit stream from the first source and demodulated data packets from the second source to an endpoint.
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27. A system for combining bit streams from different sources onto a common channel, comprising:
a circuit having a first input receiving a first bit stream from a first data source with a selectable guaranteed minimum percentage of idles, a second input receiving data from a second source, and an output generating a multiplexed bit stream from the first and second source onto a common channel on a cable network, the circuit monitoring the first bit stream and enabling the insertion of data from the second source over idles detected in the first bit stream, the selectable minimum percentage of idles in the first bit stream providing the second source with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth for broadcasting data on the channel. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A cable modem, comprising:
a circuit for receiving a multiplexed bit stream on a common channel on a cable network, the multiplexed bit stream having a first bit stream from a first data source with a selectable guaranteed minimum percentage of idles and data from a second source, data from the second source inserted over idles detected in the first bit stream and the selectable minimum percentage of idles in the first bit stream providing the second source with a guaranteed minimum bandwidth for broadcasting data on the cable network. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
Specification