Method and system for providing a return data path for legacy terminals by using existing electrical waveguides of a structure

• US 7,146,104 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Solutions, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wave7 Optics, Inc. (Enablence Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Farmer, James O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US10/418,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20030194241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 398/92, 398/115, 398/117, 398 66- 73
• US Class Current: 398/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0232 for downstream transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0238 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-many, e.g. multicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/028 WDM bus architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0286 WDM hierarchical architectures
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6156 specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 Adaptations for optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface

Abstract

A return path may include a modem pair that is coupled to existing electrical waveguides in a structure such as a house or office building. Specifically, a first modem of the modem pair may be coupled to a first end of a coaxial cable and to a video service terminal. A second modem of the modem pair may be coupled to a second end of the coaxial cable and a data interface. The first modem can modulate video control return packets onto an RF carrier that is propagated over the coaxial cable to the second modem. The video control return packets can be formatted as Ethernet type packets. The second modem can demodulate the RF carrier to extract the video control return packets and to forward these packets towards a data service hub.

Claims

1. A method for providing a return path for signals in an optical network system comprising the following steps in seriatim:

receiving one of upstream electrical video control digital information packets and first data packets, the video control digital information packets and first data packets comprising Ethernet packets;

modulating the packets on a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a first RF modem that is positioned within a building, the step of modulating further comprises determining if video control digital information packets have been received and activating a switch in response to detecting video control digital information packets;

propagating the RF carrier on an electrical waveguide comprising a coaxial cables positioned within the building;

receiving the RF carrier with a second RF modem positioned at one of within the building and attached to the building;

demodulating the RF carrier with the second RF modem, the second RF modem demodulating the RF carrier into at least one of the upstream electrical video control digital information packets and the first data packets;

combining at least one of the upstream electrical video control digital information packets and the first data packets with second data packets prior to a data service hub, the second data packets comprising Ethernet packets;

after combining at least one of the upstream electrical video control digital information packets and the first data packets with second data packets, converting the combined packets into the optical domain; and

propagating the optical packets over an optical waveguide outside of the building towards the data service hub.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating upstream electrical video control digital information packets with a video services terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating upstream first data packets with a computer.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising converting the optical packets from an optical domain to the electrical domain at the data service hub.

5. A method for communicating information from a subscriber to a data service hub, comprising the following steps in seriatim:

generating electrical Ethernet packets;

modulating the electrical Ethernet packets onto a radio-frequency (RF) carrier with a first RF modem positioned within a structure, the step of modulating further comprises determining if video control digital information packets formatted as Ethernet packets have been received and activating a switch in response to detecting video control digital information packets;

propagating the RF carrier containing the electrical Ethernet packets over a coaxial cable positioned within the structure;

demodulating the RF carrier containing the electrical Ethernet packets with a second RF modem positioned at one of within the structure and attached to the structure;

combining the electrical Ethernet packets with electrical Ethernet packets from different sources with a logic device;

after combining the electrical Ethernet packets with electrical Ethernet packets from different sources with the logic device, converting the combined electrical Ethernet packets into an optical domain prior to a data service hub; and

propagating the combined Ethernet packets over a single optical waveguide and outside of the structure towards the data service hub.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating electrical Ethernet packet comprises generating electrical Ethernet packets with one of a video services terminal and a computer.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising converting the combined Ethernet packets from an optical domain to the electrical domain at the data service hub.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein combining the electrical Ethernet packets with electrical Ethernet packets from different sources with a logic device further comprises combining the electrical Ethernet packets with electrical Ethernet packets from different sources with a microprocessor.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the combining at least one of the upstream electrical video control digital information packets and the first data packets with second data packets prior to a data service hub further comprises combining electrical Ethernet packets with electrical Ethernet packets from different sources using a microprocessor.