Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to DSLAMs

• US 8,144,721 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wan, Albert Chungbor, Ansari, Ahmad, Hartman, David, Yasrebi, Mehrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US11/874,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20080080537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/401, 370/432, 370/390, 370/328, 370/901, 370/902, 709/238, 709/204, 709/245, 709/223, 725/148, 725/118, 725/109, 725/129, 348/384.1
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0042 Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/008 Support of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0083 Support of the IP protocol
• 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 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/902 Packet switching

Abstract

A system includes a broadcast overlay network including a ring topology. The ring topology includes a first network ring and a second network ring that is coupled to the first network ring via at least one cross-connect element. The ring topology is adapted to carry broadcast traffic from a network. The system also includes a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) having a line interface and a network interface. The network interface is in communication with the broadcast overlay network via the second network ring. The DSLAM is adapted to receive a request for a particular video channel from a customer premise via the line interface and to deliver the particular video channel from the network interface to the line interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first network that is a broadcast overlay network comprising a ring topology, wherein the broadcast overlay network is associated with a service provider and dedicated to carrying broadcast traffic of a plurality of channels from a head-end network to egress add-drop multiplexers;

a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) having a line interfaced-and a network interface, and coupled to a particular egress add-drop multiplexer of the broadcast overlay network, wherein the particular egress add-drop multiplexer is a routing device for the plurality of channels for the digital subscriber line multiplexer, wherein the digital subscriber line access multiplexer functions as a routing point that receives a request for a particular video channel from a customer premise via the line interface and delivers the particular video channel, acquired from the particular egress add-drop multiplexer, via the network interface to the line interface without propagation of the request to other routing devices;

a second network coupled to the digital subscriber line access multiplexer to accommodate unicast traffic to and from the customer premise and a computer network, wherein the second network is associated with the service provider; and

a third network coupled to the digital subscriber line access multiplexer to accommodate unicast traffic to and from the customer premise and the head-end network, wherein the third network is associated with the service provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital subscriber line access multiplexer determines the availability of the particular video channel based at least in part on data provided by the request.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data comprises at least one of a group address and a class-D internet protocol address.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an internet group management protocol request message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast overlay network comprises a synchronous optical network ring.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the synchronous optical network ring comprises an ingress add-drop multiplexer, the ingress add-drop multiplexer to receive multiple broadcast video contents from the head-end network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ring topology comprises a first network ring and a second network ring that is coupled to the first network ring via at least one cross-connect element.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the third network supports interactive television and video on demand services.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, via a line interface of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer, a request for a particular video channel from a customer premise equipment, wherein a particular egress add-drop multiplexer of a first network that is a broadcast overlay network that carries a plurality of channels from a video head-end to a plurality of egress add-drop multiplexers is a routing device for the digital subscriber line access multiplexer;

receiving particular media content associated with the particular video channel from the particular egress add-drop multiplexer at the digital subscriber line access multiplexer without propagation of the request to other routing devices;

sending the particular media content associated with the particular video channel received at the digital subscriber line access multiplexer to the customer premise equipment via the line interface;

transmitting unicast traffic between the customer premise equipment and a computer network via the digital subscriber line access multiplexer and a second network associated with a service provider; and

transmitting unicast traffic between the customer premise equipment and the video head- end via the digital subscriber line access multiplexer and a third network associated with the service provider.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining an availability of the particular video channel based on data provided by the request, wherein the data comprises a group address or a class-D internet protocol address.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the broadcast overlay network comprises the egress add-drop multiplexer in communication with a network interface of the digital subscriber line access multiplexer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the request comprises an internet group management protocol request message.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular media content is delivered as broadcast traffic, wherein the broadcast traffic comprises one or more internet protocol multicast envelopes.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from a customer premise via the line interface, a unicast request for a destination in the video head-end; and

sending the unicast request to the second network.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, via the line interface, a unicast request for a destination in the video head-end; and

sending the unicast request to a dedicated data network separate from the broadcast overlay network and the second network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dedicated data network comprises a virtual private network.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from a customer premise via the line interface, a unicast request for a destination in the video head-end; and

sending the unicast request to one of the second network and a dedicated data network based at least in part on a policy decision, wherein the dedicated data network comprises a network that is separate from the broadcast overlay network and separate from the second network.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from the video head-end, unicast traffic whose intended destination is a customer premise via the second network; and

directing the unicast traffic to the customer premise via the line interface.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the ring topology comprises at least a first network ring and a second network ring, wherein the first network ring and the second network ring are coupled via at least one cross-connect element.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the second network comprises a legacy digital subscriber line data network.