Logical node identification in an information transmission network

• US 8,289,993 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Yong Ho Jr., Rajdev, Nikhil Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US11/683,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20070147418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/5.1, 725/92, 725/114, 725/116, 348/7, 348/12, 370/468, 370/351
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/103 using a shared central buffer; using a shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64 Addressing network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system for generating and sending a Logical Node identification signal as part of a data stream is disclosed. The system also includes subscriber stations capable of receiving and extracting Logical Node identification information from a data stream. The subscriber stations create new messages including the Logical Node identification signal and send the message to the transmission network system control, such that switching of data streams to an appropriate channel over the information transmission network is done consistent with the network topology.

Claims

1. An apparatus for responding to a program request, the apparatus comprising:

a modulator;

a session control manager;

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

periodically provide a logical node identifier to a plurality of remote stations including a requesting remote station, wherein the logical node identifier identifies a correspondence between a hub having the plurality of remote stations and the session control manager, and

wherein the session control manager, responsive to the program request from the requesting remote station, is configured to provide frequency and packet identification numbers (PIDs), indicative of a requested program, to the modulator, and

wherein the modulator is configured to transmit the requested program for receipt by the requesting remote station, and

wherein the session control manager is configured to receive the logical node identifier from the requesting remote station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the session control manager is configured to select a channel on which the requested program is transmitted using the logical node identifier received from the requesting remote station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

memory storing a mapping between the requesting remote station and the selected channel on which the transmission of the requested program occurs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a combiner configured to determine the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager using the logical node identifier received from the remote station.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the session control manager, responsive to another program request from the requesting remote station, is configured to provide frequency and PIDs indicative of the another requested program to the requesting remote station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the modulator is configured to transmit the another requested program for receipt by the requesting remote station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a remote station coupled to the apparatus by a network, a request for a program;

assign a channel for transmission of the requested program to the requesting remote station;

transmit, to the requesting remote station, a unique identifier for the requested program;

transmit, to the requesting remote station and a network controller, a logical identifier that uniquely identifies the network controller as the network controller corresponding to the requesting remote station; and

transmit, to the requesting remote station, the requested program in response to receiving, from the requesting remote station, a message indicating the logical identifier,

wherein, the apparatus is configured to connect to the network controller via at least one channel having a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the second bandwidth being lower than the first bandwidth.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a master session control manager configured to receive the message indicating the logical identifier and associate the requesting remote station with a logical node, wherein the logical node is identified by the logical identifier.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a master session control manager configured to assign one of a plurality of other session control managers to cause transmission of the program identifier, the logical identifier and the requested program in response to receiving the request for the program.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the master session control manager is configured to cause a corresponding one of the other session control managers to transmit requested programs to the requesting remote station using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote station.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the master session control manager is configured to select a modulator and a channel for transmitting requested programs to the remote station using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote station.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the master session control manager is configured to switch, using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote station, from a first modulator and a first channel for transmitting requested programs to the remote station to a second modulator and a second channel for transmitting requested programs to the remote station.

13. The apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

provide the unique identifier for the requested program; and

generate the logical identifier transmitted to the remote station,

wherein the apparatus further comprises a combiner configured to combine the unique identifier and the logical identifier for transmission to the remote station.

14. A method comprising:

providing a logical node identifier to a plurality of remote stations including a requesting remote station, wherein the logical node identifier identifies a correspondence between a hub having the plurality of remote stations and a session control manager;

responsive to a program request from the requesting remote station, transmitting, by a computing device having at least one processor, frequency and packet identification numbers (PIDs) to the requesting remote station, wherein the frequency and PIDs are indicative of the requested program;

receiving the logical node identifier from the requesting remote station; and

transmitting the requested program for receipt by the requesting remote station.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a channel for transmitting the requested program using the logical node identifier received from the remote station.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing a mapping between the requesting remote station and the selected channel.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager using the logical node identifier received from the remote station.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

responsive to another program request from the requesting remote station, transmitting frequency and PIDs indicative of the another requested program to the requesting remote station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting the another requested program to the requesting remote station using the correspondence between the hub corresponding to the requesting remote station and the session control manager.