Broadband local area network
DCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. A Broadband Coaxial Network (“
- BCN”
), comprising;
a first BCN modem in signal communication with a coaxial cable network (“
CCN”
), the first BCN modem including a first controller; and
a second BCN modem in signal communication with the CCN including a second controller,wherein each of the first and second controllers is configured to probe at least one respective communication link connecting that controller directly to at least one other BCN modem and to adjust transmission power and bit loading over the at least one respective communication link based on a result of the probe;
wherein one of the first and second BCN modems is a network controller providing information allowing the admission of other BCN modems to the CCN based on an authorization;
wherein one of the other BCN modems transmits an admission request signal to the network controller using an admission area, wherein if a collision occurs in the admission request, the network controller resolves the collision and enables the colliding BCN modem to access the admission area at a different time, and if no collision occurs, the admission is achieved in response to the admission request signal;
wherein the network controller transmits a probe signal to a plurality of slave BCN modems through a channel path, the plurality of slave BCN modems determine a set of transmission characteristics of the channel path, each of the plurality of slave BCN modems determines a bit-loaded modulation scheme of the channel path in response to the set of transmission characteristics and informs the bit-loaded modulation scheme to the network controller, the network controller determines a common bit-loaded modulation scheme based on the bit-loaded modulation scheme and broadcasts the common bit-loaded modulation scheme to the plurality of slave BCN modems; and
wherein the BCN provides both best effort capabilities in which short term requests are made and time allocation grants to transmit packets received by a BCN modem, and reserved communications capabilities in which long term requests are made and a specific allocation is granted for a certain data rate.
9 Assignments
Litigations
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
A BCN network with BCN modems that enable network wired devices to communicate over a typical home coaxial network that may include passive splitters and different types of coaxial cable.
33 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A Broadband Coaxial Network (“
- BCN”
), comprising;a first BCN modem in signal communication with a coaxial cable network (“
CCN”
), the first BCN modem including a first controller; anda second BCN modem in signal communication with the CCN including a second controller, wherein each of the first and second controllers is configured to probe at least one respective communication link connecting that controller directly to at least one other BCN modem and to adjust transmission power and bit loading over the at least one respective communication link based on a result of the probe; wherein one of the first and second BCN modems is a network controller providing information allowing the admission of other BCN modems to the CCN based on an authorization; wherein one of the other BCN modems transmits an admission request signal to the network controller using an admission area, wherein if a collision occurs in the admission request, the network controller resolves the collision and enables the colliding BCN modem to access the admission area at a different time, and if no collision occurs, the admission is achieved in response to the admission request signal; wherein the network controller transmits a probe signal to a plurality of slave BCN modems through a channel path, the plurality of slave BCN modems determine a set of transmission characteristics of the channel path, each of the plurality of slave BCN modems determines a bit-loaded modulation scheme of the channel path in response to the set of transmission characteristics and informs the bit-loaded modulation scheme to the network controller, the network controller determines a common bit-loaded modulation scheme based on the bit-loaded modulation scheme and broadcasts the common bit-loaded modulation scheme to the plurality of slave BCN modems; and wherein the BCN provides both best effort capabilities in which short term requests are made and time allocation grants to transmit packets received by a BCN modem, and reserved communications capabilities in which long term requests are made and a specific allocation is granted for a certain data rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 28)
- BCN”
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8. A Broadband Coaxial Network (“
- BCN”
) for communicating on an in-building coaxial cable network (“
CCN”
), comprising;a first BCN modem connected to a coaxial cable network (“
CCN”
) and included in a plurality of BCN modems in the BCN network, the first BCN modem including a controller having communication links to ones of the plurality of BCN modems and configured to manage data transmission between each of the BCN modems in the BCN network; andanother of the plurality of BCN modems connected to the CCN and capable of signal communication with the first BCN modem including a second controller having communication links to ones of the plurality of BCN modems, wherein each of the controllers is configured to periodically probe each of their communication links to other BCN modems and to adjust transmission power over each of the communication links based on the probe through orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and bit-loading; wherein the first controller establishes the first BCN modem as a network controller (NC) upon connection to the CCN, the network controller configured to coordinate the assignment of time slots during which data transmission between each of the BCN modems connected to the CCN occur, the BCN provides both best effort capabilities in which short term requests are made by at least one BCN modem and time allocation grants to transmit packets are provided by the first BCN modem, and reserved communications capabilities in which long term requests are made by at least one BCN modem and a specific allocation is granted for a certain data rate by the first BCN modem; wherein the NC is providing information allowing the admission of other BCN modems to the CCN based on an authorization; wherein one of the other BCN modems transmits an admission request signal to the network controller using an admission area, wherein if a collision occurs in the admission request, the network controller resolves the collision and enables the colliding BCN modem to access the admission area at a different time, and if no collision occurs, the admission is achieved in response to the admission request signal; and wherein the network controller transmits a probe signal to a plurality of slave BCN modems through a channel path, the plurality of slave BCN modems determine a set of transmission characteristics of the channel path, each of the plurality of slave BCN modems determines a bit-loaded modulation scheme of the channel path in response to the set of transmission characteristics and informs the bit-loaded modulation scheme to the network controller, the network controller determines a common bit-loaded modulation scheme based on the bit-loaded modulation scheme and broadcasts the common bit-loaded modulation scheme to the plurality of slave BCN modems. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- BCN”
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27. A network device, comprising:
-
a communication interface configured to connect to a broadband coaxial network (“
BCN”
); anda controller in signal communication with the communication interface, the controller configured to; periodically probe a communication link to another network device to determine a characteristic of the communication link; use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and bit-loading to adjust transmissions over each communication link based in part on the probe; manage data transmission between each network device connected to the BCN by assigning time slots during which data transmission between each of the network devices occur; provide both best effort capabilities in which short term requests are made by at least one BCN modem and time allocation grants to transmit packets are provided by the controller, and reserved communications capabilities in which long term requests are made by at least one BCN modem and a specific allocation is granted for a certain data rate by the controller; and provide information allowing the admission of other BCN modems to the CCN based on an authorization; wherein one of the other BCN modems transmits an admission request signal to the controller using an admission area, wherein if a collision occurs in the admission request, the controller resolves the collision and enables the colliding BCN modem to access the admission area at a different time, and if no collision occurs, the admission is achieved in response to the admission request signal; wherein the controller transmits a probe signal to a plurality of slave BCN modems through a channel path, the plurality of slave BCN modems determine a set of transmission characteristics of the channel path, each of the plurality of slave BCN modems determines a bit-loaded modulation scheme of the channel path in response to the set of transmission characteristics and informs the bit-loaded modulation scheme to the controller, the controller determines a common bit-loaded modulation scheme based on the bit-loaded modulation scheme and broadcasts the common bit-loaded modulation scheme to the plurality of slave BCN modems.
-
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29. A broadcasting method within a Broadband Coaxial Network (“
- BCN”
), comprising;a transmitting node transmitting a probe signal to a plurality of receiving nodes; the transmitting node receiving a plurality of response signals comprising a plurality of bit-loading modulation schemes from the plurality of receiving nodes, wherein each of the plurality of receiving nodes receives the probe signal through a corresponding channel path, determines transmission characteristics of the corresponding channel path, determines a bit-loading modulation scheme for the corresponding channel path based on the transmission characteristics, and transmits a response signal to the transmitting node informing the transmitting node of the bit-loading modulation scheme for the corresponding channel path; the transmitting node comparing the plurality of bit-loading modulation schemes to determine a common bit-loading modulation scheme; and the transmitting node transmitting a broadcast signal relaying the common bit-loading modulation scheme to the plurality of receiving nodes. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
- BCN”
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34. A Broadband Coaxial Network (“
- BCN”
) comprisinga first BCN modem comprising a first controller; and a plurality of BCN modems comprising a plurality of controllers; wherein the first controller is configured to transmit a probe signal to the plurality of controllers, receive a plurality of response signals comprising a plurality of bit-loading modulation schemes from the plurality of controllers, wherein each of the plurality of controllers is configured to receive the probe signal through a corresponding channel path, determine transmission characteristics of the corresponding channel path, determine a bit-loading modulation scheme for the corresponding channel path based on the transmission characteristics, and transmit a response signal to the first controller informing the first controller of the bit-loading modulation scheme for the corresponding channel path, compare the plurality of bit-loading modulation schemes to determine a common bit-loading modulation scheme, and transmit a broadcast signal relaying the common bit-loading modulation scheme to the plurality of controllers. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
- BCN”
Specification