Method and system for controlling a back-up network adapter in a local collection facility from a remote facility

• US 8,724,635 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: St. Laurent, Darren M., Miner, Daniel M., Boltz, David T., Ostrom, Carl D., Wasden, Mitchell B.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US11/854,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.2, 370/395.1, 370/395.6, 370/465, 370/535
• US Class Current: 370/395.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/54 Store-and-forward switching systems packet switching systems H04L45/00, H04L47/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5608 Satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5664 Support of Video, e.g. MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/405 Physical details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane of ATM switches

Abstract

A system and method suitable for processing television signals includes a local collection facility that has a plurality of receivers receiving a plurality of channel signals, a plurality of encoders generating a first plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals, a multiplexer multiplexing the first plurality of encoded signals at a multiplexer to form first multiplexed signals, an ATM switch forming a primary ATM circuit between the local collection facility and the remote facility, and an ATM network adapter forming first ATM cells from the multiplexed signals and communicating the first ATM cells to a remote facility through the primary ATM circuit and the ATM switch. The system also includes a remote facility that includes a monitoring system generating control signals to tear down the primary ATM circuit and communicating the control signal to tear down the primary ATM circuit to the local collection facility.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of channel signals;

generating a first plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signal at a local collection facility;

multiplexing the first plurality of encoded signals at a multiplexer to form first multiplexed signals;

forming a primary asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) circuit between the local collection facility and a remote facility;

forming first ATM cells from the multiplexed signals;

communicating the first ATM cells to the remote facility through the primary ATM circuit;

generating control signals to tear down the primary ATM circuit at the remote facility;

communicating the control signal to tear down the primary ATM circuit to the local collection facility;

tearing down the primary ATM circuit;

multiplexing a second plurality of encoded signals at the multiplexer to form second multiplexed signals;

forming a secondary ATM circuit between the local collection facility and the remote facility;

forming secondary ATM cells from the second multiplexed signals;

communicating the secondary ATM cells to the remote facility through the secondary ATM circuit; and

generating an output signal at the remote facility in response to the secondary ATM signals.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the secondary ATM cells comprises communicating the secondary ATM cells through a network adapter.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the secondary ATM cells comprises communicating the secondary ATM cells through a network adapter and an ATM switch.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the secondary ATM cells comprises communicating the secondary ATM cells through a network.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the network comprises an ATM network.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating an output signal comprises receiving the secondary ATM cells at a remote ATM switch in the remote facility to form a remote ATM signal;

forming a serial signal at a remote network adapter from the remote ATM cell; and

forming a transport signal from the serial signal.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising modulating the transport signal to form a modulated signal.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising uplinking the modulated signal to a satellite.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising uplinking the output signal to a satellite.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a plurality of channel signals comprises receiving a plurality of digital television channel signals.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the control signal comprises communicating the control signal from a monitoring system.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating control signals to tear down the primary ATM circuit comprises generating control signals to tear down the primary ATM circuit from a monitoring system at the remote facility.

13. A system comprising:

a local collection facility comprising;

a plurality of receivers receiving a plurality of channel signals;

a plurality of encoders generating a first plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals;

a multiplexer multiplexing the first plurality of encoded signals at a multiplexer to form first multiplexed signals;

an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch forming a primary ATM circuit between the local collection facility and a remote facility;

an ATM network adapter forming first ATM cells from the multiplexed signals and communicating the first ATM cells to the remote facility through the primary ATM circuit and the ATM switch; and

a remote facility comprising a monitoring system generating control signals to tear down the primary ATM circuit and communicating the control signal to tear down the primary ATM circuit to the local collection facility,

said ATM switch tearing down the primary ATM circuit in response thereto;

said multiplexer multiplexing a second plurality of encoded signals at the multiplexer to form second multiplexed signals;

said ATM network adapter and said ATM switch forming a secondary ATM circuit between the local collection facility and the remote facility and forming secondary ATM cells from the second multiplexed signals, and communicating the secondary ATM cells to the remote facility through the secondary ATM circuit; and

said remote facility generating an output signal at the remote facility in response to the secondary ATM cells.

14. A system as recited in claim 13 further comprising an ATM network in communication with the remote facility through a network.

15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein further comprising a remote network adapter forming a serial signal from the first ATM cells.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising a transport processing system forming a transport signal from the serial signal.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a modulator modulating the transport signal to form a modulated signal.

18. A system as recited in claim 17 further comprising an uplink system uplinking the modulated signal to a satellite.

19. A system as recited in claim 13 further comprising an uplinking system uplinking the output signal to a satellite.

20. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein the plurality of channel signals comprises digital television channel signals.

21. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein the plurality of channel signals comprises high definition television channel signals.

22. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein the local collection facility comprises a plurality of local collection facilities in communication with the remote facility.

23. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein the plurality of receivers comprises a plurality of receiver decoders.

24. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein the plurality of encoders comprises a plurality of Motion Picture Expert Group 4 encoders.