Broadband multi-drop local network, interface and method for multimedia access

• US 8,837,514 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernard F. Bareis
• Original Assignee: Bernard F. Bareis
• Inventors: Bareis, Bernard F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US13/663,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 370/285, 370/300, 370/401, 370/420, 370/419, 370/485, 370/445, 370/257, 370/356
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/13 in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

A broadband multi-drop local network, interface and method for multimedia access. A local network architecture include a wired bus coupleable directly to an external data network terminal and configured for carrying broadband packetized data traffic over a frequency spectrum uninterrupted by other defined data channels or services; and one or a plurality of network transceivers operable individually for coupling an addressable network device processing a defined class of information to the bus wherein each network appliance is configured for and further operable for providing communication interfacing of the class of information of each addressable network appliance with the packetized IP data traffic on the wired bus.

Claims

1. A method for communication over a multidrop local network that includes a network mesh for receiving a plurality of multidrop network devices and the network having an operating bandwidth that determines the maximum rate of packet transfer between devices disposed on the network, comprising the steps of:

disposing a plurality of multidrop network devices on the network;

defining the operating data rate for each of the multidrop local network devices on the network and the bandwidth required for the operation of each of the network devices such that the required number of data packets per unit time can be received thereby;

allocating with a network controller on the multidrop local network a portion of the available bandwidth to each of the multidrop network devices as reserved bandwidth, wherein the step of allocating with the network controller comprises;

providing a central controller interfaced with the multidrop local network, and

allocating with the central controller the available bandwidth ; and

denying access to an added multidrop network device when the required bandwidth thereby exceeds the reserved bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining comprises the step of manually setting the data rate of at least one of the multidrop network devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining comprises the step of adjusting the data rate of at least one of the multidrop network devices to the data rate of another of the multidrop network devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining comprises the steps of:

each of the multidrop network devices communicating with each of the other of the multidrop network devices and determining the maximum data rate for communication therewith; and

setting the maximum data rate of the multidrop local network to the lowest data rate determined by any one of the multidrop network devices that is required to communicate with all of the rest of the multidrop network devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multidrop network devices has the capability to alter its bandwidth and transmit/receive more or less packets of data to/from the multidrop local network and at least one of the other of the multidrop network devices has the capability of requesting a higher or lower bandwidth from the at least one of the multidrop network devices and further comprising the steps of:

sending a request for a change in bandwidth from the other of the multidrop network devices to the at least one of the multidrop network devices to alter its bandwidth;

receiving by the at least one of the multidrop network devices the request for an alteration in bandwidth;

the at least one of the multidrop network devices altering its bandwidth; and

reallocating with the network controller the reserved amount of local network bandwidth for all or select ones of the multidrop network devices to accommodate the alteration in the bandwidth of the at least one of the multidrop network devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the multidrop devices is capable of interfacing with an external data provider that can change the data transfer rate therefrom to and from the multidrop local network and operates to interface between one or more of the multidrop network devices and the external data provider to allow data packets to be transferred therebetween.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network controller resides at a remote location and is accessible via the external data provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each at least two of the multidrop network devices include network controller capability and further comprising assigning to one of the at least two of the at least two multidrop network devices the role of the network controller.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the multidrop network devices has a user interface with a predetermined functionality that can be changed as a function of the bandwidth allocated thereto in the step of allocating and wherein the step of defining comprises the step of adjusting the data rate of the at least one of the multidrop network devices to the data rate of another of the multidrop network devices and changing the function of the user interface in accordance with the data rate.

10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the steps of:

determining if a new multidrop network device is to be added to the multidrop local network;

determining if there is sufficient unallocated bandwidth to accommodate the new multidrop network device; and

if there is not sufficient unallocated bandwidth, varying the bandwidth of at least one of the multidrop network devices to free up sufficient allocated bandwidth to accommodate the new multidrop network device.

11. A method for communication over a multidrop local network that includes a network mesh for receiving a plurality of multidrop network devices and the network having an operating bandwidth that determines the maximum rate of packet transfer between devices disposed on the network, comprising the steps of:

disposing a plurality of multidrop network devices on the network;

defining the operating data rate for each of the multidrop local network devices on the network and the bandwidth required for the operation of each of the network devices such that the required number of data packets per unit time can be received thereby, wherein the step of defining is operable to associate a priority with each of the multidrop network devices;

allocating with a network controller on the multidrop local network a portion of the available bandwidth to each of the multidrop network devices as reserved bandwidth and the step of allocating is operable to allocate in accordance with priority; and

denying access to an added multidrop network device when the required bandwidth thereby exceeds the reserved bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the multidrop network devices has the ability to vary its required bandwidth and the step of allocating will reallocate in accordance with the determined priority.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of denying will deny access to a lower priority one of the multidrop network devices relative to the at least one of the multidrop network devices if it is determined in the step of allocating that there is insufficient bandwidth to accommodate the at least one of the multidrop network devices after the bandwidth requirements thereof have been changed.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein another and lower priority one of the multidrop network devices has the ability to vary the bandwidth requirements thereof and further comprising the step of varying the bandwidth requirements of the another one of the multidrop network devices down to the available bandwidth limit when the bandwidth requirements of the at least one of the multidrop network devices increases.

15. A method for communication over a multidrop local network that includes a network mesh for receiving a plurality of multidrop network devices, one of which multidrop network device is a demarcation network device and interfaces between the local network and an external network and wherein the demarcation network device transmits/receives packets at a local packet data rate to/from the local network and transmits/receives packets at an external packet data rate to/from the external network, the demarcation network device having an operating bandwidth that determines the maximum rate of packet transfer to/from the local network, comprising the steps of:

defining the operating data rate for each of the multidrop local network devices on the network and the bandwidth required for the operation of each of the network devices such that the required number of data packets per unit time can be received thereby from the demarcation network device; and

allocating with a network controller on the multidrop local network a portion of the available data packet transfer bandwidth of the demarcation network device to each of the multidrop network devices interfacing therewith as reserved data packet bandwidth.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of defining comprises the step of adjusting the packet data rate of at least one of the multidrop network devices to the packet data rate of another of the multidrop network devices.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the multidrop network devices has the capability to alter its data packet rate receive more or less packets of data from the demarcation network device over the local network and at least one of the other of the multidrop network devices has the capability of requesting a higher or lower bandwidth from the demarcation network device over the local network and further comprising the steps of:

sending a request for a change in data packet bandwidth from the other of the multidrop network devices to the network controller to alter its data packet bandwidth;

receiving by the network controller the request for an alteration in data packet bandwidth;

controlling by the network controller the at least one of the multidrop network devices to alter its data packet bandwidth; and

reallocating with the network controller the reserved amount packet data bandwidth provided by the demarcation network device for all or select ones of the multidrop network devices to accommodate the alteration in the data packet bandwidth of the at least one of the multidrop network devices.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the multidrop network devices has a user interface with a predetermined functionality that can be changed as a function of the packet data bandwidth allocated thereto in the step of allocating and wherein the step of defining comprises the step of adjusting the packet data rate of the at least one of the multidrop network devices to a different packet data rate and changing the function of the user interface in accordance with the packet data rate.

19. The method of claim 15, and further comprising the step of denying access to an added multidrop network device to receive data packets from the demarcation network device when the required data packet bandwidth thereby exceeds the reserved data packet bandwidth.