Logical node identification in an information transmission network

• US 8,918,824 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Yong Ho, Rajdev, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US13/606,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.3, 370/401, 370/465, 370/409, 725/95, 725 92- 93, 725/93.28
• US Class Current: 725/95
• 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 comprising:

a processor; and

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

transmit, to a remote device via a logical node and via a data stream associated with a session control manager, a logical identifier that uniquely identifies the logical node as the logical node corresponding to the remote device; and

transmit a program to the remote device via the logical node in response to receiving a message comprising the logical identifier from the remote device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

assign one of a plurality of control modules to cause the transmission of the logical identifier and the transmission of the program in response to receiving a request for the program from the remote device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

cause a corresponding one of the control modules to transmit one or more programs to the remote device using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

select a modulator and a channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

switch, using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device, from a first modulator and a first channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device to a second modulator and a second channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

generate the logical identifier transmitted to the remote device; and

combine a program identifier and the logical identifier for transmission to the remote device.

7. A method comprising:

sending a logical node identifier to a remote device via a data stream associated with a session control manager, wherein the logical node identifier identifies a correspondence between the remote device and the session control manager;

responsive to a program request from the remote device, sending, by a computing device, packet identification information indicative of the requested program to the remote device;

receiving the logical node identifier from the remote device; and

sending the requested program for receipt by the remote device based on the logical node identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting a channel for sending the requested program using the logical node identifier received from the remote device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing a mapping between the remote device and the channel.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to another program request from the remote device, sending packet identification information indicative of the another requested program to the remote device using the correspondence between the remote device and the session control manager.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending the another requested program to the remote device using the correspondence between the remote device and the session control manager.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting, to a remote device via a logical node and via a data stream associated with a session control manager, a logical identifier that uniquely identifies the logical node as the logical node corresponding to the remote device; and

transmitting a program to the remote device via the logical node in response to receiving a message comprising the logical identifier from the remote device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

assigning one of a plurality of control modules to cause the transmission of the logical identifier and the transmission of the program in response to receiving a request for the program from the remote device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

causing a corresponding one of the control modules to transmit one or more programs to the remote device using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting a modulator and a channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

switching, using the logical identifier indicated in the message received from the remote device, from a first modulator and a first channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device to a second modulator and a second channel for transmitting one or more programs to the remote device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating the logical identifier transmitted to the remote device; and

combining a program identifier and the logical identifier for transmission to the remote device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the logical node is a first logical node and the logical identifier is a first logical identifier, the method further comprising:

identifying a hub associated with a plurality of remote devices;

determining that the first logical node is associated with the hub and services a first subset of the plurality of remote devices using the first logical identifier; and

determining that a second logical node is associated with the hub and services a second subset of the plurality of remote devices using a second logical identifier different from the first logical identifier, wherein the second subset is different from the first subset.