System and method for mapping potential Internet Protocol television interference

• US 9,713,102 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beattie, Jr., James G., Griesmer, Stephen J., Mallya, Arvind Ramdas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US14/805,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20150327184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]

Abstract

A device is disclosed for determining a first geographical location of a customer premise, a second geographical location of a radio frequency transmitter and a third geographical location of network access equipment proximal to the customer premises, wherein the network access equipment provides access to media signals by way of a broadband communications link. The first, second and third geographical locations are mapped, and a distance between the second geographical location and one of the first geographical location or the third geographical location is determined. The distance is compared to a threshold distance based on a signal transmission power of the radio frequency transmitter, and a mitigation strategy is determined to limit interference of the radio frequency transmitter on the media signals provided to the first geographical location when the distance is less than the threshold distance.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising;

determining a first geographical location of a customer premises associated with a new user installation request;

accessing a database of a government server that is associated with a government agency;

determining a second geographical location of a radio frequency transmitter, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is one of an amplitude modulation broadcasting facility and an amateur radio operator and wherein the determining the second geographical location comprises retrieving the second geographical location from the database of the government server;

determining a transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter, wherein the determining the transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter comprises retrieving the transmission power rating from the database of the government server;

determining a third geographical location of network access equipment proximal to the customer premises, wherein the network access equipment provides access to media signals by way of a broadband communications link between the network access equipment and customer premises equipment at the first geographical location;

mapping the first geographical location, the second geographical location and the third geographical location to obtain a map;

determining, from the map, a distance between the second geographical location and one of the first geographical location or the third geographical location;

comparing the distance to a threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter, wherein the threshold distance is given a first distance value in a first case that the transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter is at or above a first level, and wherein the threshold distance is given a second distance value that is smaller than the first distance value in a second case that the transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter has a second level that is smaller than the first level;

determining a mitigation strategy to limit interference of the radio frequency transmitter on the media signals provided to the first geographical location when the distance is less than the threshold distance; and

determining a first filter, responsive to the mitigation strategy, to filter the media signals according to a frequency range associated with a signal of the radio frequency transmitter.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the network access equipment comprises a video ready access device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the new user installation request is received from one of the customer premises equipment or equipment of a service provider that provides the media signals.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a projected route of a cable that can carry signals of the broadband communication link between the third geographical location and the first geographical location;

mapping the projected route of the cable;

determining another distance between the second geographical location and the projected route of the cable;

comparing the another distance to another threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating of the radio frequency transmitter; and

determining another mitigation strategy to limit another interference of the radio frequency transmitter to the media signals on the broadband communication link provided over the projected route of the cable when the another distance is less than the another threshold distance.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the interference of the radio frequency transmitter causes a signal degradation of the media signals, and wherein the cable comprises one of a fiber, a cable, a twisted pair and combinations thereof.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein another mitigation strategy comprises determining a second filter to filter the media signals according to the frequency range associated with the signal of the radio frequency transmitter.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises plotting, and wherein the interference of the radio frequency transmitter causes pixelization of an output of the broadband communication link.

8. A method comprising:

identifying, by a system comprising a processor, a first geographical location of a customer premises associated with a new user installation request;

accessing, by the system, a database of a government server that is associated with a government agency;

identifying, by the system, a second geographical location of a radio frequency (RF) broadcasting facility having a first signal transmission power rating, wherein the RF broadcasting facility is one of an amplitude modulation broadcasting facility and an amateur radio operator and wherein the identifying the second geographical location comprises retrieving the second geographical location from the database of the government server;

identifying, by the system, a transmission power rating of the RF broadcasting facility, wherein the identifying the transmission power rating of the RF broadcasting facility comprises retrieving the transmission power rating from the database of the government server;

mapping, by the system, the first geographical location of the customer premises and the second geographical location of the RF broadcasting facility to obtain a map;

determining, by the system, a first distance from the map between the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

comparing, by the system, the first distance to a first threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating, wherein the first threshold distance is given a first distance value in a first case that the transmission power rating of the RF broadcasting facility is above a first level, and wherein the first threshold distance is given a second distance value that is smaller than the first distance value in a second case that the transmission power rating of the RF broadcasting facility has a second level that is equal to or smaller than the first level;

determining, by the system, a first mitigation strategy to limit a first interference of the RF broadcasting facility on a first media signal provided to the first geographical location when the first distance is less than the first threshold distance; and

determining, by the system, a first filter, responsive to the first mitigation strategy, to filter the first media signal according to a frequency range associated with a signal of the RF broadcasting facility.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying, by the system, a third geographical location of a network access device proximal to the customer premises;

mapping, by the system, the third geographical location of the network access device;

determining, by the system, a second distance between the second geographical location and the third geographical location;

comparing, by the system, the second distance to a second threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating for the RF broadcasting facility; and

determining, by the system, a second mitigation strategy to limit a second interference of the RF broadcasting facility on a second media signal provided from the third geographical location to the second geographical location when the second distance is less than the second threshold distance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network access device comprises a video ready network access device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a projected route of a media signal distribution cable between the third geographical location and the first geographical location;

plotting, by the system, the projected route of the media signal distribution cable;

determining, by the system, a third distance between the second geographical location and the projected route of the media signal distribution cable;

comparing, by the system, the third distance to a third threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating for the RF broadcasting facility; and

determining, by the system, a third mitigation strategy to limit a third interference of the RF broadcasting facility on a third media signal provided over the projected route of the media signal distribution cable when the third distance is less than the third threshold distance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the second mitigation strategy and the third mitigation strategy comprises determining a second filter to apply at the customer premises, wherein the filter filters a respective one of the second and third media signals according to the frequency range associated with the signal of the RF broadcasting facility.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first interference of the RF broadcasting facility causes a signal degradation of the first media signal.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first interference of the RF broadcasting facility causes pixelization of an output of the first media signal.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, perform operations comprising:

accessing a database of a government server that is associated with a government agency;

determining a first geographical location of a customer premises;

determining a second geographical location of a wireless broadcasting facility, wherein the wireless broadcasting facility is one of an amplitude modulation broadcasting facility and an amateur radio operator and wherein the determining the second geographical location comprises retrieving the second geographical location from the database of the government server;

determining a transmission power rating of the wireless broadcasting facility, wherein the determining the transmission power rating of the wireless broadcasting facility comprises retrieving the transmission power rating from the database of the government server;

determining a first distance between the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

comparing the first distance to a first threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating for the wireless broadcasting facility, wherein the first threshold distance is given a first distance value in a first case that the transmission power rating of the wireless broadcasting facility is at or above a first level, and wherein the first threshold distance is given a second distance value that is smaller than the first distance value in a second case that the transmission power rating of the wireless broadcasting facility has a second level that is smaller than the first level;

determining a first mitigation strategy to limit a potential source of interference to a media signal that is caused by the wireless broadcasting facility on the media signal provided to the first geographical location when the first distance is less than the first threshold distance; and

determining a first filter, responsive to the first mitigation strategy, to filter the media signal according to a frequency range associated with a signal of the wireless broadcasting facility.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the potential source of interference causes a signal degradation of the media signal at the customer premises.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the potential source of interference with the media signal causes pixelization of an output of the media signal.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a third geographical location of a network access device proximal to the customer premises;

plotting the third geographical location of the network access device;

determining a second distance between the second geographical location and the third geographical location;

comparing the second distance to a second threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating for the wireless broadcasting facility; and

determining a second mitigation strategy to limit the potential source of interference with the media signal when the second distance is less than the second threshold distance.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the network access device comprises a video ready network access device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

plotting a projected route of a media distribution cable between the third geographical location and the first geographical location;

determining a third distance between the second geographical location and the projected route of the media distribution cable;

comparing the third distance to a third threshold distance that is based on the transmission power rating for the wireless broadcasting facility; and

determining a third mitigation strategy to limit the potential source of interference over the projected route of the media distribution cable when the third distance is less than the third threshold distance.