Device-to-device communication among customer premise equipment devices

• US 9,954,731 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Siripunkaw, Pak, Weber, Emery J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose, Derrick V
• Application Number:
  US13/932,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 370235-401, 709217-223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method of initializing, provisioning, and managing a cable modem and a customer premise equipment device includes sending a customized configuration file to the cable modem. The configuration file contains service provisioning information and further includes information indicative of a device-to-device communication configuration. A message is passed from the cable modem to the customer premise equipment device indicative of the device-to-device communication configuration. The customer premise equipment device is initialized for device-to-device communication with any other customer premise equipment devices in accordance with the device-to-device communication configuration indicated in the message, which relates to physical layer and data link layer communications among customer premise equipment devices. In this way, the customer premise equipment device knows how to communicate with other customer premise equipment devices, for example, at the same subscriber location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a gateway and from a termination system of a network, configuration data comprising device-to-device communication configuration information;

configuring the gateway for communicating with the network according to the configuration data; and

forwarding the device-to-device communication configuration information from the gateway to a plurality of user devices to enable each user device of the plurality of user devices to configure itself for device-to-device communication that is between the plurality of user devices and that bypasses the gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information comprises physical layer configuration information or data link layer configuration information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information is based on a media access control (MAC) address associated with the gateway.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding the device-to-device communication configuration information from the gateway to the plurality of user devices comprises forwarding the device-to-device communication configuration information from the gateway to at least one of the plurality of user devices via a direct, dedicated connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication comprises transferring video programming from a first user device of the plurality of user devices to a second user device of the plurality of user devices.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

blocking, during the device-to-device communication between the plurality of user devices, upstream traffic toward the network, wherein the blocking is performed using a physical layer filter.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

blocking, during the device-to-device communication, upstream traffic toward the network, wherein the blocking is performed using a data link layer filter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information is customized for each user device of the plurality of user devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information comprises frame-structure information for the device-to-device communication.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the termination system, device pairing information comprising information corresponding to a device pairing between a user device of the plurality of user devices and the gateway; and

wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information is based on the device pairing information.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the termination system, device pairing information comprising information corresponding to a device pairing between two or more user devices of the plurality of user devices; and

wherein the device-to-device communication configuration information is based on the device pairing information.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data further comprises service provisioning information;

and

wherein the configuring the gateway for communicating with the network is according to the service provisioning information.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a gateway, configuration information comprising a customer-premise equipment instruction;

configuring, using the configuration information, the gateway to communicate with a termination system; and

transmitting the customer-premise equipment instruction to first customer-premise equipment connected to the gateway, wherein the customer-premise equipment instruction is configured to cause device-to-device communication between the first customer-premise equipment connected to the gateway and second customer-premise equipment connected to the gateway, the device-to-device communication comprising direct communication which bypasses the gateway.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer-premise equipment instruction identifies a radio frequency to be used in the device-to-device communication between the first customer-premise equipment and the second customer-premise equipment.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer-premise equipment instruction identifies an electrical specification of signals to be used in the device-to-device communication between the first customer-premise equipment and the second customer-premise equipment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electrical specification of signals to be used in the device-to-device communication between the first customer-premise equipment and the second customer-premise equipment comprises a specification of one or more of frequency and coding of the device-to-device communication.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer-premise equipment instruction identifies a frame structure for transferring frames between the first customer-premise equipment and the second customer-premise equipment.

12. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a termination system of a network, configuration data comprising device-to-device communication configuration information;

configure the apparatus for communicating with the network according to the configuration data; and

forward the device-to-device communication configuration information to a plurality of user devices to enable each user device of the plurality of user devices to configure itself for device-to-device communication that is between the plurality of user devices, and that bypasses the apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of user devices comprises a set-top box.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus and the plurality of user devices are at a same premise.