Customer premises equipment receives high-speed downstream data over a cable television system and transmits lower speed upstream signaling on a separate channel

• US 5,488,412 A
• Filed: 03/31/1994
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T IPM Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Midani, Mowaffak T., Majeti, Venkata C., Zabriskie, Kenneth A., Watson, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Acosta, Juan G.
• Application Number:
  US08/221,336
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 348/8, 348/12, 348/13, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 358/86, 455/5.1, 455/3.1, 455/6.1, 455/4.2
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/46 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53-H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• 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 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a home controller receives signals from the cable television system and utilizes a cable demodulator tuned to the RF frequency of the channel which carries the data information. The cable demodulator demodulates the RF encoded signals into conventional baseband digital form which are transmitted to a packet receiver which decodes packets addressed to individual users. If a packet is addressed to the user, the packet receiver transmits the corresponding data such as by an ETHERNET transceiver to the user'"'"'s personal computer. A communication controller may be utilized to provide an interface between the personal computer and the cable demodulator thereby, enabling the personal computer to select the channel to which the cable demodulator is tuned, in order to permit multiple data channels to be utilized.

Claims

1. A controller that receives packets of data transported via a cable television system, the controller comprising:

a tuneable demodulator that demodulates radio frequency (RF) signals carried by a channel of said cable television system, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carried as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets;

receiver means coupled to said demodulator for identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with a user;

means for transmitting data derived from said ones of digital formatted packets to a user'"'"'s personal computer;

means, coupled to said demodulator and responsive to control signals received from the user'"'"'s personal computer, for controlling the RF channel to which said tunable demodulator is tuned to enable reception of encoded packets of data carried over an RF channel of said cable television system as selected by the control signals.

2. The controller according to claim 1 wherein said controlling means comprises means for receiving said control signals, for translating said control signals into selection signals that control the channel to which said tunable demodulator is tuned, and for transmitting said selection signals to said tunable demodulator.

3. A customer premises equipment which supports communications between a user and information providers, said equipment connected to a television system cable that supports high speed communication channels carrying information sent from the information providers and a lower speed transmission channel that carries user generated requests transmitted to the information providers, the lower speed transmission channel being a transmission medium physically separate from the transmission medium that transports the high speed cable transmission channel, the customer premises equipment comprising:

a tunable demodulator that demodulates radio frequency (RF) signals carried by said high speed cable channel, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carded as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets;

receiver means coupled to said demodulator for identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with a user;

a modem coupled to said lower speed transmission channel for transmitting requests and receiving control signals that identify one of said high speed channels which carry said ones of said digitally formatted packets;

a personal computer means, coupled to said modem and operating under the control of a program, for effecting communications between the user and the information providers;

means coupled to said receiver means for transmitting data derived from said ones of digitally formatted packets to said personal computer;

said personal computer coupled to said demodulator and transmitting channel selection signals based on said control signals to said demodulator to control the RF channel to which said tunable demodulator is tuned, thus enabling reception of said ones of encoded packets over an RF channel determined by the control signals.

4. The equipment according to claim 3 further comprising means connected to said personal computer means for translating said channel selection signals into demodulator control signals that control the channel to which said tunable demodulator is tuned, and for transmitting said demodulator control signals to said tunable demodulator.

5. A method implemented by customer premises equipment for receiving packets of data transported via a cable that also carries cable television channels comprising the steps of:

receiving control signals via a data channel that is not carried by said cable, said control signals identifying one high speed data channel transmitted on said cable;

using a tunable demodulator to demodulate radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted on said high speed data channels, said demodulator translating encoded packets of data carded as said RF signals into digitally formatted packets;

tuning the tunable demodulator to said one high speed data channel based on said received control signals;

identifying ones of said digitally formatted packets having a predetermined address associated with the customer premises equipment;

transmitting data derived from said ones of digitally formatted packets to a personal computer, thus enabling reception of said ones of encoded packets over an RF channel selected by the control signals.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said receiving step comprising receiving said control signals which are generated by apparatus not part of said customer premises equipment so that the tuning of the demodulator is controlled remote from the customer premises equipment.