Communications network system including acknowledgement indicating successful receipt of request for reserved communication slots and start time for said reserved communication slots
First Claim
1. A computer network for high-speed data communication, comprising:
- a data transmission cable having a root and at least one leaf node;
a signal conversion system (SCS) attached to said root;
at least one client station, each attached to a distinct leaf node;
said signal conversion system (SCS) having;
a transmitter that transmits down-stream data onto said cable on a down-stream channel in a first frequency band, anda receiver that receives data from said at least one client station on an up-stream channel in a second frequency band including data packets from a particular client station transmitted in a contention slot,wherein said down-stream data includes an acknowledgment of successful transmission of the data packet, wherein said acknowledgment includes an indication of how long the particular client station must wait prior to transmitting remaining data; and
each client station having;
a receiver that receives data on said first frequency band,logic to coordinate transmission on a second frequency band according to the indication included within the acknowledgment, anda transmitter that transmits data on a second frequency band.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer network for high-speed data communication, has a data transmission cable with a root and at least one leaf node wherein the upstream transmission is synchronized by information received on a downstream channel. Each client station receives data on a first frequency band, and transmits data on a second frequency band according to synchronization signals received on the first frequency band. The client station'"'"'s transmission packets may include requests for reserved slots on the second frequency band for subsequent transmissions, and the SCS has a scheduler operable to determine a start time for requested reserved slots, and transmits the start time for the requested reserved slots. The client stations are operable to wait to continue transmission after waiting for the start time.
167 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer network for high-speed data communication, comprising:
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a data transmission cable having a root and at least one leaf node; a signal conversion system (SCS) attached to said root; at least one client station, each attached to a distinct leaf node; said signal conversion system (SCS) having; a transmitter that transmits down-stream data onto said cable on a down-stream channel in a first frequency band, and a receiver that receives data from said at least one client station on an up-stream channel in a second frequency band including data packets from a particular client station transmitted in a contention slot, wherein said down-stream data includes an acknowledgment of successful transmission of the data packet, wherein said acknowledgment includes an indication of how long the particular client station must wait prior to transmitting remaining data; and each client station having; a receiver that receives data on said first frequency band, logic to coordinate transmission on a second frequency band according to the indication included within the acknowledgment, and a transmitter that transmits data on a second frequency band. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. A method for controlling two-way communication of data on a network, comprising:
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transmitting down-stream from a signal conversion system (SCS) to a plurality of client stations an acknowledgment signal intended for a particular client station on a first frequency band, wherein the acknowledgment signal includes a start time; receiving the acknowledgment signal with the particular client station; transmitting up-stream from said particular client station to said SCS on a second frequency band, said transmission being timed with respect to said information in dependence upon the start time indicated by said SCS acknowledgment signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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3. A computer network for high-speed data communication, comprising:
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a data transmission cable having a root and at least one leaf node; a signal conversion system (SCS) attached to said root; at least one client station, each attached to a distinct leaf node; each client station having; a receiver that receives data on said first frequency band; and a transmitter that transmits up-stream data on a second frequency band, wherein said up-stream data includes requests for reserved slots on said second frequency band for subsequent transmissions; said signal conversion system (SCS) having; a scheduler operable to determine a start time for requested reserved slots; a transmitter that transmits down-stream data onto said cable on a first frequency band, wherein said down-stream data includes acknowledgement of successful receipt of said up-stream data and wherein said acknowledgement includes a delay time indicative of the start time for said requested reserved slots; and a receiver that receives data from said client stations on a second frequency band; wherein said down-stream data includes synchronization and acknowledgement signals.
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4. A method of operating a high-speed data communications network, comprising:
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(a) transmitting from a client station to a signal conversion system (SCS) data including requests for reserved communication slots; (b) scheduling said reserved communication slots; and (c) transmitting from said SCS to said client station an acknowledgement indicating the successful receipt of said request and a start time for said reserved communication slots.
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15. A method for enabling communication among a plurality of stations connected to a shared channel, comprising the steps of:
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dividing the time-domain of said channel into a plurality of slots; characterizing each slot as a contention slot or as a reserved slot; permitting a plurality of stations to transmit on a contention slot; transmitting in said contention slots requests for reserved slots; and transmitting acknowledgements of successful transmission of data packets transmitted in said contention slots, wherein said acknowledgements include indication of how long a client station requesting reserved slots must wait prior to transmitting in said reserved slots. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification