U.S. patent application number 08/864408 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-13 for local upstream hub for one-way cable system data/video/services requests.
Invention is credited to CUNNINGHAM, KENNETH, DANIEL, RAY ALLEN, SMALLCOMB, JOSEPH.
Application Number | 20010052134 08/864408 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25014809 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010052134 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CUNNINGHAM, KENNETH ; et
al. |
December 13, 2001 |
LOCAL UPSTREAM HUB FOR ONE-WAY CABLE SYSTEM DATA/VIDEO/SERVICES
REQUESTS
Abstract
Most cable television systems in the United States (over 75% as
of this application) are structured for one-way only service
between the cable headend and the user. With more and more services
being introduced that require a two-way connection with the user
(e.g. impulse-pay-per-view, home shopping, Internet access), it has
become necessary for more and more cable systems to upgrade to a
two-way capability at considerable cost and over a fairly long
period of time. The typical short-term solution to the lack of
two-way capability is to send request backlinks over he user's
telephone line. The problem with this solution is that when used,
it ties up the telephone line and requires an additional telephone
connection to be located near the cable set-top-box or modem. A
more practical solution is the hub centered backhaul invention
described herein. With this invention, users can operate their
cable systems as if they were two-way systems, with all available
interactive capabilities available. The request channel, however,
will be intercepted at a central location between multiple users,
and returned to the cable headend via an alternate communication
path. The backlink request will be intercepted at a location in the
cable distribution prior to hardware that precludes two-way
transmissions, such as amplifiers.
Inventors: |
CUNNINGHAM, KENNETH;
(HAMILTON, VA) ; SMALLCOMB, JOSEPH; (HERDON,
VA) ; DANIEL, RAY ALLEN; (LEESBURG, VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICES OF JIM ZEGEER
801 NORTH PITT STREET, # 108
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
|
Family ID: |
25014809 |
Appl. No.: |
08/864408 |
Filed: |
May 28, 1997 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
08864408 |
May 28, 1997 |
|
|
|
08749700 |
Nov 15, 1996 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/121 ;
348/E7.07; 725/119 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 65/1101 20220501;
H04L 12/2801 20130101; H04N 7/17318 20130101; H04N 21/6187
20130101; H04N 2007/1739 20130101; H04L 65/612 20220501; H04N
21/6193 20130101; H04N 21/2221 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/121 ;
725/119 |
International
Class: |
H04N 007/16; H04N
007/173; G06F 015/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In an interactive cable broadcast network in which a central
headend station is connected by a one-way main coaxial trunk cable
to two-way coaxial distribution cables in subscriber neighborhoods
and to individual subscriber stations by subscriber station drops
to the subscriber's terminal equipment, the improvement comprising,
each subscriber station having a two-way cable set top box and/or
cable modem (or other interactive device), a neighborhood hub
centered backhaul means connected to each two-way set top box
and/or modem in a given neighborhood for receiving request signals
from said two-way set top modem and controllers in said given
neighborhood, and means, independent of said trunk and distribution
cables, connecting each neighborhood hub centered backhaul means to
said central headend station for forwarding said request signals to
said central headend station.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of
our copending application Ser. No. 08/749,700 filed Nov. 15, 1996
entitled LOCAL UPSTREAM HUB FOR ONE-WAY CABLE SYSTEM
DATA/VIDEO/SERVICES REQUESTS.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to an interactive cable broadcast
network and a system to request data/video/services from a cable
provider.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Cable television systems have been installed throughout the
world since the 1950's, and the popularity of the services is
continually increasing. With over 11,000 cable systems in the
United States that pass by 95% of all dwellings and have a
subscriber penetration of 63%, there are over 60 million households
that are connected and subscribe to cable TV. Cable television was
initially designed to transport a large bandwidth of video
information from a central headend to a large community of users.
The cable system consists of five basic units: (1) the cable
headend (the signal reception, origination, and modulation point);
(2) the main, coaxial trunk (or tree) cable that runs through
central streets in communities; (3) the coaxial distribution
(branch) cable to the customer's neighborhood, including
distribution taps; (4) subscriber drops to the house; and (5)
subscriber terminal equipment (television, converter, VCR,
etc.)
[0004] Interactive multimedia services are also on the rise with
such applications as impulse-pay-per-view (for movies and sports
events), home shopping, and Internet access now available to home
and business users. Newer cable systems are being designed and
implemented with two-way capability in which a section of the cable
bandwidth has been allocated for upstream (i.e. user to cable
provider) transmission. However, over 75% of the 11,000 or so cable
systems in the United States are only capable of one-way service,
and the new interactive options require an alternate upstream
request backlink channel in order to make requests for
data/video/services.
[0005] Currently, new cable systems are being deployed with a
two-way capability built into their infrastructure, and most of the
older cable systems with one-way only are making long range plans
for upgrading to a two-way capability. However, the upgrade is
expensive and is expected to take five to ten years to complete.
The primary means of making an upstream request is by connecting
the cable set-top-box or cable modem to a telephone line and
dialing out to the cable provider. The problem with this setup is
that it ties up the user's telephone line when interactive services
are needed and that the cable provider is required to maintain a
bank of telephone lines to accommodate all of the users that
simultaneously utilize an interactive service.
THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0006] The objective of this invention is to provide an alternate
communication path for the upstream request channel for one-way
cable systems that will alleviate the need for a telephone
connection at the subscriber's location and also lessen the
immediacy to upgrade to a two-way capability. In addition, the
implementation of this invention will have minimal impact or
changes on existing one-way cable systems.
[0007] This invention utilizes the two-way cable set-top-boxes and
cable modems that are being manufactured and distributed to
customers of two-way cable systems. The two-way cable devices are
used with this invention to pass request information upstream, out
of the house and onto the local distribution network. These
upstream request signals are received and collected at a local
upstream hub where they are retransmitted over an alternate
communication path such as a satellite link, terrestrial wireless,
or telephone line (POTS, ISDN, T1, etc.). The local upstream hubs
will be located at the junction point of several branches in the
distribution chain, prior to any of the cable hardware that
precludes two-way operation such as distributor amplifiers. In this
manner, one local upstream hub center can service several dozen
households or more depending on the density of the households
served and the structure of the cable system. The use of this
invention bypasses the main cable trunk and most of the
distribution system, therefore alleviating the need for upgrading
to a two-way system.
[0008] Data security (e.g., encryption, etc.) may be handled over
the combination of the backlink and broadcast channels or by
occasional calls (via modem) to the cable provider to update
security parameters (e.g., keys, passwords, etc.)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the
invention will become more apparent when considered with the
following description and accompanying drawing wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a general block diagram of the invention using a
satellite backlink;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an alternate upstream
channel;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an upstream channel
for direct broadcast satellites (DB's);
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an upstream channel
for a LAN/service configuration and direct broadcast satellite;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a general block diagram of a cable system with a
telephone line upstream channel (e.g. POTS, T1); and
[0015] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein most of
the local upstream hubs are replaced with local upconverters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] A summary of the invention using a satellite backlink as an
example is shown in FIG. 1. Each neighborhood N1, N2, N3 . . . NN
is connected via amplifiers A1, A2, A3 . . . AN by the one-way
trunk and distribution network and each neighborhood is serviced by
an individual local upstream hub terminal LUH which communicates
with the backlink satellite BS's to send request messages back to
the cable provider via backlink ground station BGS. A telephone
line could also be used to link the terminal to the cable
provider.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, this invention integrates with the
existing cable system which can be described as follows: The cable
provider 10 continually broadcast broadband video and data to all
users through the main, coaxial trunk 12, the local distribution
network 13, and the subscriber drops 14. The broadband signal is
amplified along the way by trunk amplifiers 15 in the trunk system
and by distributor amplifiers 16 while in the distribution network.
The signals are then received by the users at the cable modems or
set-top-boxes 17.
[0018] According to the invention, users enter upstream
data/video/service requests to the cable modems or set-top-boxes 17
which are set up as modem and controller two-way devices. The
upstream requests would travel up the local distribution network 13
where they would be blocked from progressing further upstream into
the distribution and trunk systems by the one-way amplifiers 15 and
16. The signals would, however, proceed to the local upstream hub
18 which would be connected in the distribution chain so that there
were no one-way amplifiers between it and the households that it
would service. Control signals 10 would also be sent from the local
upstream hub to the cable modem/set-top-boxes in its network if
they are needed, and cable modem/set-top-boxes are compatible to
receive commands. Depending on the multiple access scheme used, the
local upstream hub could re-transmit each individual signal or
multiplex them on a common signal on an alternative communication
path.
[0019] The local upstream hub 18 is a demodulator (for upstream
signals from STB and modems) and a transmitter (for concentrated
request signals) that uses an alternative communications path 20
than the cable system described above. The alternative
communication path 20 could be a satellite link, a terrestrial
radio link (cellular, microwave, etc.), or a wired telephone line.
The local upstream hub transmits the upstream request to the
upstream gateway 21 which would be a different facility depending
on the communication path that is used. For example, if the path 20
is a satellite link, the upstream gateway 21 could be collocated
with the cable headend or located at a satellite ground terminal.
If, however, the path 20 were a telephone line, the upstream gate
21 could simply be a bank of modems located at the cable headend
10. The communication path 19 between the local upstream hub 18 and
the upstream gateway 21 could be a two-way link in order to
accommodate greater operations flexibility or a one-way link to
reduce system cost.
[0020] The upstream gateway 21 is used to deliver the upstream
requests to the cable headend provider 10. The transfer of the
requests 22 can be via Internet, over a direct telephone linkage, a
dial-up telephone linkage or other data transfer method. The
upstream gateway 21 can also send messages directly to their
intended destinations (e.g., Internet, third-party vendor, etc.)
instead of relaying all messages through the cable provider 10.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the local upstream hub 31 can be used
for data/video/service requests for satellite broadcast as well. In
this embodiment, the user terminals UT send requests to a central
local upstream hub 31 (by a local telephone call, or another
wireless or wired link). The request would be relayed over an
alternative communication path 33 (satellite link, wireless
terrestrial ink, or telephone line) to the upstream gateway 34. The
upstream gateway 34 would then send the request via path 35 on to
the broadcast satellite provider 36. The broadcast satellite
provider 35 would get the request and send a reply via the
broadcast satellite 36 back to the user's terminal. The same
process would apply whether the terminal is a PC or a
television.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, the local upstream hub (LUH') can also
be used in a server/LAN 40 configuration where a single one-way
data source 41 (e.g. satellite broadcast, cable, etc.) is provided
to a server which is connected to a number of users UT-1, UT-2,
UT-3 . . . UT-N. All of the request messages from the users would
be routed through the LAN to the server 40, which in turn would
route the messages via the local upstream hub, LUH', to the
upstream gateway 31'.
[0023] FIG. 5 shows a one-way cable system utilizing the local
upstream hubs with telephone lines (e.g. POTS, T1) serving as the
upstream path. A household 1 (equipped with two-way cable devices)
sends a message upstream onto its cable distribution segment 2. The
message is received at the distribution segment's distribution
segment 2. The message is received at the distribution segment's
local upstream hub 3 and reformatted for transmission over the
specific telephone path 4 that it is connected with (e.g. POTS,
T1). The upstream message is sent over the telephone path 4 to the
cable headend 5 where it is received and sent to its ultimate
destination (e.g. internet, billing, independent third party).
[0024] Setup (or re-programming) of the local upstream hub 3 can be
performed by two possible means.
[0025] (1) The local upstream hub 3 could be capable of
demodulating downstream data traffic from the cable headend 5 and
any data transfers to an individual local upstream hub 3 can be
done via the downstream cable signal.
[0026] (2) The local upstream hub's connection with the telephone
path could be a two-way connection so that the cable headend 5
could send data transfers over the telephone path to each
individual local upstream hub 3.
[0027] The invention features the following:
[0028] 1. A device (the local upstream hub) that is connected to a
one-way cable system and allows users to request data/video and
other services over their cable modems/set-top-boxes as if they had
access to a two-way cable system.
[0029] 2. The local upstream hub could also be used with a group of
satellite broadcast users as well as cable users.
[0030] 3. The local upstream hub would receive all of the user
requests within a designated cluster, concentrate the requests into
one or more shared channels, and relay them to the cable provider
over an alternative communication path.
[0031] 4. Alternative communication paths for the local upstream
hub could be, but are not limited to, a satellite link, a
terrestrial wireless system link, or a wired telephone link.
[0032] 5. The local upstream hub would be located in a portion of
the cable distribution system where it can receive upstream
communications from two-way devices in its local area.
[0033] 6. In order to increase the number of users which access a
single local upstream hub, two-way amplifiers could be installed in
the cable distribution chain to increase the accessible cable
modems/set-to-boxes, and local upstream hubs can "listen" for
two-way devices that can pass upstream messages through downstream
amplifiers in the distribution chain.
[0034] 7. Local upstream hub could provide some form of packet
acknowledgements or collision detection signals back to the cable
modem/set-top-box (this will be driven by the cable modem
standards).
[0035] 8. The upstream gateway could send data to the cable
provider via an Internet connection, over a direct wired telephone
link, or through other means.
[0036] 9. The upstream gateway could forward data directly to other
service providers (e.g. home shopping or an Internet website que)
rather than having the data always go to the cable (or broadcast)
provider first.
[0037] 10. The local upstream hub would multiplex (i.e.,
concentrate) user requests onto one or more channel(s) to the
upstream gateway to achieve high-channel efficiency.
[0038] 11. The local upstream hub could be used in a server/LAN
configuration where several users were serviced by a common one-way
data source and a single local upstream hub.
[0039] FIG. 6 shows a variation of the invention where most of the
local upstream hubs are replaced with local upconverters. In this
configuration, two-way interactive cable devices in local
households 1 send upstream messages (in the upstream cable
frequency band) into their local distribution branch 2. A local
upconverter 3 receives the message and upconverts it to an unused
portion of the downstream cable frequency band. The message is then
retransmitted into the distribution branch 2 where it propagates
through distribution amplifiers to a branch relay 4. The branch
relays 4 receive the upstream messages from the downstream cable
frequency band and forwards them to the cable headend 6 via an
alternative path 5 (e.g. POTS, ISDN, T1).
[0040] While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown
and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
other embodiments, adaptations and modifications are possible.
* * * * *