863 results about "Cable network" patented technology

The Wireless Integrated Network Sensor Next Generation (WINS NG) nodes provide distributed network and Internet access to sensors, controls, and processors that are deeply embedded in equipment, facilities, and the environment. The WINS NG network is a new monitoring and control capability for applications in transportation, manufacturing, health care, environmental monitoring, and safety and security. The WINS NG nodes combine microsensor technology, low power distributed signal processing, low power computation, and low power, low cost wireless and/or wired networking capability in a compact system. The WINS NG networks provide sensing, local control, remote reconfigurability, and embedded intelligent systems in structures, materials, and environments.

A method is presented for determining optimal or preferred configuration settings for wireless or wired network equipment in order to obtain a desirable level of network performance. A site-specific network model is used with adaptive processing to perform efficient design and on-going management of network performance. The invention iteratively determines overall network performance and cost, and further iterates equipment settings, locations and orientations. Real time control is between a site-specific Computer Aided Design (CAD) software application and the physical components of the network allows the invention to display, store, and iteratively adapt any network to constantly varying traffic and interference conditions. Alarms provide rapid adaptation of network parameters, and alerts and preprogrammed network shutdown actions may be taken autonomously. A wireless post-it note device and network allows massive data such as book contents or hard drive memory to be accessed within a room by a wide bandwidth reader device, and this can further be interconnected to the internet or Ethernet backbone in order to provide worldwide access and remote retrieval to wireless post-it devices.

A method is presented for determining optimal or preferred configuration settings for wireless or wired network equipment in order to obtain a desirable level of network performance. A site-specific network model is used with adaptive processing to perform efficient design and on-going management of network performance. The invention iteratively determines overall network performance and cost, and further iterates equipment settings, locations and orientations. Real time control is between a site-specific Computer Aided Design (CAD) software application and the physical components of the network allows the invention to display, store, and iteratively adapt any network to constantly varying traffic and interference conditions. Alarms provide rapid adaptation of network parameters, and alerts and preprogrammed network shutdown actions may be taken autonomously. A wireless post-it note device and network allows massive data such as book contents or hard drive memory to be accessed within a room by a wide bandwidth reader device, and this can further be interconnected to the internet or Ethernet backbone in order to provide worldwide access and remote retrieval to wireless post-it devices.

A packet-centric wireless point to multi-point telecommunications system includes: a wireless base station communicating via a packet-centric protocol to a first data network; one or more host workstations communicating via the packet-centric protocol to the first data network; one or more subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) stations coupled with the wireless base station over a shared bandwidth via the packet-centric protocol over a wireless medium; and one or more subscriber workstations coupled via the packet-centric protocol to each of the subscriber CPE stations over a second network. The packet-centric protocol can be transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). The packet-centric protocol can be a user datagram protocol/internet protocol (UDP/IP). The system can include a resource allocation means for allocating shared bandwidth among the subscriber CPE stations. The resource allocation is performed to optimize end-user quality of service (QoS). The wireless communication medium can include at least one of: a radio frequency (RF) communications medium; a cable communications medium; and a satellite communications medium. The wireless communication medium can further include a telecommunications access method including at least one of: a time division multiple access (TDMA) access method; a time division multiple access/time division duplex (TDMA/TDD) access method; a code division multiple access (CDMA) access method; and a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) access method.

The first data network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN). The second network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN).

A method and apparatus for distributing multimedia content (such as video, games, music, pictures), where the multimedia content is stored in a plurality of set-top boxes that are connected to a cable network. A controller unit located at a central cable station manages the multimedia content. The multimedia content stored in the set-top boxes is made available to any set-top box on request to the controller in the central cable station. The controller unit also interfaces with a plurality of multimedia owners, many situated on the Internet, to source the multimedia content and to source service properties associated with the multimedia content. The controller unit informs the content owners and appropriate billing systems when a multimedia content has been delivered to a remote set-top box and has been consumed by an end user. The end user accesses the multimedia content through a television, a personal computer, or other multimedia appliance.

The present invention provides a system and method for providing real-time wireless network monitoring and intrusion detection. The present invention profiles wireless devices and maintains a database of known/authorized wireless device profiles. Wireless devices are analyzed to determine the threat level they pose to the network, and if the threat level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the invention refuses to bridge the network traffic from the wireless devices to the wired network. The present invention provides reporting of the wireless network activity, the known and unknown wireless devices, and the threat levels posed by the wireless devices. If an unknown wireless device is determined to be, or may be, a wireless access point, an alert is generated, such as notifying a system administrator to take appropriate action.

A two-way cable network offering high-speed broadband communications delivered via virtual private networks over a multi-channel shared media system. Bi-directional transmission of packet to ATM cell based communications is established between a head end communication controller and a number of subscriber terminal units, whereby individual cells are prioritized and routed according to a virtual connection. Virtual connections are organized to support multiple virtual private networks in a shared media CATV system. The virtual private network to which a particular STU belongs is user selectable and has the flexibility of handling multi up/downstream channels with different MAC domains. The present invention can also handle non-ATM MAC domains via the same common ATM switch. To overcome the limited number of addresses inherent to common ATM switches, a mapping/remapping function is implemented in the port cards. Furthermore, downstream as well as upstream traffic are filtered at each STU. In one embodiment, information pertaining to downstream traffic is used to implement predictive scheduling in order to improve the timing associated with the request/grant cycle. In another embodiment, a user has the ability to select a quality of service that best suits the needs of the current application. In a further embodiment, the scheduling function is associated with each of the receivers in order to provide improved scalability.

The secure wireless local area network of the present invention includes a single wired network that supports both wired and wireless devices. The network addresses security concerns by including an authentication server that services a plurality of access points. Each access point includes a first authentication device that generates and transmits a first authentication message to the corresponding wireless device over an air channel. The first authentication message includes encrypted validating information about the access point including an access point key that uniquely identifies the access point. Each wireless device includes a second authentication device. The wireless device receives the first authentication message and determines whether the access point is authorized to connect to the wired network. If the access point is valid, the second authentication device responds to the first authentication message by generating and transmitting a second authentication message to the access point. The second authentication message includes encrypted validating information about the wireless device and operator, e.g., a device key and the operator's logon name and password. The access point determines the authenticity of the wireless device by decrypting the portion of the second authentication message that includes the device key. If the wireless device is valid, the AP opens a control channel with the authentication server. The AP transmits the first and second authentication messages to the authentication server. If the authentication server validates the access point and the operator's logon name and password, it will authorize access to the wired network.

A technique is described which may be used to synchronize a plurality of different access controllers which control a plurality of distinct ports at the Head End of an access network. In the context of a cable network, the technique of the present invention may be used to synchronize desired upstream and/or downstream channels across different line cards within a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). The technique involves utilizing a master time reference device which maintains and updates a current time reference, and periodically distributes synchronization signals to desired line cards in the system in order to synchronize these line cards. In a specific embodiment, the synchronization signals include current timestamp data generated from the master time reference device and distributed to all (or selected) line cards in the system. A slave time reference device on each of the line cards receives the periodic synchronization updates and uses the synchronization data to remain synchronized with the master time reference device. There are also provisions in this protocol to allow for hot insertion and removal of line cards, software reset or loading of the master and/or slave time reference devices, and redundant master time reference devices, including master time reference device fault detection and automatic fail over.

A method and system for load balancing in a network system such as a data-over-cable system. One method includes receiving a first message on a first network device such as a cable modem termination system (“CMTS”) from a second network device and marking the first message with an identifier of a network access device. The method further includes intercepting the first message on a third network device such as a provisioning/access manager prior to any first protocol server such a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server receives the first message. When the third network device intercepts the first message, the third network device determines capabilities of the second network device and applies a set of rules to load balance any requests between a plurality of channel pairs. Each charmel pair is associated with at least one capability of a network device and also has a load factor parameter and a threshold value defining a capacity of a channel pair. The third network device assigns the second network device to a predetermined channel pair based on the capabilities of the second network device, a load factor of the channel pair and a capacity of the channel pair.

A system and methods are shown for traffic shaping and congestion avoidance in a computer network such as a data-over-cable network. A headend of the data-over-cable system includes a traffic shaper configured to calculate a packet arrival rate from a cable modem and a traffic conditioner configured to calculate an average queue size on an output interface to an external network. For example, the traffic shaper compares the packet arrival rate to three packet arrival thresholds including a committed rate threshold, a control rate threshold and a peak rate threshold. If the calculated packet arrival rate falls between the committed threshold and control rate threshold, the traffic shaper applies a link layer mechanism, such as a MAP bandwidth allocation mechanism, to lower the transmission rate from the cable modem.

A method and system for location-aware wireless mobile devices including a mobile user network interfaces and protocol. A network-independent location-aware network protocol provides communication with location-aware wireless mobile devices. The protocol is network-independent to support and deliver location-aware services over virtually any wireless or wired network transparently regardless of the protocols being used on a transport network. The protocol is location-aware of current geographic locations of plural wireless mobile devices. Alert information is provided to a location-aware wireless mobile device with the network-independent location-aware network protocol and interfaces. Location-aware wireless mobile devices are located and provided with alert information with the network-independent location-aware network protocol and interfaces. The method, system, interfaces and protocol may help improve usability of mobile devices by allowing the mobile devices to be location-aware.

Live television broadcast and other information and entertainment programs, e.g., videos-on-demand (VOD), are provided to a user through a communications network, e.g., a cable network. A processing unit is employed at an headend of the communications network to respond to user requests for PVR-like functions, e.g., pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding, to be performed on the program content being viewed. The processing unit in accordance with the invention causes a delivery of an appropriate version of the program content to meet such user requests.

Methods and apparatus for creating, transmitting and receiving ultra-wideband pulses through wire media are presented. One embodiment of the present invention transmits ultra-wideband pulses that occupy radio frequencies that are not used by other electromagnetic signals present in a wire medium of interest. Other embodiments of the invention may create, transmit, and receive ultra-wideband pulses that use radio frequency(s) that are not used by other signals present on wire media within a wire network of interest. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

An integrated phone-based home gateway system. The integrated phone-based home gateway system is a multi-function wireless and wired networking, wireless and wired telephony, broadband, gateway device. It provides automatic wireless and wired broadband initialization, configuration and service provisioning, gateway, routing and bridging functionality, wireless and wired data and telephony functionality and allows resource sharing among multiple wireless and wired devices.

A voice communication system over WiFi 802.11 network includes: WiFi phone devices, subscription servers and wireless access points. Through voice and data gateways the system can transfer both voice and data streams through WiFi; Phone devices with both wired and WiFi wireless interfaces can automatically switches between wired network and wireless network through WiFi access points. Subscription server maintains the current status of each device every time it changes location. Voice packets are prioritized over regular data packets and dispatched to different network interface by smart packet dispatcher. Quality of service for voice conversation over WiFi is achieved by various methods: piggy-tail method and ACK enhancements and other improvements to reduce delay and latency of real time voice packets.

Apparatus and methods facilitating a distributed approach to performance and functionality testing of location-sensitive wireless data communication systems and equipment are described. A plurality of test units, geographically distributed at arbitrary points in a three-dimensional volume surround the system or equipment under test. Each test unit generates test stimuli and records responses from the device under test, and emulates the effects of changes in spatial location within an actual wireless network environment. A central controller co-ordinates the set of test units to ensure that they act as a logical whole, and enables testing to be performed in a repeatable manner in spite of the variations introduced by the location sensitive characteristics of wireless data communication networks. The central controller also maintains a user interface that provides a unified view of the complete test system, and a unified view of the behavior of the system or equipment under test. For diagnostic purposes, the recorded responses may be regenerated to view any defects as many times as necessary to correct them. Alternatively, each test unit may have either wired network interface units, instead of a wireless interface unit to test systems or equipment forming part of a wired network portion in the wireless data communication system.

A mobile supporting router device for realizing the handoff control associated with the moving in high speed is forms by at least one first interface connected with radio base stations, each capable of accommodating at least one mobile terminal; at least one second interface connected with a wire network; an information exchanging unit for exchanging a routing protocol on a network layer, through the second interface; a memory unit for storing information regarding a routing on the network layer based on the routing protocol exchanged by the information exchanging unit; a transfer unit for transferring datagram through the first interface according to the information regarding the routing on the network layer stored in the memory unit; a moving detection unit for detecting a moving of the mobile terminal among the radio base stations; and an information updating unit for updating the information regarding the routing on the network layer stored in the memory unit when the moving of the mobile terminal is detected by the moving detection unit.

A wireless network having a real-time channel allocation is described herein. In one embodiment, an exemplary network architecture includes, but is not limited to, multiple access points coupled to a wired network, where each of the access points is capable of communicating with one or more mobile nodes over a wireless network. The exemplary network architecture further includes a controller coupled to the access points over the wired network. The controller maintains one or more parameters that control one or more characteristics of each access points. The controller adjusts and communicates the one or more parameters to each of the access points in response to a detection of real-time conditions changed. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

The present invention relates to an optical fiber access network, and more particularly, to a multi-purpose optical fiber access network capable of accepting all services provided by hybrid wireline/wireless access network.

According to the present invention, in an optical fiber access network of double star structure where a central office/headend and several optical network units are connected through a splitting/combining device, a multi-purpose optical fiber access network capable of accepting not only wired telephone service, wired CATV and wired data service but also various kinds of wireless services including LMDS, WLL, PCS and so forth, in which LMDS local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the splitting/combining device, WLL local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the splitting/combining device, optical network unit connects the conventional wired network composed of said optical fiber access network, twisted pair and coaxial cable, telephone service, data service and CATV service are provided through the optical network unit and PCS local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the optical network unit, is provided.

Flexible systems and methods are disclosed that may be used for provisioning, configuring, and controlling a host embodied in a cable set top box or other digital device attached to a digital communication network, such as cable distribution network. An enhanced services system maintains various host files for various types of hosts that a cable subscriber may purchase and connect to the cable network. The Enhanced Services Server interacts with the host using the host files. The host files may be downloaded from the host manufacturer into a database that distributes the modules as required to the various enhanced services systems. The host may be purchased by the cable subscriber and provisioning may be initiated by the retailer at the time of purchase using a provisioning network interacting with the appropriate cable system serving the subscriber. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope of the claims.

A centralized service discovery process performed in a data or telecommunications network collects a list of services available to user terminal equipment connected to a network based on user-specific data (e.g., the user's identification and preferences, the location and capabilities of the user terminal equipment). The list of services is then communicated to the user. The list of services may include home environment (HE) services the user is authorized to receive by a home network, and value-added services being offered to the user by the home network, a visited network, or third party service platforms. Both application and bearer services may further be collected in the list of available services. The service discovery process can be integrated in wireless and wireline networks, or implemented in a stand-alone service enabler.

A system and method of for exchanging information between a wireless network and an external system is disclosed. The wireless network detects trigger events related to communications with wireless subscribers. Certain event triggers cause the wireless system to create a message to send to the external system. In response the external system may send information to the wireless system. The wireless system may create messages upon detection of handoff, origination, status, registration or other activity by the wireless subscriber. The invention may also detect trigger events related one mass media broadcasts. An interface translates between the different protocols of the wireless and the external or wireline networks to allow for automatic call redirection. The application can be utilized between many networks and facilitates the utilization of the architecture of a wirelined network and the home location register of the wireless network for various applications on the wireless network.

In a transponder (19) for amplification of a received signal (60) into an antenna (1), to a signal (61) for retransmission, and where the retransmitted signal (61) possibly may have information superimposed, a quenched oscillator (5) is incorporated as amplifying element. The oscillator (5) is preferably of superregenerative type and exhibits negative resistance (30) for the received signal (60). Transponders according to the present invention may be introduced as system elements in a wireless or wire based network to work as intelligent or unintelligent connections in the network. The transponders can also be used in positioning systems.

Design and control systems, commissioning tools, configuration adapters and a method for wireless and wired networks design, installation and automatic formation, including binding of the networks devices are provided. In the design system a scheme that uniquely identifies each network device by its type and its physical location is created and information for logical binding between the devices is prepared. In the design system is also created a device mapping that maps between the devices on the scheme and their network configuration data such as, radio IDs and startup attribute sets and wired communication link address. The data prepared in the design system is transferred to or accessed by a master controller and dedicated commissioning tools in the control system. According to devices' physical locations, appropriate configuration data is loaded from the commissioning tools into the devices through dedicated configuration adapters. The devices and their configuration adapters not necessarily have to be powered-up during configuration data loading. After power-up, the devices automatically update themselves with the loaded configuration data and the control system may initialize itself and identifies all the devices. The master controller in the control system uses the design system defined binding information and transmits binding commands for creating logical links between the devices and so networks may be automatically formed.

A targeted advertising system selects an asset (e.g., ad) for a current user of a user equipment device (e.g., a digital set top box in a cable network). The system can first operate in a learning mode to receive user inputs and develop evidence that can characterize multiple users of the user equipment device audience. In a working mode, the system can process current user inputs to match a current user to one of the identified users of that user equipment device audience. Fuzzy logic and/or stochastic filtering may be used to improve development of the user characterizations, as well as matching of the current user to those developed characterizations. In this manner, targeting of assets can be implemented not only based on characteristics of a household but based on a current user within that household.

A technique for assigning an address ("shadow address") to a mobile station that is compatible with the layer-2 address on the wireline network which serves the mobile station. The shadow address is then used as a wireline identifier for the destination address for frames ultimately destined for the mobile station. The shadow address is stored in a watch list for serving base stations, and any base station receiving a frame with a shadow address in its watch list process the frame to forward it the to mobile station. In this way, the shadow address facilitates carrying out soft handoff and smooth handoff.

A monitoring device, system and method is provided for in-home/on-premises monitoring of usage of utilities, such as electricity and other services. The monitoring device receives information from a smart metering system or transceiver, and displays current usage through an illuminated display, which displays a colour indicative of the current cost of consumption, and controls illumination of the display to scan illumination across the display at a traverse rate indicative of a rate of consumption or other metric, the scanning of a pattern of illumination across the display simulating movement or rotation in the display. The display therefore provides a consumer with immediate “at a glance” visual information on current usage. Optionally a digital display screen provides more detailed alphanumeric and graphical information, through a number of selectable display modes. Beneficially one or more devices may be networked, and interface directly or indirectly with a transceiver of a smart metering system, or a retrofit transceiver for a conventional meter. While particularly suited to electricity monitoring, monitoring of other utilities and services may alternatively or additionally be provided. The system may be used with a wired network or wirelessly networked by one of a number of standard wireless and mesh network communication protocols.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the entry of a new type of sensor node and the adoption of a new protocol in the existing sensor network system effectively utilizing limited resources of radiocommunication. To achieve the object, the following are provided. A sensor node has a radiocommunication unit that transmits a measured value sensed by a sensor and an identifier of a sensor node as binary measured data. A base station has a radiocommunication controller that receives the measured data from the sensor node, a wire communication controller that transmits the received measured data to a server, a conversion definition information selector that selects conversion definition information corresponding to the identifier included in the measured data out of preset plural conversion definition information and a conversion engine that converts the binary measured data to measured data in a text format based upon the selected conversion definition information. The server has a database that stores the measured data in the text format received via a wired network.

A self-powered wireless network adapter device that provides convenient wireless access to a wired network environment by simply plugging the device into a network port. The device is a networking device that offers users a method to eliminate messy wiring when connecting to a network on the road. Once the device is inserted into the port, the user can immediately access the network with their wireless device and transfer files, access email, or browse the Internet. Rechargeable batteries allow the device to be self-powered and recharged. A universal serial bus connector is provided for recharging the device via a USB port. The invention further provides wireless communication capabilities via the USB connector for devices without wireless communication abilities by plugging the invention into the device's USB port. The invention not only provides wireless access to wired networks, but also allows non-wireless electronic devices to become capable of wireless communication.