1086 results about "Customer-premises equipment" patented technology

A broadband service communication system using an MV cable for conveying RF signals in a network segment, which includes a distribution center (PLT controller) and a plurality of power line telecommunication (PLT) stations. The PLT controller has a distribution modem for conveying downstream and upstream RF signals to and from the PLT stations through the MV cable via couplers. Each PLT station has a modem for conveying the downstream and upstream RF signals via couplers and for conveying media signals to one or more customer premises equipment (CPE) via, e.g. wireless links. The PLT controller controls each PLT station regarding upstream communications transfer of all downstream communications and also controls. The PLT controller can be connected via a router to a WAN to convey media signals to and from the WAN. Repeaters and interlinks are used to join multiple network segments.

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 to systematically analyze a next generation telecommunications network to result in creating a provisioning plan for provisioning the network to provide services for one or more subscribers. In one specific embodiment, the method involves creating and storing information that represents a logical decomposition of the next generation network into a plurality of discrete functional areas. The information representing the functional areas is analyzed to identify one or more provisioning requirements for each of the functional areas. One or more provisioning procedures are determined, and one or more required provisioning tools are identified for each of the functional areas, based on the provisioning requirements. A sequence of execution of the procedures and tools is created and stored as a provisioning plan.

The present invention is an system and method for comprehensively testing a customer connection to a communications network. A customer is identified from information obtained at a customer interface. A test can be performed on the customer connection. A typical test compares two datasets related to the customer connection to determine a state of the customer connection. The first and second dataset can include historical data. A parameter in the first dataset obtained from a network element can be compared to a parameter in a second dataset obtained from a customer database. The comparison can be made in light of changes recorded in a provisioning database. Relevant network data can be obtained from customer premises equipment (CPE). The customer can be notified of a network issue proactively or upon customer inquiry.

Methods for providing video on demand service from an Application Service Provider (“ASP”) to a user over a Regional/Access Network (“RAN”) are provided. A request for a video on demand application flow may be received from the user. In response to the request, information may be obtained from the RAN regarding the capabilities of the user's Customer Premises Equipment (“CPE”). A profile may then be forwarded from the ASP to the RAN that specifies at least one policy regarding the transmission of data associated with the video on demand application flow across the RAN. The data associated with the video on demand application flow may then be forwarded across the RAN in accordance with the profile. The RAN may also be provided a default profile that specifies default policies that apply with respect to video on demand application flows that are transmitted across the RAN prior to obtaining information from the RAN regarding the capabilities of the CPE of any specific user. The user specific profiles may then be used to alter one or more policies specified in the default profile.

The present invention provides for an activity log which may include user proactive billing management for use in a broadband communications system that guarantees voice, data and video communication reliability and security to users for an integrated telephone, television and data network. The activity log and user proactive billing management may log incoming calls directory numbers (DNs) and outgoing call DNs in a database that may be provided at a central system location, such as the IP Central Station or at the system subscriber's customer premises equipment. The activity log may also log incoming and outgoing email interactive sessions (e.g., instant message (IM) email) and log multimedia video and audio calls. According to a variation of the invention, the user may access the activity log(s) and identify any communication the cost of which should be billed to a different party. The activity log may also be sorted based on user preferences and set to direct calls to low cost alternatives.

A network architecture includes a communication network that supports one or more network-based Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The communication network includes a plurality of boundary routers that are connected by access links to CPE edge routers belonging to the one or more VPNs. To prevent traffic from outside a customer's VPN (e.g., traffic from other VPNs or the Internet at large) from degrading the QoS provided to traffic from within the customer's VPN, the present invention gives precedence to intra-VPN traffic over extra-VPN traffic on each customer's access link through access link prioritization or access link capacity allocation, such that extra-VPN traffic cannot interfere with inter-VPN traffic. Granting precedence to intra-VPN traffic over extra-VPN traffic in this manner entails partitioning between intra-VPN and extra-VPN traffic on the physical access link using layer 2 multiplexing and configuration of routing protocols to achieve logical traffic separation between intra-VPN traffic and extra-VPN traffic at the VPN boundary routers and CPE edge routers. By configuring the access networks, the VPN boundary routers and CPE edge routers, and the routing protocols of the edge and boundary routers in this manner, the high-level service of DoS attack prevention is achieved.

Troubleshooting of customer premise equipment installation includes receiving a request for troubleshooting information over a wireless link. The troubleshooting also includes providing information relating to an attempt to activate the customer premise equipment over the wireless link in response to receiving the request for troubleshooting information over the wireless link.

A method of processing a commerce service in a commerce processor communicating with a customer premises equipment (CPE), the method including executing a first browser and outputting a coordinate corresponding to a bitmap associated with inputted payment data on a screen of the first browser, receiving coordinate values corresponding to payment data through the output coordinate, transmitting the received coordinate values based on a communication protocol to a second browser, unscrambling the transmitted coordinate values corresponding to the payment data and retrieving payment data from the unscrambled coordinate values, and performing a payment process for a product item corresponding to the retrieved payment data.

A system for originating connectivity fault management (CFM) frames on non-CFM aware switches is disclosed. In the disclosed system, an OAM (Operations Administration and Management) proxy networking device connected to a core Ethernet network operates with one or more CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) devices to which it is communicably connected to support CFM out to the CPE devices without requiring that the CPE devices themselves implement CFM functionality. The OAM proxy networking device generates Connectivity Check (CC) frames, Loopback reply frames, and Linktrace reply frames for MEPs (Maintenance End Points) or MIPs (Maintenance Intermediate Points) contained in communication ports on the CPEs. These CFM frames generated by the OAM proxy networking device are then sent within messages from the OAM proxy networking device to the appropriate CPE. When the CPE device receives a message from the OAM proxy networking device containing one of these CFM frames, it checks the operability of a communication port indicated by the message. If the port is operable, the CPE device extracts the CFM frame from the message and originates it through the OAM proxy networking device into the core Ethernet network. The OAM proxy networking device further operates to process Connectivity Check frames received from the core Ethernet network and addressed to the CPE devices by maintaining an MEP connectivity database. As a result, these received Connectivity Check frames are dropped without forwarding to the CPE devices.

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for effectively detecting and characterizing noise and other events affecting a communications system such as DSL. According to certain aspects, the invention includes a noise analysis engine that is embedded in customer premises equipment that classifies noise sources according to their specific characteristics and tracks each noise source in a dynamic manner, in such a way as to provide visibility to the changing noise environment within the customer premises and/or report this environment to a remote entity.

A method, apparatus, and software for providing lifeline service during power failure affecting Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) in a Digital Subscriber Loop (DSL) arranged to carry voice traffic in band rather than on a separate analogue POTS band. The arrangement provides a reduced service, capable of supporting at least one voice call, to operate during such power failure and, where a single call is in progress during power failure, that call may be maintained during the transition from DSL to analogue POTS lifeline service. Where a call is in progress upon power restoration, the lifeline POTS service may be maintained until completion of the call so as not to interrupt a potential lifeline call.

A subscriber associates a ring-tone media selection based on a media genre, author, or title to a calling number. When an incoming call is detected, a particular ring-tone media selection, based on the subscriber's association, may be streamed from a central server to the subscriber's customer premises equipment and then played. Alternatively, when an incoming call is detected, a particular ring-tone selection indicator, based on the subscriber's association, may be sent from a central server to the subscriber's customer premises equipment which then plays a pre-stored ring-tone selection media associated with the indicator.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing companion services to customer premises equipment (CPE) using an IP-based service infrastructure. The infrastructure allows IP-enabled devices such as tablet PCs, smart phones, PDAs, and laptop computers to provide supplementary services to target systems and devices located at customer premises. Target systems and devices (CPE) may be TVs, PCs, set-top boxes, digital video recorders, or other electronics. An embodiment is disclosed which allows a mobile device to provide companion services to a television through a link with a set-top box in a cable TV network using the Internet.

In a code division multiple access (CDMA) communications system including one or more terminals (such as customer premise equipments, CPEs) that communicate with a node (such as an Internet gateway) via at least a random access channel and a reservation-oriented channel, various schemes of managing communications traffic among the channels are provided. Decisions as to the channel on which a given terminal may transmit may be based on: traffic statistics (such as packet size or average data rate over a time period), traffic content (such as packet type), the terminal's output buffer loading (queue state, or “Q-state”), a history of the terminal's output buffer loading (one or more Q-states), and so forth. In one application, decisions in managing traffic in a live user's web browsing sessions may involve intelligent ascertainment of whether a given terminal is busy based on traffic analysis or output buffer loading.

Traffic is admitted to a Regional/Access Network (RAN) where the RAN facilitates differentiated end-to-end data transport between a Network Service Provider (NSP) and/or an Application Service Provider (ASP) and a customer Premises Network (CPN) that includes Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) by defining maximum numbers of flows/sessions that may be active on respective links connecting network elements in the access network. The numbers of flows/sessions that may be active on the links are restricted to the defined maximum numbers.

A method and apparatus can include a system processor and a system controller. The system controller can retrieve data from at least one database, the data including information associated with at least one of subscribers, multimedia content, and subscriber interaction with customer premises equipment, and transmit, to a customer premises equipment of a subscriber, a recommendation of multimedia content. The system processor can formulate an input dataset from the retrieved data, perform nonlinear clustering on the input dataset to formulate subscriber and multimedia content clusters having similarities between elements therein, and determine the recommendation of multimedia content based on a metric distance between vector elements of the formulated subscriber and multimedia content clusters and the metric distance crossing a threshold.