Method and apparatus for DMT network data transfer

1. A multi-tone modem comprising a plurality of shared and discrete components forming a transmit path and a receive path configured to couple to a wired communication medium for packet based communication thereon, and the shared and discrete components of the multi-tone modem comprising:

transmit path components for forming a communication packet including a hybrid preamble portion and a data portion, and the hybrid preamble portion integrating both synch and timing information for packet alignment together with header information for determining at least packet destination, thereby shortening packet length by avoiding a requirement of a distinct header portion; and

receive path components operative in a time domain to detect, in a stream of digitized samples, a symbol alignment of a received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof and operative in a frequency domain to extract header information from the hybrid preamble.

2. The multi-tone modem of claim 1 , wherein the receive path components further comprise:

a time domain preamble detector operative in the time domain for detecting, in the stream of digitized samples, the symbol alignment of the received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof;

a Fourier transform component for transforming the hybrid preamble portion detected by the time domain preamble detector between the time domain and a frequency domain; and

a frequency domain preamble detector operative in the frequency domain for extracting header information from the hybrid preamble transformed by the Fourier transform component.

3. The multi-tone modem of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet includes successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones, and selected ones of the successive multi-tone modulated symbols including both a set of preamble tones interlaced in frequency together with a discrete set of header tones; and

the set of preamble tones modulated with redundant pseudo-random data and exhibiting in the time domain a redundant waveform followed by an inversion of the redundant waveform; and

the set of header tones modulated with header information including at least one of: packet source address; packet destination address; and packet length.

4. The multi-tone modem of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet includes successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones, and the multi-tone modulated symbol including a set of preamble tones separated in frequency from one another and the preamble tones of a first set of the successive symbols modulated with redundant header information including at least one of: packet source address; packet destination address; and packet length and the preamble tones of a second set of the successive symbols modulated with a time domain inverse of the redundant header information of the first set of successive symbols.

5. The multi-tone modem of claim 1 , wherein the wired communication medium comprises at least one of: a phone line, a power line and a coaxial cable.

6. A method for communication on a multi-tone modulated wire line network; comprising:

transmitting onto the wire line network successive multi-tone modulated symbols associated with a communication packet having a hybrid preamble portion and a data portion, and the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet integrating both synch and timing information for packet alignment together with header information for identifying a network destination of the communication packet, thereby shortening communication packet length by avoiding a requirement of a distinct header portion thereof;

receiving a stream of digitized samples including the communication packet transmitted in the transmitting act;

detecting in a time domain in the stream of digitized samples a symbol alignment of a received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof; and

extracting in a frequency domain, header information from the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet detected in the time domain.

7. The method for communication of claim 6 , further comprising the act intermediate the detecting and extracting acts of:

transforming the hybrid preamble portion detected in the detecting act between the time domain and a frequency domain.

8. The method for communication of claim 6 , wherein the transmitting act further comprises the acts of:

forming the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet from successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones; and

modulating within selected ones of the successive multi-tone modulated symbols both a set of preamble tones interlaced in frequency together with a discrete set of header tones; and the set of preamble tones modulated with redundant pseudorandom data and exhibiting in the time domain a redundant waveform followed by an inversion of the redundant waveform; and the set of header tones modulated with header information including at least one of: packet source address: packet destination address: and packet length.

9. The method for communication of claim 6 , wherein the transmitting act further comprises:

forming the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet from successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones; and

modulating selected preamble tones within each of the multi-tone modulated symbols, and the preamble tones separated in frequency from one another and the preamble tones of a first set of the successive symbols modulated with redundant header information including at least one of: packet source address; packet destination address; and packet length and the preamble tones of a second set of the successive symbols modulated with a time domain inverse of the redundant header information of the first set of successive symbols.

10. The method for communication of claim 6 , wherein the wire line network comprises at least one of: a phone line, a power line and a coaxial cable.

11. A means for communication on a multi-tone modulated wire line network; comprising:

means for transmitting onto the wire line network successive multi-tone modulated symbols associated with a communication packet having a hybrid preamble portion and a data portion, and the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet integrating both synch and timing information for packet alignment together with header information for identifying a network destination of the communication packet, thereby shortening communication packet length by avoiding a requirement of a distinct header portion thereof: and

means for receiving a stream of digitized samples including the communication packet transmitted by the means for transmitting;

means for detecting in a time domain in the stream of digitized samples a symbol alignment of a received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof; and

means for extracting in a frequency domain, header information from the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet detected in the time domain.

12. The means for communication of claim 11 , further comprising, intermediate the detecting and extracting means:

means for transforming the hybrid preamble portion detected by the detecting means between the time domain and a frequency domain.

13. The means for communication of claim 11 , wherein the means for transmitting further comprises:

means for forming the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet from successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones; and

means for modulating within selected ones of the successive multi-tone modulated symbols both a set of preamble tones interlaced in frequency together with a discrete set of header tones; and the set of preamble tones modulated with redundant pseudo-random data and exhibiting in the time domain a redundant waveform followed by an inversion of the redundant waveform; and the set of header tones modulated with header information including at least one of: packet source address; packet destination address; and packet length.

14. The means for communication of claim 11 , wherein the means for transmitting further comprises:

means for forming the hybrid preamble portion of each communication packet from successive multi-tone modulated symbols with each symbol comprising a plurality of sub-channels identified as tones; and

means for modulating selected preamble tones within each of the multi-tone modulated symbols, and the preamble tones separated in frequency from one another and the preamble tones of a first set of the successive symbols modulated with redundant header information including at least one of: packet source address; packet destination address; and packet length and the preamble tones of a second set of the successive symbols modulated with a time domain inverse of the redundant header information of the first set of successive symbols.

15. The means for communication of claim 11 , wherein the multi-tone modulated wire-line network comprises at least one of: a phone line, a power line and a coaxial cable.

16. A method for communication on a multi-tone modulated wire line network comprising:

receiving, in a first device coupled to the multi-tone modulated wire line network, a stream of digitized samples of a communication packet via successive multi-tone modulated symbols associated with the communication packet, the communication packet having a hybrid preamble portion and a data portion, and the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet integrating both synch and timing information for packet alignment together with header information for identifying a network destination of the communication packet, thereby shortening communication packet length by avoiding a requirement of a distinct header portion thereof;

detecting in the stream of digitized samples a symbol alignment of a received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof;

extracting header information from the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet; and

transmitting the communication packet from a second device coupled to the multi-tone modulated wire-line network, wherein transmitting further comprises:

forming the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet; and

simultaneously modulating, using data from the formed hybrid preamble portion, both a set of preamble tones interlaced in frequency together with a discrete set of header tones, the set of preamble tones modulated with redundant pseudorandom data, and the set of header tones modulated with header information including at least one of packet source address, packet destination address, and packet length.

17. A method for communication on a multi-tone modulated wire line network comprising:

receiving, in a first device coupled to the multi-tone modulated wire line network, a stream of digitized samples of a communication packet via successive multi-tone modulated symbols associated with the communication packet, the communication packet having a hybrid preamble portion and a data portion, and the hybrid portion of the communication packet integrating both synch and timing information for packet alignment together with header information for identifying a network destination of the communication packet, thereby shortening communication packet length by avoiding a requirement of a distinct header portion thereof;

detecting in the stream of digitized samples a symbol alignment of a received communication packet based on synch and timing information in the hybrid preamble portion thereof;

extracting header information from the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet; and

transmitting the communication packet from a second device coupled to the multi-tone modulated wire-line network, wherein transmitting further comprises:

forming the hybrid preamble portion of the communication packet; and

modulating selected preamble tones with data from the formed hybrid preamble portion, the preamble tones separated in frequency from one another, the preamble tones in a first set of successive symbols being modulated with redundant header information including at least one of packet source address, packet destination address, and packet length, and the preamble tones of a second set of successive symbols being modulated with a time domain inverse of the redundant header information of the first set of successive symbols.