IP Library Granted Patent US 7,990,977
Granted Patent B2
US 7,990,977 · App. 12/766,089 · Granted Aug 2, 2011

Method, system, and device for sending data in a cable data service

Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,990,977
App. No.
12/766,089
Granted
Aug 2, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of sending data from a transmit site to a receive device includes dividing a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate. Each of the multiple data streams is transmitted over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels. The multiple data streams are recombined at the receive device to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate. A second transmit data stream is transmitted over one of the radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit site and the receive device.

Claims (24)

1. A method of sending data from a transmit site to a receive device, the method comprising:

dividing a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate;

transmitting each of the multiple data streams over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels;

recombining the multiple data streams at the receive device to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate; and

transmitting a second transmit data stream over one of the radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit site and the receive device.

2. A system comprising:

a transmit device configured to divide a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate; the transmit device configured to transmit each of the multiple data streams over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels; and the transmit device configured to transmit a second transmit data stream over one of the radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit device and a receive device;

the receive device configured to recombine the multiple data streams to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate.

3. A transmit device for sending data to a receive device over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels, the transmit device comprising:

a tunnel source configured to divide a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate; and

a router configured to transmit the multiple data streams over the multiple radio frequency channels such that the multiple data streams may be recombined at the receive device to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate; and the router configured to transmit a second data stream over one of the multiple radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit device and the receive device.

4. A transmit device for sending data to a receive site over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels, the transmit device comprising:

a tunnel source configured to divide a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate; and

a router configured to transmit the multiple data streams over the multiple radio frequency channels such that the multiple data streams may be recombined at the receive site to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate, and configured to transmit a second data transmit stream over one of the radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit device and the receive site.

5. A device for exchanging data over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels, the device comprising:

a tunnel source configured to divide a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into a first set of multiple data streams with each of the first set of multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate;

a router configured to transmit the first set of multiple data streams over the multiple radio frequency channels, and configured to transmit a second data transmit stream over one of the radio frequency channels to a legacy user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit site and a tunnel destination;

a plurality of demodulators configured to receive a second set of multiple data streams; and

a tunnel destination configured to receive the second set of multiple data streams, and configured to combine the second set of multiple data streams into a receive data stream.

6. A method of sending data from a transmit site to a receive device, the method comprising:

dividing a first transmit data stream having a first bit rate into multiple data streams with each of the multiple data streams having a bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate;

transmitting each of the multiple data streams over a cable network having multiple radio frequency channels;

recombining the multiple data streams at the receive device to provide a receive data stream having a bit rate equal to the first bit rate; and

transmitting a second transmit data stream over one of the radio frequency channels to a user that is not capable of recombining the multiple data streams, the user connected to the one radio frequency channel between the transmit site and the receive device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2011
From: DESAI, BHAVESH N.; SHANKARANARAYANAN, NEMMARA K.; SHUR, DAVID HILTON; SMILJANIC, ALEKSANDRA; TOTLAND, TODD J.; VAN DER MERWE, JACOBUS E.; WOODWARD, SHERYL LEIGH
To: AT&T CORP.
Reel/Frame 025654/0437 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 12535147 · Aug 4, 2009
Continuation 11215898 · Aug 31, 2005
Continuation 09924617 · Aug 8, 2001
Provisional Application 60275665 · Mar 14, 2001
Related Publication 20100208751A1 · Aug 19, 2010