Method and apparatus for communications management in a neighborhood network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10516441-B2
Application number	US-201916297185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2019
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving data from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network, wherein the first waveguide system is a first network node of the neighborhood network. Electromagnetic waves are sent to a second waveguide system via a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without utilizing an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the data. The second waveguide system is determined according to a neighborhood routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to a group of recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network and the second waveguide system is a second network node of the neighborhood network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first waveguide system comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
facilitating transmission, to a second waveguide system, of electromagnetic waves via a transmission medium,
wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path,
wherein the electromagnetic waves convey data obtained from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network, and
wherein the second waveguide system is selected according to a routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to one or more recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network.

2. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the data is obtained via the neighborhood network, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range, and wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving metadata from the external network device; and
determining that delivery of the data is limited to the one or more recipient devices within the service area of the neighborhood network by analyzing the metadata.

3. The first waveguide system of claim 2 , wherein the metadata indicates that the data is neighborhood-wide information, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the routing scheme, according to the metadata, from among a plurality of routing schemes, and wherein the routing scheme causes the data to be transmitted towards all premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network that have authorized receiving of the data.

4. The first waveguide system of claim 2 , wherein the transmission of the electromagnetic waves to the second waveguide system is performed without retaining a copy of the data at the first waveguide system.

5. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises video content or targeted advertising, wherein the one or more recipient devices is associated with a first subset of premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network, and wherein the routing scheme causes the data to be delivered to the one or more recipient devices and prevents the data from being delivered to a second subset of premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network.

6. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more recipient devices comprises a plurality of recipient devices, wherein the transmission of the electromagnetic waves to the second waveguide system causes the second waveguide system to transmit the data to a subset of the plurality of recipient devices, and wherein the second waveguide system is a closest waveguide system to the subset of the plurality of recipient devices.

7. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the routing scheme prevents the data from being delivered to a premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network responsive to user input at equipment of the premises opting out of receiving the data.

8. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system are adjacent nodes in a wired network comprising power lines, and wherein the first waveguide system operates as an edge node for the neighborhood network.

9. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processing system, including a processor, of a first waveguide system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
facilitating transmission of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a transmission medium,
wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path,
wherein the electromagnetic waves convey data obtained from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network,
wherein the electromagnetic waves are directed to a second waveguide system, and
wherein the second waveguide system is identified according to a routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to one or more recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise:
facilitating receipt of metadata from the external network device; and
determining that delivery of the data is limited to the one or more recipient devices within the service area of the neighborhood network by analyzing the metadata.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the metadata indicates that the data is neighborhood-wide information, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the routing scheme, according to the metadata, from among a plurality of routing schemes, and wherein the routing scheme facilitates transmission of the data towards all premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network that have authorized receiving of the data.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the transmission of the electromagnetic waves that are directed to the second waveguide system is performed without retaining a copy of the data at the first waveguide system.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the data comprises video content or targeted advertising, wherein the one or more recipient devices is associated with a first subset of premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network, and wherein the routing scheme facilitates delivery of the data to the one or more recipient devices and prevents the data from being delivered to a second subset of premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the one or more recipient devices comprises a plurality of recipient devices, wherein the transmission of the electromagnetic waves that are directed to the second waveguide system causes the second waveguide system to transmit the data to a subset of the plurality of recipient devices, and wherein the second waveguide system is a closest waveguide system to the subset of the plurality of recipient devices.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the routing scheme prevents the data from being delivered to a premises positioned in the service area of the neighborhood network responsive to user input at equipment of the premises opting out of receiving the data.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range, wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system are adjacent nodes in a wired network comprising power lines, and wherein the first waveguide system operates as an edge node for the neighborhood network.

17. A method, comprising:
facilitating, by a first waveguide system including a processor, transmission to a second waveguide system, of electromagnetic waves via a transmission medium,
wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path,
wherein the electromagnetic waves convey data obtained from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network, and
wherein the second waveguide system is selected according to a routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to one or more recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
receiving metadata from the exte

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Gross David
• Lackey Joshua
• Levy Donald E
• Piqueras Jover Roger
• Ramachandran Jayaraman
• Serban Cristina

Classifications

• H04B3/52

  Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides · CPC title

• H04B2203/5445

  Local network · CPC title

• H04B3/54 Primary

  Systems for transmission via power distribution lines · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title