Methods and systems for determining signal leaks in a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12375880-B2
Application number	US-202318354759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2023
Priority date	Apr 2, 2021
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Signals used to test for upstream signal leaks in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network may be interleaved with client data and strategically timed to be received by a leak detection device with a one-hundred percent probability of intercept. A method includes receiving an indication that a user device is in proximity to a computing device. The method includes determining, based on the indication that the user device is in proximity to the computing device, signal information. The method includes causing, based on the signal information, the user device to output a signal. The method includes determining, based on an indication that the signal was received by the computing device, a location of a network leak.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving an indication that a computing device is in proximity to a user device;
causing, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output a signal; and
determining, based on an indication that the signal was received by the computing device, a location of a network leak.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device comprises receiving from the computing device, based on the computing device receiving an identifier of the user device, the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output the signal comprises:
determining, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, signal information; and
causing, based on the signal information, the user device to output the signal.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the signal information comprises a modulation profile.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the signal information indicates at least one of: a signal strength, a signal frequency, or signal timing.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the signal frequency is associated with an aeronautical frequency band.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is based on an orthogonal frequency division multiple access upstream data profile (OUDP) test burst.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the user device to output the signal comprises causing signal information to be sent to the user device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location of the network leak comprises:
receiving, from the computing device, the indication that the signal was received,
wherein the indication that the signal was received indicates a location of the computing device and a signal strength of the signal;
determining, based on the location of the computing device and the signal strength, a location of the user device; and
determining, based on the location of the user device, the location of the network leak, wherein the location of the network leak corresponds to the location of the user device.

10. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive an indication that a computing device is in proximity to a user device;
cause, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output a signal; and
determine, based on an indication that the signal was received by the computing device, a location of a network leak.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to receive the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device based on the computing device receiving an identifier of the user device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to cause, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output the signal, further cause the apparatus to:
determine, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, signal information; and
cause, based on the signal information, the user device to output the signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the signal information comprises a modulation profile.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the signal information indicates at least one of: a signal strength, a signal frequency, or signal timing.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the signal frequency is associated with an aeronautical frequency band.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the signal is based on an orthogonal frequency division multiple access upstream data profile (OUDP) test burst.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to cause the user device to output the signal, further cause the apparatus to cause signal information to be sent to the user device.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to determine the location of the network leak, further cause the apparatus to:
receive, from the computing device, the indication that the signal was received,
wherein the indication that the signal was received indicates a location of the computing device and a signal strength of the signal;
determine, based on the location of the computing device and the signal strength, a location of the user device; and
determine, based on the location of the user device, the location of the network leak, wherein the location of the network leak corresponds to the location of the user device.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
receive an indication that a computing device is in proximity to a user device;
cause, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output a signal; and
determine, based on an indication that the signal was received by the computing device, a location of a network leak.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to receive the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device based on the computing device receiving an identifier of the user device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to cause, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, the user device to output the signal, further cause the at least one processor to:
determine, based on the indication that the computing device is in proximity to the user device, signal information; and
cause, based on the signal information, the user device to output the signal.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21 , wherein the signal information comprises a modulation profile.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21 , wherein the signal information indicates at least one of: a signal strength, a signal frequency, or signal timing.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 23 , wherein the signal frequency is associated with an aeronautical frequency band.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the signal is based on an orthogonal frequency division multiple access upstream data profile (OUDP) test burst.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one proc

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Rice Daniel
• Chrostowski John
• Lewandowski Benny
• Li De Fu
• Gaydos Robert

Classifications

• H04W24/04

  Arrangements for maintaining operational condition · CPC title

• H04L5/001

  the frequencies being arranged in component carriers · CPC title

• H04L1/0003

  by switching between different modulation schemes · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W4/027

  using movement velocity, acceleration information · CPC title