Method for automatic tracking of hybrid fiber coaxial upstream service upgrades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164758-A1
Application number	US-201414563680-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method implemented in a computer system for determining upstream transmission capability in an area of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable plant network, the area including network components, and customer premises equipment (CPE) devices. The method configures a downstream transmission that includes a marker channel, and initiates the downstream transmission to each CPE device. The method sends a query to each CPE device to request a status of the marker channel at the CPE device. The method receives a response to the query from at least one CPE device, and determines a status of each network component based on the response to the query from said at least one CPE device subtending from the network component.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A computing device for determining upstream transmission capability in an area of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable plant network, the area including network components, and customer premises equipment (CPE) devices, comprising:
a memory device resident in the computing device; and a processor disposed in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to:
configure a downstream transmission that includes a marker channel;
initiate the downstream transmission to each CPE device;
send a query to each CPE device, the query requesting a status of the marker channel at the CPE device;
receive a response to the query from at least one CPE device; and
determine a status for each network component, the status based on the response to the query from said at least one CPE device subtending from the network component.

2 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the network components include active network components, and passive network components.

3 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein each CPE device is an internet protocol (IP) addressable device.

4 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein each CPE device is at least one of a set-top box, a gateway, and a cable modem.

5 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the downstream transmission is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal transmission, and wherein the marker channel is a QAM channel.

6 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the marker channel is a continuous tone sent at a frequency within a band of upgrade frequencies.

7 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein when the response to the query is a tune success, the CPE device is an unaffected CPE device, and wherein when the response is a tune failure, the CPE device is an upgraded CPE device.

8 . The computing device of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
send a second query to each upgraded CPE device, the second query requesting a response on at least one upstream frequency within a band of upgrade frequencies to verify the status of the upstream transmission upgrade for the upgraded CPE device; and receive a response to the second query from at least one upgraded CPE device on said at least one upstream frequency, wherein the determining of the status of each network component is further based on the response to the second query from said at least one upgraded CPE device.

9 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine the upstream transmission capability in the area based on the status determined for each network component.

10 . A method implemented in a computer system for determining upstream transmission capability in an area of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable plant network, the area including network components, and customer premises equipment (CPE) devices, comprising:
configuring a downstream transmission that includes a marker channel; initiating the downstream transmission to each CPE device; sending a query to each CPE device, the query requesting a status of the marker channel at the CPE device; receiving a response to the query from at least one CPE device; and determining a status for each network component, the status based on the response to the query from said at least one CPE device subtending from the network component.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the network components include active network components, and passive network components.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each CPE device is an internet protocol (IP) addressable device.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each CPE device is at least one of a set-top box, a gateway, and a cable modem.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the downstream transmission is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal transmission, and wherein the marker channel is a QAM channel.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the marker channel is a continuous tone sent at a frequency within a band of upgrade frequencies.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein when the response to the query is a tune success, the CPE device is an unaffected CPE device, and wherein when the response is a tune failure, the CPE device is an upgraded CPE device.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending a second query to each upgraded CPE device, the second query requesting a response on at least one upstream frequency within a band of upgrade frequencies to verify the status of the upstream transmission upgrade for the upgraded CPE device; and receiving a response to the second query from at least one upgraded CPE device on said at least one upstream frequency, wherein the determining of the status of each network component is further based on the response to the second query from said at least one upgraded CPE device.

18 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining the upstream transmission capability in the area based on the status determined for each network component.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computing device for determining upstream transmission capability in an area of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable plant network, the area including network components, and customer premises equipment (CPE) devices, perform steps of:
configuring a downstream transmission that includes a marker channel; initiating the downstream transmission to each CPE device; sending a query to each CPE device, the query requesting a status of the marker channel at the CPE device; receiving a response to the query from at least one CPE device; and determining a status for each network component, the status based on the response to the query from said at least one CPE device subtending from the network component.

Assignees

• Arris Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Ansley Carol J

Classifications

• H04N21/23614

  Multiplexing of additional data and video streams (arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28) · CPC title

• H04N21/6118

  involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem · CPC title

• H04N7/22

  Adaptations for optical transmission · CPC title

• H04N21/222

  Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4348

  Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams · CPC title