Non-DSG mechanisms for aligning client devices with their multicast data flows in a DOCSIS network environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756097-B2
Application number	US-201313924652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2013
Priority date	Jun 24, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

Video messaging may be provided. First, a bootstrap message including a system address may be transmitted by a high level device. A user device may receive the bootstrap message from the high level device and obtain system data from the system address contained in the received bootstrap message. The user device may then determine a service group in which the user device is deployed. Next, the user device may determine, from the obtained system data, a sub-system address corresponding to the determined service group. The user device may then obtain sub-system data from the sub-system address.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first user device and a second user device different from the first user device, a bootstrap message from a high level device comprising a device for providing broadcast content;
obtaining, by the first user device and the second user device, system data from a system address contained in the received bootstrap message, wherein obtaining the system data comprises parsing the received bootstrap message to obtain the system data comprising a first file that correlates transport stream identifiers to service group identifiers, a second file that correlates service group identifiers to bridge identifiers, and a third file that correlates bridge identifiers to sub-system addresses;
determining, by the first user device, from the obtained system data, a first service group in which the first user device is deployed, wherein determining the first service group comprises querying the first file for a transport stream identifier associated with the first user device to determine the first service group and receiving, in response to the query to the first file, the first service group in which the first user device is deployed;
determining, by the first user device from the obtained system data, a first sub-system address corresponding to the determined first service group, wherein determining the first sub-system address comprises:
querying the second file with a service group identifier (ID) obtained from the first file for the determined first service group,
receiving, in response to the query, a first bridge ID corresponding to the service group ID,
querying the third file with the first bridge ID obtained from the second file, and
receiving, in response to querying the third file, the first sub-system address corresponding to the first bridge ID;

obtaining, by the first user device, first sub-system data from the first sub-system address, the first sub-system data being specific to a geographic area in which the first user device is located;
determining, by the second user device, from the obtained system data, a second service group in which the user second user device is deployed; and
determining, by the second user device from the obtained system data, a second sub-system address corresponding to the determined second service group, the second sub-system address being different from the first sub-system address.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the bootstrap message comprises receiving the bootstrap message in response to the first user device scanning a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) spectrum of the high level device for the bootstrap message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the bootstrap message comprises receiving the bootstrap message at the first user device comprising a set-top box.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the system data comprises the first user device joining a multicast group.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the system data comprises obtaining the system data from a controller.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the system data comprises obtaining the system data from a controller comprising a Digital Network Control System (DNCS).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the system data comprises obtaining the system data comprising a file correlating service group IDs to bridge IDs.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first service group comprises determining the first service group comprising a logical entity that segments a population of user devices into groups that share a same low level device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first service group comprises determining the first service group comprising a logical entity that segments a population of user devices into groups that share a same low level device comprising a video on-demand (VOD) QAM device.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first sub-system address corresponding to the determined first service group comprises determining the first sub-system address comprising a multicast group from which the first sub-system data is obtained.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the first sub-system data comprises obtaining the first sub-system data comprising command data.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the first sub-system data comprises obtaining the first sub-system data comprising command data comprising at least one of the following: a program guide specific to the geographic area in which the first user device is located; a channel line-up specific to the geographic area in which the first user device is located; and an updated code image specific to the geographic area in which the first user device is located.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the high level device, the bootstrap message including the system address.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein transmitting comprises continuously inserting the bootstrap message into at least one output of the high level device.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein transmitting, by the high level device, comprises transmitting, by the high level device comprising a broadcast (QAM) device.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
joining a first multicast flow at the first sub-system address; and
receiving sub-system data from the first multicast flow, the sub-system data comprising at least one of the following: a program guide for the geographic area, a channel lineup for the geographic area, and an updated code image specific to the geographic area in which the first user device is located.

17. An apparatus comprising:
a memory storage; and
a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to:
receive a bootstrap message from a high level device comprising a device for providing broadcast content;
obtain system data from a system address contained in the received bootstrap message, the system data comprising a first file that correlates transport stream identifiers to service group identifiers, a second file that correlates service group identifiers to bridge identifiers, and a third file that correlates bridge identifiers to sub-system addresses;
determine, from the obtained system data, a first service group in which a first user device is deployed, wherein the processing unit being operative to determine the first service group comprises the processing unit further operative to query the first file for a transport stream identifier associated with the first user device to determine the first service group and receive, in response to the query to the first file, the first service group which the apparatus is deployed;
determine, from the obtained system data, a first sub-system address corresponding to the determined service group, wherein the processing unit being operative to determine the first sub-system address comprises the processing unit being further operative to:
query the second file with a service group identifier (ID) obtained from the first file for the first service group,
receive, in response to the query, a first bridge ID corresponding to the first service group ID,
query the third file with the first bridge ID obtained from the second file, and
receive, in response to querying the third file, the first sub-system address corresponding to the first bridge ID;

obtain sub-system data from the first sub-system address, the subsystem data being specific to a geographic area in which the first user device is located;
determine from the obt

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Turrie David Philip
• Richards Timothy C

Classifications

• H04N21/6405

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title

• H04L12/185

  with management of multicast group membership · CPC title

• H04L67/34 Primary

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L65/4076 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L65/611 Primary

  for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) · CPC title