# US 10,771,367 B1 · Customer premises equipment centralized self-test and system check > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,771,367 B1 - Document ID: US10771367B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/036,475 - Filed: 2018-07-16 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-16 - Assignees: CSC Holdings, LLC - Applicants: Csc Holdings, LLC - Inventors: Heitor J. Almeida; John Markowski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771367B1 ## CPC - H04L 41/142: using statistical or mathematical methods - H04L 43/10: Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route - H04L 12/2861: {Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers} - H04L 12/2898: {Subscriber equipments (DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801)} - H04L 41/0677: Localisation of faults - H04L 41/509: {wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV} - H04L 43/0817: by checking functioning - H04L 41/0631: using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis - H04L 41/5067: Customer-centric QoS measurements - H04L 43/16: Threshold monitoring - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The present disclosure describes a service provider system within a point-to-multipoint communication system that commandeers unused or under-utilized subscriber devices within the point-to-multipoint communication system to perform various tasks within the point-to-multipoint communication system. By harnessing these otherwise unused or under-utilized subscriber devices, the service provider system identities, locates, and/or resolves problems, gathers data/analytics, and/or performs system maintenance in a real-world environment, as opposed to a beta, testing, or staging environment. Thus, the service provider system can be used to analyze, investigate, and scrutinize actual experiences of subscribers to the service across disparate geographical regions, settings, and testing scenarios. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A service provider system within a point-to-multipoint communication system comprising: processor circuitry configured to: maintain an index of unused subscriber devices, wherein the service provider system provides a service to subscriber devices, and wherein an unused subscriber device in the index of unused subscriber devices is a subscriber device not receiving the service from the service provider system; select a target subscriber device from the index of unused subscriber devices; maintain a set of tasks that can be performed by the subscriber devices; and select a task from the set of tasks to send to the target subscriber device for execution; and physical layer circuitry configured to: send the task to the target subscriber device for execution; and receive a task result from the target subscriber device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein to select a target subscriber device the processor circuitry is configured to: associate the subscriber devices with zip codes; determine a geographic region; create a geographic index that is a subset of the index of unused subscriber devices, wherein only subscriber devices associated with zip codes located in the geographic region are in the geographic index; and select the target subscriber device from the geographic index. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: receive a set of instructions; and add the set of instructions as a task in the set of tasks for future execution. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: receive an availability indicator from a particular subscriber device, wherein the availability indicator signals to the service provider system that the particular subscriber device is unused; and add the particular subscriber device to the index of unused subscriber devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: receive an unavailability indicator from a particular subscriber device, wherein the unavailability indicator signals to the service provider system that the particular subscriber device is in use; and remove the particular subscriber device from the index of unused subscriber devices. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the task performs diagnostic checks on the target subscriber device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the service comprises audio data and video data. ### Claim 8 A subscriber device within a point-to-multipoint communication system comprising: physical layer circuitry configured to: receive a task from a service provider system that provides a service to the subscriber device, wherein the service provider system maintains an index of unused subscriber devices, wherein an unused subscriber device in the index of unused subscriber devices is a subscriber device not receiving the service, and wherein the subscriber device is not receiving the service from the service provider system; and processor circuitry configured to: execute the task; and return a task result to the service provider system via the physical layer circuitry. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The subscriber device of claim 8, wherein the physical layer circuitry is further configured to: send an availability indicator to the service provider system, wherein the availability indicator signals to the service provider system that the subscriber device is unused. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The subscriber device of claim 8, wherein the physical layer circuitry is further configured to: send an unavailability indicator to the service provider system, wherein the unavailability indicator signals to the service provider system that the subscriber device is in use. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The subscriber device of claim 8, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: receive an interrupt signal; halt execution of the task upon reception of the interrupt signal; and return an interrupt error to the service provider system indicating incomplete execution of the task. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The subscriber device of claim 8, wherein the service comprises audio data and video data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The subscriber device of claim 8, wherein the physical layer circuitry is compliant with a communication standard or protocol, wherein the communication standard or protocol is a wireline communication standard or protocol. ### Claim 14 A method, comprising: selecting, by a service provider system, a target subscriber device within a point-to-multipoint communication system from an index of unused subscriber devices, wherein the service provider system provides a service to subscriber devices, wherein an unused subscriber device in the index of unused subscriber devices is a subscriber device not receiving the service from the service provider system; determining, by the service provider system, a task to send to the target subscriber device; sending, by the service provider system, the task to the target subscriber device for execution; and receiving, by the service provider system, a task result from the target subscriber device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, the determining further comprising: associating, by the service provider system, the subscriber devices with zip codes; determining, by the service provider system, a geographic region; creating, by the service provider system, a geographic index that is a subset of the index of unused subscriber devices, wherein only subscriber devices associated with zip codes located in the geographic region are in the geographic index; and selecting, by the service provider system, the target subscriber device from the geographic index. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the service provider system, an interrupt signal; halting, by the service provider system, execution of the task upon reception of the interrupt signal; determining, by the service provider system, a second target subscriber device from the index of unused subscriber devices; and sending, by the service provider system, the task to the second target subscriber device for execution. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the service provider system, an availability indicator from a particular subscriber device in the subscriber devices, wherein the availability indicator signals to the service provider system that the particular subscriber device is unused; and adding, by the service provider system, the particular subscriber device to the index of unused subscriber devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the service provider system, an unavailability indicator from a particular subscriber device in the subscriber devices, wherein the unavailability indicator signals to the service provider system that the particular subscriber device is in use; and removing, by the service provider system, the particular subscriber device from the index of unused subscriber devices. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The service provider system of claim 1, wherein the task executes a network viability check. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the task executes a network viability check.