Inventory tracking in cable TV system

Abstract

A system, method, and/or apparatus may track an intermediary device within a communications system. For example, a first signal may be transmitted from a first device in a communications system to the intermediary device in the communications system. The first signal from the first device may be modified (e.g., by a passive component of the intermediary device) to create a modified signal. The modified signal may be passed by the intermediary device to a second device in the communications system. The second device may be upstream or downstream from the first device and the intermediary device in the communications system. A type for the intermediary device may be determined based on the modification to the first signal. The second device may be configured to determine an identify of the first device associated with the intermediary device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.