US 12,756,468 B2Granted

Transforming a multipoint-to-point HFC cable network to a point-to-point HFC network

AssigneeCharter Communications Operating, LLC

InventorsAyham Al-Banna, Matthew J. Petersen

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Abstract

A system that includes a fiber-to-coaxial tap device (FTD) that includes a plurality of coaxial connectors, the coaxial connectors operable to be communicatively coupled to corresponding ones of a plurality of subscriber cable modems via corresponding drop coaxial cables. The FTD further includes a fiber connector operable to be coupled to a fiber node via a fiber cable, and processing circuitry operable to receive, via each coaxial connector of the plurality of coaxial connectors, radio frequency (RF) signals originating from a corresponding originating subscriber cable modem, convert the RF signals to digital packets, wherein each digital packet includes a source address that corresponds to the corresponding originating subscriber cable modem, and transmit the digital packets to the fiber node via optical signals.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a first fiber-to-coaxial tap device (FTD) comprising:
a first housing;
a first plurality of coaxial connectors, the coaxial connectors operable to be communicatively coupled to corresponding ones of a first plurality of subscriber cable modems via a corresponding plurality of drop coaxial cables;
a first fiber connector operable to be coupled to a fiber node via a first fiber cable;
and
first processing circuitry within the first housing and operable to:
receive, via each coaxial connector of the first plurality of coaxial connectors, first analog radio frequency (RF) signals originating from a corresponding originating subscriber cable modem;
demodulate the first analog RF signals to generate first digital data;
generate first digital packets comprising the first digital data, wherein the first digital packets include a first source address that corresponds to the corresponding originating subscriber cable modem;
and
transmit the first digital packets to the fiber node via first digital optical signals.

8 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, at a fiber-to-coaxial tap device (FTD) comprising a housing and a plurality of coaxial connectors communicatively coupled to corresponding ones of a plurality of subscriber cable modems via a corresponding plurality of drop coaxial cables, by circuitry inside the housing via each coaxial connector of the plurality of coaxial connectors, first analog radio frequency (RF) signals originating from a corresponding originating subscriber cable modem, wherein the FTD is communicatively coupled to a fiber node via a fiber cable;
demodulating, by the FTD, the first analog RF signals to generate first digital data;
generating, by the FTD, first digital packets comprising the first digital data, wherein the first digital packets include a first source address that corresponds to the corresponding originating subscriber cable modem;
and
transmitting, by the FTD, the first digital packets to the fiber node via digital optical signals.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.