Multi-mode modem
AssigneeComcast Cable Communications, LLC
InventorsDavid Urban, Jorge Salinger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modem system may include modems that have multiple upstream transmitters for transmitting signals upstream in a communication network. In some embodiments herein, one or more of those upstream transmitters may be retasked to transmit downstream signals for reception at devices within a modem's premises. The downstream signal may be modulated differently from its original modulation as received by the modem, and may be modulated in a manner that can be received by legacy components on the premises, such as analog televisions.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- sending, to a device in a communication network, upstream signals from at least one upstream modulator in a gateway of a user premises;
- receiving a request for content to be delivered to a device at the user premises;
- retasking said at least one upstream modulator to switch a transmission frequency from an upstream frequency to a downstream frequency to transmit the content downstream to said device at the user premises;
- and
- using a filter to change signal filtering at the gateway, in response to the retasking, wherein the filter is located on an upstream side of the at least one upstream modulator, and wherein the method further comprises:
- setting the filter to block the downstream frequency prior to the retasking, and
- switching the filter to pass the downstream frequency after the retasking.
A method, comprising:
- sending, to a device in a communication network, upstream signals modulated at an upstream frequency from at least one upstream modulator in a gateway of a user premises;
- retasking said at least one upstream modulator to transmit content downstream modulated at a downstream frequency to a device at the user premises, wherein the retasking further comprises retasking an upstream QAM transmitter to transmit at the downstream frequency;
- and
- using a filter, located on an upstream side of the at least one upstream modulator, to filter the downstream frequency to block the downstream frequency prior to the retasking of the at least one upstream modulator and to pass the downstream frequency after the retasking of the at least one upstream modulator.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing instructions that cause the following to occur upon execution:
- sending, to a device in a communication network, upstream signals from at least one upstream modulator in a gateway of a user premises;
- receiving a request for content to be delivered to a device at the user premises;
- retasking said at least one upstream modulator to switch a transmission frequency from an upstream frequency to a downstream frequency to transmit the content to said device at the user premises;
- and
- using a filter to change signal filtering at the gateway, in response to the retasking, wherein the filter is located on an upstream side of the at least one of the upstream modulators, and wherein the instructions are further for causing the following to occur upon execution:
- setting the filter to block a downstream frequency prior to the retasking, and
- switching the filter to pass the downstream frequency after the retasking.
A device, comprising:
- a plurality of upstream modulators configured to transmit signals to a first network, wherein at least one of the upstream modulators is a switchable modulator configured to switch from transmitting on an upstream frequency to the first network to transmitting on a downstream frequency to a second network;
- and
- a filter configured to block the downstream frequency while the switchable modulator is transmitting on the upstream frequency and to pass the downstream frequency when the switchable modulator is transmitting on the downstream frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.