Audio/video channel transbonding in a network device
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsRajesh Shankarrao Mamidwar, Xuemin Chen, Victor Hou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data communication architecture delivers a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architecture employs channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. The architecture includes intermediate network devices that may receive content and send content using different groups of communication channels. The network device may process content received across a first set of communication channels for transmission across a second set of communication channels different from the first set. Such processing may preserve a program order of the content during delivery to a destination device.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- in a network device:
- receiving program packets and marker packets corresponding with the program packets from a first set of communication channels in an incoming bonded channel group;
- and
- after receiving the program packets and the marker packets from the first set of communication channels:
- arranging the program packets in a program order using the marker packets and without discarding the marker packets;
- and
- distributing the program packets and the marker packets across a second set of communication channels in an outgoing bonded channel group different from the incoming bonded channel group.
A system comprising:
- input interfaces to a first set of individual communication channels that form an incoming bonded channel group;
- output interfaces to a second set of individual communication channels that form an outgoing bonded channel group different from the incoming bonded channel group;
- and
- transbonding logic in communication with the input interfaces and the output interfaces, the transbonding logic configured to:
- read transbonding configuration parameters that identify an incoming chunk size for communication units received through the incoming bonded channel group, the communication units comprising program packets;
- obtain a first marker packet received through a first input interface among the input interfaces;
- obtain a first communication unit of the incoming chunk size received through the first input interface;
- and after obtaining the first marker packet and the first communication unit:
- distribute the first marker packet and the first communication unit, previously received through the first input interface, to a first output interface among the output interfaces for transmission across the outgoing bonded channel group.
A gateway device in communication with a destination device, the gateway comprising:
- input interfaces to a first set of communication channels that together form an incoming bonded channel group;
- output interfaces to a second set of communication channels that together form an outgoing bonded channel group;
- and
- a transbonder in communication with the input and output interfaces, the transbonder configured to:
- receive program data across the incoming bonded channel group;
- receive marker packets corresponding to the program data across the incoming bonded channel group;
- and after receiving the program data and the marker packets:
- construct a data stream comprising the program data and the marker packets without discarding the marker packets, the data stream arranged in a program order;
- and
- send the data stream comprising the program data and the marker packets to the destination device across the outgoing bonded channel group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.