Method and apparatus for locating a faulty component in a cable television system having cable modems
US6973668B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 26, 2004 |
| Grant date | Dec 6, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 26, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/6168
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system for locating faulty components in a cable modem network configured within a hybrid fiber-coaxial cable television system by tabulating modem performance data are described. A method of isolating problematic components in a cable modem network includes determining whether a cable modem transmitted a polling message to a central destination during the modem's allotted time interval. A media access control layer, located within a cable modem termination system (CMTS), keeps a miss count for the cable modem that reflects the number of times the cable modem does not transmit a polling message to the CMTS during its allotted time. The media access control layer determines whether the cable modem is changing states. This data and the miss count are tabulated in a form that can be analyzed by a correlation module to determine characteristics of the cable television plant.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.