Methods and apparatus for efficient IP multicasting in a content-based network
US7693171B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 3, 2006 |
| Grant date | Apr 6, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 13, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/1881
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for assigning physical channels in a content-based network. In an exemplary embodiment, the network comprises a cable television network having a plurality of cable modems, and the physical channels are assigned to the cable modems based at least in part on any multicast transmissions that may exist on the system. When two cable modems are receiving the same multicast transmission, the invention causes tuning of one or more of the cable modems to the same physical channel in order to limit the total number multicast transmissions on the network. Multicast transmissions typically comprise video or audio information, but other types of information may also be multicast according to the invention. In another embodiment, a multicast transmission list (containing a list of multicast transmissions and the corresponding physical channels) is sent to the set of cable modems. This list is used by the modems (or associated CPE) to manage channel allocation and tuning.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.