Comcast Cable Communications, LLC

Harmonic, Inc.

Comcast Cable Holdings, LLC

Concurrent Computer Corporation

Robert Gaydos

Weidong Mao

John G Leddy

Bruce Bradley

Todd A Walker

Thomas Day

Nagesh Nandiraju

Amit Garg

Tom Brown

Volnie Whyte

Mark Muehl

Amir Leventer

Daniel Rice

Pak Siripunkaw

James Barkley

Derek T Harrar

Ihor Kopieichyk

De Fu Li

Daniel Ginsburg

Nimrod Ben-Natan

Roger J Godin

Andrey Ter-Zakhariants

Robin L Opie

John Chrostowski

Benny Lewandowski

Michael A Chen

Stephen D Malaby

Neville A Black

Arun V Rajagopalan

Gerald Caracciolo

Jason Combs

Roman Balashevych

Howard Abramson

Sam Abadir

John A Schlack

Clifford Lewis

An archive model can be used for managing networked storage of recorded content, such as network DVR (digital video recorder) content. Content may be initially recorded to an active storage device, with individual duplicate copies recorded for each requesting user, and subsequently archived to an archive storage device. For playback, the content can be reconstituted into the active storage device prior to delivery to the requesting user. Content can be predictively reconstituted in anticipation of user needs, and the reconstitution capacity of the system can be dynamically reallocated for load balancing.

Content archive model

Cache management techniques are described for a content distribution network (CDN), for example, a video on demand (VOD) system supporting user requests and delivery of video content. A preferred cache size may be calculated for one or more cache devices in the CDN, for example, based on a maximum cache memory size, a bandwidth availability associated with the CDN, and a title dispersion calculation determined by the user requests within the CDN. After establishing the cache with a set of assets (e.g., video content), an asset replacement algorithm may be executed at one or more cache devices in the CDN. When a determination is made that a new asset should be added to a full cache, a multi-factor comparative analysis may be performed on the assets currently residing in the cache, comparing the popularity and size of assets and combinations of assets, along with other factors to determine which assets should be replaced in the cache device.

Cache management in a video content distribution network

Signals used to test for upstream signal leaks in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network may be interleaved with client data and strategically timed to be received by a leak detection device with a one-hundred percent probability of intercept. A method includes receiving an indication that a user device is in proximity to a computing device. The method includes determining, based on the indication that the user device is in proximity to the computing device, signal information. The method includes causing, based on the signal information, the user device to output a signal. The method includes determining, based on an indication that the signal was received by the computing device, a location of a network leak.

Methods and systems for determining signal leaks in a network

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for synchronization based on time differentials in an access network. A time domain may be established for a virtual service and a remote node. The virtual service may synchronize to a clock associated with the remote node based on a time differential. Various virtual services may maintain their own time domains with remote nodes.

Container based time differentials

A network digital video recording (nDVR) system may take into account the capabilities of a requesting user's local DVR when managing network recordings. The user's local DVR may include a temporary buffer that is normally used to record what the DVR is tuned to, and may be used for local trickplay functionality such as pausing live television. The nDVR features described herein may track the usage of the user's temporary DVR buffer, and use that in determining what to stream in response to a user's playback request. The nDVR system can also determine if the user's local DVR has an unused tuner at a time of a program recording, and can instruct the user's local DVR to also tune to the program.

Network recorder buffer

Described herein is a system and method for a microservices architecture for dynamic channel migration based on real time traffic load. Traffic loads on a first and second radio frequency (RF) channels used by a transceiver to communicate with a plurality of modem devices may be monitored, where the first RF channel is transmitted at a higher frequency than the second RF channel. Based on the monitored traffic loads of the RF channels, data traffic may be migrated from the first RF channel to the second RF channel. Finally, the plurality of modem devices may be notified of the migration.

Efficiently managing network traffic

Techniques for encrypting content in a content distribution network are disclosed. The content distribution network may comprise a number of national and local sites, and a number of hubs at each local sites. A content segment encrypting device may be operative at a local site to encrypt and cache segments of content. The segment encrypting device may provide the segments to streaming devices that encode content for delivery downstream to network or user devices.

Segmented encryption for content delivery

Supporting a scalable and Highly Available (HA) service platform. The service platform may be a virtual Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS), a Passive Optical Network (PON), or a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG). A software component receives, from the service platform, an update about a particular unit of equipment, such as a cable modem (CM), Optical Network Unit (ONU)/Optical Network Terminal (ONT), or customer premises equipment (CPE). In response to receiving the update, the software component provides, to at least one edge router, route data for the particular unit of equipment. The route data informs the edge router of a next hop network address for a network address of the unit of equipment. The edge router is not and need not be provided with either (a) any Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) data for the particular unit of equipment and (b) any Neighbor Discovery (ND) data for the particular unit of equipment.

Support for a scalable and highly available (HA) service platform

Ensuring the high availability of a Passive Optical Network (PON). A broadband network architecture comprises (a) at least a portion of optical fiber in a communication path to individual subscriber premises, (b) one or more software-implemented Optical Line Terminal (OLT) Controllers, (c) one or more software-implemented Service Provisioning Applications (SPAs), and (d) one or more software-implemented Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs). Each of the one or more OLT Controllers, one or more SPAs, and one or more BNGs execute on Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) computer systems and entirely upon a plurality of protection groups. Each of the plurality of protection groups consists of a plurality of pods. The pods in a particular protection group which are active are dynamically adjusted to ensure the high availability of the broadband network architecture.

High availability and software upgrades in network software

Methods and systems are disclosed for delivery of one or more channels of programming in an IP network. An edge gateway device may retrieve segments of programming, based on information in a manifest file, and output the segments via multicast to one or more edge devices. Advertising content may be inserted, or replaced if already present, before the segments are multicast. Segments encoded at various bit rates may be available for retrieval. Segments may be selected for retrieval based in part on a quality indicator associated with each segment.

Delivering content

Supporting a scalable and Highly Available (HA) virtual Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS). A software component receives, from the vCMTS, an update about a particular cable modem (CM) or customer premises equipment (CPE). The update may be sent in response to the particular CM or CPE becoming online or offline. In response to receiving the update, the software component provides, to at least one edge router, route data for the particular CM or CPE. The route data informs the edge router of a next hop network address for a network address of the particular CM or CPE. The edge router is not and need not be provided with either (a) any Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) data for the particular CM or CPE and (b) any Neighbor Discovery (ND) data for the particular CM or CPE.

Support for a scalable and high availability (HA) virtual cable modem termination system (VCMTS)

A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) providing high speed data services to one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). The CMTS executes entirely upon a plurality of protection groups. Each of the plurality of protection groups consists of a plurality of pods. A dynamic adjustment may be made as to which pods in a particular protection group are active. The dynamic adjustment is made response to determining that a particular protection group is experiencing a failure. This determination may be made by a high availability agent executing within a pod, of the particular protection group, that is experiencing the failure. Software associated with supporting a particular service group of the CMTS may be upgraded without upgrading the software associated with supporting the remainder of the plurality of service groups serviced by the CMTS.

High availability and software upgrades in a virtual cable modem termination system

Growing community of inventors

Harleysville, PA, United States of America

Robert Gaydos