Broadcom Corporation

Shane Patrick Lansing

Niki Roberta Pantelias

Lisa Voigt Denney

John Daniel Horton

Sean Francis Nazareth

Hooman Moshar

Heratch Avakian

Todd Lee Brooks

Kevin Lee Miller

David Hartman

Theodore F Rabenko

Robert J Lee

Robert M Lukas

James Chi Thi

Ramin Borazjani

Kenneth J Unger

Francisco J Gomez

Young Vu

A system is configured to facilitate bidirectional voice communication between a number of data and/or telephony devices.

Modem with voice processing capability

A network gateway is configured to facilitate on line and off line bi-directional communication between a number of near end data and telephony devices with far end data termination devices via a hybrid fiber coaxial network and a cable modem termination system. The described network gateway combines a QAM receiver, a transmitter, a DOCSIS MAC, a CPU, a voice and audio processor, a voice synchronizer, an Ethernet MAC, and a USB controller to provide high performance and robust operation.

The present invention provides methods for performing payload header suppression (PHS), expansion, and verification in hardware. A PHS verify circuit reads a data packet until it reaches the location where the first byte must be compared to PHS rule verify bytes. Next, all the relevant bytes in the payload header are compared to the PHS vile verify bytes obtained from a payload header suppression rule mask. Upon completion of the compare, a flag is generated to a PHS suppress circuit indicating that verification has passed or failed. For payload headers passing the verification process, the payload header suppress circuit examines the payload header suppression mask to identify one or more bits in the payload header for which an associated byte string is to be suppressed. Next, the associated byte string for each of the identified bits are suppressed to generate a suppressed packet payload header. Finally, a payload header suppression index is added to the suppressed packet payload header. The data packet, including the suppressed packet header and suppression index are then transmitted. Once received, a payload header suppress circuit on the receiver end examines the payload header suppression index to determine if the payload header has been suppressed. For each suppressed payload header, each bit in the payload header is compared to a payload header suppression mask to determine if the bit has been suppressed. Next, for each suppressed bit, a byte string is retrieved from a payload header suppression rule and inserted into the suppressed payload header.

Apparatus and method for hardware payload header suppression, expansion, and verification

A supervisory communications device, such as a headend device within a communications network, monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote communications devices throughout a widely distributed network. The supervisory device allocates bandwidth on the upstream channels by sending MAP messages over its downstream channel. A highly integrated media access controller integrated circuit (MAC IC) operates within the headend to provide lower level processing on signals exchanged with the remote devices. The enhanced functionality of the MAC IC relieves the processing burden on the headend CPU and increases packet throughput. The enhanced functionality includes header suppression and expansion. DES encryption and decryption, fragment reassembly, concatenation, and DMA operations.

Highly integrated media access control

A method for dropping lower priority packets for transmission over a wireless communication medium is provided. A central device receives one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority. Then, based on the priority, a media access controller stores each of the packets in one or more priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues. The media access controller monitors the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signals an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one or more of the priority queues. The media access controller then drops lower priority packets in the fixed shared memory space based on the order received to guarantee that there is enough memory to store higher priority packets in the fixed shared memory space.

Method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for wireless transmission

A supervisory communications device, such as a headend device within a communications network, monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote communications devices throughout a widely distributed network. The supervisory device allocates bandwidth on the upstream channels by sending MAP messages over its downstream channel. A highly integrated media access controller integrated circuit (MAC IC) operates within the headend to provide lower level processing on signals exchanged with the remote devices. The enhanced functionality of the MAC IC relieves the processing burden on the headend CPU and increases packet throughput. The enhanced functionality includes header suppression and expansion, DES encryption and decryption, fragment reassembly, concatenation, and DMA operations.

A supervisory communications device, such as a headend device within a communications network, monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote communications devices throughout a widely distributed network. The supervisory device allocates bandwidth on the upstream channels by sending MAP messages over its downstream channel. A highly integrated media access controller integrated circuit (MAC IC) operates within the headend to provide lower level processing on signals exchanged with the remote devices. The enhanced functionality of the MAC IC relieves the processing burden on the headend CPU and increases packet throughput. The enhanced functionality includes header suppression and expansion, DES encryption and decryption, fragment reassembly, concatenation, and DMA operations

Cable modem with voice processing capability

System and method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for wireless transmission

A method and system for dropping lower priority packets for transmission over a communication medium is provided. A cable modem termination system receives one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority. Then, based on the priority, a media access controller stores each of the packets in one or more priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues. The media access controller monitors the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signals an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one or more of the priority queues. The media access controller then drops lower priority packets in the fixed shared memory space based on the order received to guarantee that there is enough memory to store higher priority packets in the fixed shared memory space.

System and method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for transmission

The present invention provides methods for performing payload header suppression (PHS), expansion, and verification in hardware. A PHS verify circuit reads a data packet until it reaches the location where the first byte must be compared to PHS rule verify bytes. Next, all the relevant bytes in the payload header are compared to the PHS rule verify bytes obtained from a payload header suppression rule mask. Upon completion of the compare, a flag is generated to a PHS suppress circuit indicating that verification has passed or failed. For payload headers passing the verification process, the payload header suppress circuit examines the payload header suppression mask to identify one or more bits in the payload header for which an associated byte string is to be suppressed. Next, the associated byte string for each of the identified bits are suppressed to generate a suppressed packet payload header. Finally, a payload header suppression index is added to the suppressed packet payload header. The data packet, including the suppressed packet header and suppression index are then transmitted. Once received, a payload header suppress circuit on the receiver end examines the payload header suppression index to determine if the payload header has been suppressed. For each suppressed payload header, each bit in the payload header is compared to a payload header suppression mask to determine if the bit has been suppressed. Next, for each suppressed bit, a byte string is retrieved from a payload header suppression rule and inserted into the suppressed payload header.

System and method for hardware payload header suppression, expansion, and verification in a wireless network

A media access controller (MAC) is configured with a header creator circuit. The header creator circuit is configured with logic for receiving a data packet and determining whether the received data packet has an existing packet header prepended thereto. The header creator circuit is further configured to determine if the length of the received data packet includes a cyclic redundancy code. Still further, the header creator circuit is configured to determine a packet header length field value for the received data packet. If the header creator circuit determines that a cyclic redundancy code needs to be included with the received data packet, then the header creator circuit is able to generate a CRC flag. If the data packet needs to be encrypted, then the header creator circuit will generate an encryption flag if it is determined that the received data packet should be encrypted. Finally, the header creator circuit generates a packet header having a plurality of fields.

Apparatus and method for hardware creation of a header

A supervisory communications device, such as a headend device within a cable communications network, monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote communications devices, such as cable modems, throughout a widely distributed network. The supervisory device allocates bandwidth on the upstream channels by sending MAP messages over its downstream channel. A highly integrated media access controller integrated circuit (MAC IC) operates within the headend to provide lower level DOCSIS processing on signals exchanged with the remote devices. The enhanced functionality of the MAC IC relieves the processing burden on the headend CPU and increases packet throughput. The enhanced functionality includes header suppression and expansion, DES encryption and decryption, fragment reassembly, concatenation, and DMA operations.

Growing community of inventors

Mission Viejo, CA, United States of America

Shane Patrick Lansing