The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 29, 2004
Filed:
May. 30, 2000
Michael Jaimie Cooper, Marietta, GA (US);
John L. Moran, III, Millville, MA (US);
Mark Miner, Foxborough, MA (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
In a cable modem system a method is provided for continuously monitoring the upstream channel to assess what unused upstream channels will better support data communication in the event that an active upstream channel degrades, with monitoring of the upstream path by using passive or unused channels not impacting active data transfer. In one embodiment, a single spectrum assessment receiver polls cable modems at various taps and has the selected modem retune itself to an unused channel and transmit a reference signal back to the spectrum assessment receiver. An analysis is made and an impaired active channel is identified to ascertain if it has degraded to an unacceptable level. If so, it is switched or hopped to this unused channel if by switching an improvement can be realized. Polling is accomplished by selecting the modem at the worst performing tap and ascertaining after one or more retunes which unused channel is best. The quality of all of the taps is maintained in a continuously-updated table to permit proper tap/modem selection.