Claims
- 1. A communication network comprising:
- a plurality of user terminals receiving and processing broadband information;
- a plurality of information provider systems;
- a backbone subnetwork providing point-to-point communication sessions;
- an access subnetwork receiving broadcast information signals and distributing the broadcast information signals to authorized ones of the user terminals and receiving digital broadband information signals from a selected interactive information provider system via the backbone subnetwork for transmission to one of the user terminals, the access subnetwork comprising:
- (1) a broadcast provider interface receiving digital signals from respective broadcast information providers and combining the received digital signals into a consolidated broadcast signal,
- (2) a plurality of broadcast headend nodes receiving the consolidated broadcast signal, each broadcast headend node receiving a corresponding local broadcast signal and outputting a combined digital broadcast signal carrying at least a portion of the consolidated broadcast signal and the corresponding local broadcast signal,
- (3) groups of end offices receiving the combined digital broadcast signals from the respective broadcast headend nodes, each end office outputting to a selected group of the user terminals the combined digital broadcast signal from the corresponding broadcast headend node and a specified portion of the digital broadband information signals from the backbone subnetwork; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the access subnetwork including at least the end offices thereof to establish broadcast and dedicated connections therethrough in response to connection requests and providing reports regarding specific connections.
- 2. A communication network comprising:
- a plurality of user terminals receiving and processing broadband information;
- a plurality of information provider systems;
- a backbone subnetwork providing point-to-point communication sessions;
- an access subnetwork receiving broadcast information signals and distributing the broadcast information signals to authorized ones of the user terminals and receiving digital broadband information signals from a selected interactive information provider system via the backbone subnetwork for transmission to one of the user terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the access subnetwork to establish broadcast and dedicated connections theretbrough in response to connection requests and providing reports regarding specific connections,
- wherein the access subnetwork comprises:
- a network of first optical fibers carrying digital broadcast programming from at least one of the information provider systems;
- a plurality of host digital terminals, each host digital terminal being connected to the backbone subnetwork and the network of first optical fibers for selectively supplying digital point-to-point broadband information signals to at least one of the user terminals and digital broadcast programming from the network of first optical fibers to a group of the user terminals in response to selection requests from the group of user terminals and control signals from the access subnetwork controller.
- 3. A communication network as in claim 2, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises a respective second optical fiber connected to each host digital terminal carrying the digital point-to-point broadband information from the backbone network, wherein each host digital terminal selectively supplies the digital point-to-point broadband information from the respective second optical fiber to at least one user terminal.
- 4. A communication network as in claim 2, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises a plurality of optical network units connected by optical fiber to each host digital terminal, each optical network unit being connected by a cable to a subset of a group of user terminals.
- 5. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises:
- means for receiving said broadcast information signals in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell streams and converting the ATM cell streams into a packet stream containing a plurality of said broadcast information signals, said means for receiving being controlled by said access subnetwork controller;
- a modulator for modulating the packet stream into a predetermined channel; and
- means for broadcast the predetermined channel to the user terminals.
- 6. A communication network as in claim 5, wherein the broadcast information signals are encrypted, and the access subnetwork further comprises:
- a network interface module connected to each user terminal for decrypting broadcast information signals; and
- a processor supplying decyption keys for specific broadcast information signals to network interface modules in response to instructions from the access subnetwork controller.
- 7. A communication network comprising:
- a plurality of user terminals receiving and processing broadband information;
- a plurality of information provider systems;
- a backbone subnetwork providing point-to-point communication sessions;
- an access subnetwork receiving broadcast information signals and distributing the broadcast information signals to authorized ones of the user terminals and receiving digital broadband information signals from a selected interactive information provider system via the backbone subnetwork for transmission to one of the user terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the access subnetwork to establish broadcast and dedicated connections therethrough in response to connection requests and providing reports regarding specific connections,
- wherein the access subnetwork comprises:
- a broadcast provider interface receiving digital signals from broadcast information providers, said broadcast provider interface comprising:
- (1) means for combining asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell streams having specified VPI/VCI values and each containing one of the digital signals into a consolidated broadcast signal, and
- (2) means for optically transmitting the consolidated broadcast signal;
- a plurality of broadcast headend nodes receiving the optically transmitted consolidated broadcast signal, each broadcast headend node comprising:
- (i) at least one first ATM converter receiving two or more ATM cell streams having specified VPI/VCI values from the consolidated broadcast signal and recovering two or more of the digital signals from the received ATM cell streams,
- (ii) at least two modulators, each modulator modulating a recovered digital signal onto an assigned channel,
- (iii) a combiner combining modulated channel signals from the modulators into a first combined spectrum signal, and
- (iv) means for optically transmitting the first combined spectrum signal;
- groups of end offices, each group of end offices receiving the first combined spectrum signal from a broadcast headend node servicing the group, each end office comprising:
- (a) at least one second ATM converter which receives an ATM cell stream having a specified VPI/VCI value from the backbone network and recovers a digital broadband signal from the received ATM cell stream,
- (b) a modulator modulating the recovered digital signal onto an assigned channel to produce an additional signal,
- (c) a combiner combining the additional signal with the received first combined spectrum signal to form a second combined spectrum signal, and
- (d) means for transmitting the second combined spectrum signal; and
- for each end office, a local distribution network transporting the second combined spectrum signal from that end office to a group of the user terminals.
- 8. A communication network as in claim 7, wherein the first and second ATM converters encrypt the recovered digital signals, and the access subnetwork further comprises:
- a network interface module connected to each user terminal for decrypting encrypted signals; and
- a processor supplying decyption keys for specific signals to network interface modules in response to instructions from the access subnetwork controller.
- 9. A system comprising:
- an access subnetwork receiving broadcast information signals and selectively distributing the broadcast information signals to authorized user terminals and receiving interactive service broadband information signals from a point-to-point link through a backbone subnetwork for transmission to one of the user terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the access subnetwork to establish broadcast and point-to-point connections through the access subnetwork to authorized user terminals in response to instructions and reporting on the status of connections through the access subnetwork;
- wherein the access subnetwork comprises:
- a network of first optical fibers carrying digital broadcast programming from at least one of the information provider systems;
- a plurality of host digital terminals, each host digital terminal being connected to the backbone subnetwork and the network of first optical fibers for selectively supplying digital point-to-point broadband information signals to at least one of the user terminals and digital broadcast programming from the network of first optical fibers to a group of the user terminals in response to selection requests from the group of user terminals and control signals from the access subnetwork controller.
- 10. A system as in claim 9, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises a respective second optical fiber connected to each host digital terminal carrying digital point-to-point transmissions from the backbone network, wherein each host digital terminal selectively supplies digital point-to-point transmissions from the respective second optical fiber to at least one user terminal.
- 11. A system as in claim 9, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises a plurality of optical network units connected by optical fiber to each host digital terminal, each optical network unit being connected by a cable to a subset of a group of user terminals.
- 12. A system comprising:
- an access subnetwork receiving broadcast information signals and selectively distributing the broadcast informationm signals to authorized user terminals and receiving interactive service broadband information signals from a point-to-point link through a backbone subnetwork for transmission to one of the user terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the access subnetwork to establish connections through the access subnetwork to authorized user terminals in response to instructions and reporting on the status of connections through the access subnetwork;
- wherein the access subnetwork comprises:
- (1) means for receiving said broadcast information signals in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell streams from broadcast providers and converting the ATM cell streams into a first packet stream containing a plurality of said broadcast information signals, said means for receiving being controlled by said access subnetwork controller;
- (2) an ATM demultiplexer, controlled by the access subnetwork controller, converting second ATM cell streams received from the backbone subnetwork and carrying the interactive service broadband information signals into a second packet stream carrying the interactive service broadband information,
- (3) a modulator for modulating the first and second packet streams onto channels assigned by the access subnetwork controller; and
- (4) means for broadcasting the assigned channels to the user terminals.
- 13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the broadcast information signals are encrypted, and the access subnetwork further comprises:
- a network interface module connected to each user terminal for decrypting broadcast information signals; and
- a processor supplying decyption keys for specific broadcast information signals to network interface modules in response to instructions from the access subnetwork controller.
- 14. An access subnetwork comprising:
- a broadcast provider interface receiving digital signals from broadcast information providers, said broadcast provider interface comprising:
- (1) means for combining asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell streams having specified VPI/VCI values and each containing one of the digital signals into a consolidated broadcast signal, and
- (2) means for optically transmitting the consolidated broadcast signal;
- a plurality of broadcast headend nodes receiving the optically transmitted consolidated broadcast signal, each broadcast headend node comprising:
- (i) at least one first ATM converter receiving two or more ATM cell streams having specified VPI/VCI values from the consolidated broadcast signal and recovering two or more of the digital signals from the received ATM cell streams,
- (ii) at least two modulators, each modulator modulating a recovered digital signal onto an assigned channel,
- (iii) a combiner combining modulated channel signals from the modulators into a first combined spectrum. signal, and
- (iv) means for optically transmitting the first combined spectrum signal;
- groups of end offices, each group of end offices receiving the first combined spectrum signal from a broadcast headend node servicing the group, each end office comprising:
- (a) at least one second ATM converter which receives an ATM cell stream having a specified VPI/VCI value from the ATM network and recovers a digital broadband signal from the received ATM cell stream,
- (b) a modulator modulating the recovered digital signal onto an assigned channel to produce an additional signal,
- (b) a combiner combining the additional signal with the received first combined spectrum signal to form a second combined spectrum signal, and
- (c) means for transmitting the second combined spectrum signal;
- for each end office, a local distribution network transporting the second combined spectrum signal from that end office to a group of digital entertainment terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling at least some operations of the broadcast headend nodes and the end offices in response to connection requests and providing reports regarding specific connections.
- 15. A communication network as in claim 14, wherein the first and second ATM converters encrypt the recovered digital signals, and the access subnetwork further comprises:
- a network interface module connected to each user terminal for decrypting encrypted signals; and
- a processor supplying decyption keys for specific signals to network interface modules in response to instructions from the access subnetwork controller.
- 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the host digital terminals initiate a connection for transport of said broadcast information to a new user in response to a provisioning request from the access subnetwork controller.
- 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the access subnetwork further comprises a broadcast provider interface receiving the broadcast information signals from the respective broadcast providers and multiplexing the received broadcast information signals into said ATM cell streams.
- 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the broadcast provider interface comprises a digital encoder generating encoded broadcast signals from analog broadcast signals received from at least one of the broadcast providers, the ATM cell streams carrying the encoded broadcast signals.
- 19. A system comprising:
- an access subnetwork comprising:
- (1) a broadcast interface receiving first ATM cell streams carrying broadcast information signals, recovering the broadcast information signals from the ATM cell streams, and selectively distributing the recovered broadcast information signals to authorized user terminals in response to reception of broadcast selection signals,
- (2) an interactive interface receiving, from a backbone subnetwork, second ATM cell streams carrying interactive service broadband information signals from a point-to-point link through the backbone subnetwork, the interactive interface recovering the interactive service broadband information signals from the second ATM cell stream for transmission to one of the user terminals via said point-to-point link,
- (3) a local distribution network selectively supplying the recovered broadcast information signals and the interactive service broadband information signals to the user terminals; and
- an access subnetwork controller controlling the broadcast interface and the interactive interface to establish connections through the local distribution network to authorized user terminals in response to instructions and reporting on the status of connections through the access subnetwork.
- 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the broadcast selection signals are supplied by the authorized users.
- 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the broadcast selection signals are supplied by the access subnetwork controller.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/304,174 filed Sep. 12, 1994, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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304174 |
Sep 1994 |
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