US6405253B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dynamic allocation of a set of addresses to router RF modem for individual assignment to hosts
Assignee: Cisco Technology Inc
•
Filing: 2000-11-09
•
Granted: 2002-06-11
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Expires: 2020-11-09
Abstract
Abstract An asymmetrical network for coupling customer-premises Internet hosts such as personal computers to the Internet. The head end of a CATV system has a high-bandwidth connection to the Internet. The down link connecting the personal computers to the Internet is the cables provided by the CATV system; the up link is a telephone connection to the head end. A router is connected to the down link by means of an RF modem, to the up link by means of an analog modern, and to a LAN which is connected to the Pcs. The router routes IP packets for the hosts that are received on the CATV cable to the hosts via the LAN; it routes IP packets from the hosts that are destined for the Internet to the head end via the telephone line. The asymmetrical network conserves IP addresses and addresses on the CATV cable by dynamically allocating the IP addresses for an RF modem's hosts and an address on the CATV cable for the RF modem in response to a request made by the RF modem via the telephone line. It further saves IP addresses by assigning a non-unique IP address to the router for use inside the LAN. When the CATV system fails, the asymmetrical network automatically begins to use the telephone line as both the up link and the down link, and when the CATV system is restored, the asymmetrical network automatically returns to using the CATV cable as the down link and the telephone line as the up link. A further feature of the asymmetrical network is that the head end components and the RF modem have IP addresses, so that standard TCP/IP protocols can be used to control the asymmetrical network.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark E. Schutte
- 👤 Scott E. Hrastar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 13:19
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04H; H04H20/00; H04H20/65; H04H20/76; H04H20/77; H04H20/78; H04H20/79; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/28; H04L12/2801; H04L12/2854; H04L12/2856; H04L12/2863; H04L12/2869; H04L12/287; H04L12/2872; H04L12/2874; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5691; H04L12/5692; H04L41/00; H04L41/02; H04L41/0213; H04L41/06; H04L41/0654; H04L41/0663; H04L41/0677; H04L61/00; H04L61/50; H04L61/5007; H04L61/5014; H04L61/5061; H04L63/00; H04L63/08; H04L69/00; H04L69/40; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/25; H04N21/258; H04N21/25808; H04N21/25816; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/426; H04N21/42676; H04N21/60; H04N21/61; H04N21/6106; H04N21/6118; H04N21/6156; H04N21/6168; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04H60/00; H04H60/76; H04H60/81; H04H60/82; H04H60/83; H04H60/84; H04L2101/00; H04L2101/60; H04L2101/604; H04L2101/618; H04L2101/622
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
147 words
A method employed in at least one server of managing the allocation of a set of addresses to an RF modem, the method comprising the steps performed in the at least one server of: receiving at least one first packet from the RF modem; determining a number of addresses to allocate to the RF modem based upon information on a plurality of addresses and upon information in the at least one first packet, the number of addresses being at least two; allocating a set of addresses for the RF modem, the set of addresses comprising the number of addresses determined in the determining step, the set of addresses comprising at least two addresses; and communicating the set of addresses to the RF modem with at least one second packet, the RF modem capable of assigning each address of the set of addresses to at least one host.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
147 words
A method employed in at least one server of managing the allocation of a set of addresses to an RF modem, the method comprising the steps performed in the at least one server of: receiving at least one first packet from the RF modem; determining a number of addresses to allocate to the RF modem based upon information on a plurality of addresses and upon information in the at least one first packet, the number of addresses being at least two; allocating a set of addresses for the RF modem, the set of addresses comprising the number of addresses determined in the determining step, the set of addresses comprising at least two addresses; and communicating the set of addresses to the RF modem with at least one second packet, the RF modem capable of assigning each address of the set of addresses to at least one host.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the information in the at least one first packet comprises the number of addresses to be allocated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of maintaining the information on the plurality of addresses, the plurality of addresses comprising allocated addresses and unallocated addresses, the information on the plurality of addresses comprising information on which addresses of the plurality of addresses are allocated addresses and which addresses of the plurality of addresses are unallocated addresses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 3 , wherein the allocating step changes the information on the plurality of addresses so that the set of addresses for the RF modem is added to the allocated addresses and removed from the unallocated addresses.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one first packet comprises identifying information for the RF modem that is allocated the set of addresses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of: maintaining the identifying information for the RF modem; and associating the identifying information for the RF modem with the set of addresses added to the allocated addresses.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 6 , further comprising the steps of: ascertaining that the set of addresses is no longer used by the RF modem; and deallocating the set of addresses by changing the information on the plurality of addresses so that the set of addresses is removed from the allocated addresses and added to the unallocated addresses.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of disassociating the identifying information for the RF modem from the set of addresses removed from the allocated addressed and added to the unallocated addresses.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the ascertaining step further comprises receiving at least one third packet from the RF modem, the at least one third packet comprising the identifying information for the RF modem.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one third packet is received from the RF modem as a result of the RF modem determining that the at least one host is finished with an assignment of an address from the set of addresses.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the set of addresses and the plurality of addresses both comprise logical addresses.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein the logical addresses are Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one first packet and the at least one second packet conform to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Claim 15
Independent Claim
113 words
A method employed in an RF modem for obtaining a set of addresses from at least one server, the method comprising the steps performed in the RF modem of: sending at least one first packet to the at least one server; receiving at least one second packet from the at least one server, the at least one second packet comprising a set of addresses allocated by the at least one server based upon information on a plurality of addresses and upon information in the at least one first packet, the set of addresses comprising at least two addresses; and assigning a first address from the set of addresses to at least one host.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
113 words
A method employed in an RF modem for obtaining a set of addresses from at least one server, the method comprising the steps performed in the RF modem of: sending at least one first packet to the at least one server; receiving at least one second packet from the at least one server, the at least one second packet comprising a set of addresses allocated by the at least one server based upon information on a plurality of addresses and upon information in the at least one first packet, the set of addresses comprising at least two addresses; and assigning a first address from the set of addresses to at least one host.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the information on the plurality of addresses is maintained by the at least one server, the plurality of addresses comprising allocated addresses and unallocated addresses, the information on the plurality of addresses comprising information on which addresses of the plurality of addresses are allocated addresses and which addresses of the plurality of addresses are unallocated addresses.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one first packet comprises identifying information for the RF modem that is allocated the set of addresses.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the information in the at least one first packet comprises a number specifying how many addresses are to be allocated by the server.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of: determining that each address of the set of addresses is no longer used by at least one host; and communicating at least one third packet to the at least one server, the at least one third packet comprising identifying information for the RF modem.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 18 , wherein the set of addresses and the plurality of addresses both comprise logical addresses.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 19 , wherein the logical addresses are IP addresses.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein at least one first packet and the at least one second packet conform to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the assigning step further comprises the steps of: receiving a request from the at least on host for an address assignment; selecting the first address from the set of addresses; and sending a response to the at least one host, the response comprising the first address as a fulfillment of the request for address assignment.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein the first address is a logical address.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the logical address is an IP address.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 24 , wherein the request and response conform to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-06-10 | 2005-12-10 | 2006-06-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-06-10 | 2009-12-10 | 2010-06-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-06-10 | 2013-12-10 | 2014-06-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |