Patent ID: 11876663
Assignee: CABLE TELEVISION LABORATORIES, INC.
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 6:
7. A method for transmitting data through a multi-media communication network, comprising:
transmitting first physical data symbols to a first physical layer (PHY) translator via a first communication medium;
at the first PHY translator, translating the first physical data symbols received from the first communication medium to a form suitable for transmission by a second communication medium, the second communication medium being a different type of communication medium than the first communication medium;
using the second communication medium, transmitting the first physical data symbols from the first PHY translator to one or more of a plurality of first communication devices; and
organizing the first physical data symbols for transmission to one or more of the plurality of first communication devices into a downlink transmission entity, the downlink transmission entity comprising a data allocation portion configured to provide transmission instructions for the plurality of first communication devices;
wherein the transmission instructions for the plurality of first communication devices specify one or more of (a) respective times for one or more of the plurality of first communication devices to transmit data and (b) frequency for one or more of the plurality of first communication devices to transmit data.