Patent ID: 7643489
Filing Date: 2010-01-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of providing bandwidth on demand in a broadband communications system, comprising: establishing a default connection between a subscriber data processing system connected to a client-premises equipment (CPE) and a content-provider data processing system, said default connection comprising an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) permanent virtual circuit (PVC); initiating a bandwidth-on-demand session via a subscriber, said bandwidth-on-demand session creates one or more switched virtual circuits (SVCs) between said subscriber data processing system and said content-provider data processing system to supplement the bandwidth of said default connection; and ending said bandwidth-on-demand session by terminating said one or more SVCs, wherein said step of initiating a bandwidth-on-demand session comprises sending a message from said subscriber data processing system to a proxy signaling server comprising information related to said bandwidth-on-demand session and, in response to said message, sending a message from said proxy signaling server to an ATM edge device to create one or more SVCs between said subscriber data processing system and said content-provider data processing system, wherein said message from said subscriber data processing system to said proxy signaling server does not comprise User Network Interface (UNI) signals and wherein said message from said proxy signaling server to said ATM edge device comprises UNI signals.