Patent ID: 7508785
Filing Date: 2009-03-24
Classification: H04B,H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of adaptively controlling a throughput rate of data traffic destined for a plurality of receivers, the data traffic combined into a single data stream and transmitted over a single downstream channel, the method comprising: assigning data traffic for each of the plurality of receivers to the throughput rate based on downstream signal quality information for each of the plurality of receivers; associating each of a plurality of packet queues with one of a plurality of throughput rates, establishing a profile for each of the plurality of packet queues, the profile including a modulation type and an error correction encoding rate that support the associated throughput rate; parsing the single data stream into the plurality of packet queues based on said data traffic assigning; modulating and encoding the parsed data stream in each of the plurality of packet queues in accordance with the established profile for the respective packet queue; transmitting, by a transceiver, the modulated and encoded parsed data stream from each of the packet queues over the downstream channel; and transmitting Physical Layer MAPs (PHY-MAPs) to each of the plurality of receivers over the single downstream channel, wherein the PHY-MAPs store a description of a downstream data structure that includes all information necessary for the plurality of receivers to demodulate and decode the modulated and encoded data traffic, wherein said transmitting of the PHY-MAPs includes assigning the PHY-MAP to a lowest throughput rate of the plurality of throughput rates.