Patent ID: 9178713
Filing Date: 2015-11-03
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A line termination unit integrated circuit in a point-to-multipoint network, the line termination unit integrated circuit comprising: a receiver to receive an upstream transmission from a network termination unit within the point-to-multipoint network, wherein the upstream transmission comprises an upstream transmission convergence frame (UTCF) format having i) an a UTCF overhead field and ii) a UTCF payload field, and wherein the receiver is adapted to separate the UTCF overhead field from the UTCF payload field; a transmitter to transmit a downstream transmission to a network termination unit within the point-to-multipoint network, wherein the downstream transmission comprises a downstream transmission convergence frame (DTCF) format having i) an a DTCF overhead field and ii) a DTCF payload field, and wherein the transmitter is adapted to combine the DTCF overhead field and DTCF payload field into the downstream transmission; and a time-sensitive internal processor having an interface to a time-insensitive subassembly, the time-sensitive internal processor configured to: i) process received sub-fields of the upstream transmission within the UTCF overhead field in a time-sensitive manner separated from the UTCF payload field prior to offloading the received UTCF payload field to the time-insensitive subassembly; ii) assemble the DTCF overhead field prior to combination with the DTCF payload field into the downstream transmission; and iii) control processing of the DTCF overhead field using information obtained from processing the received UTCF overhead field without off loading all of the received UTCF data retrieval and reconstruction to the time-insensitive subassembly.