Patent ID: 7509670

Claim:
A system for utilizing a frequency channel for transmitting data upstream in a cable plant from one or more cable modems to a cable modem termination system, the system comprising a narrow bandwidth detector, which comprises: a memory; a processor interface; and a data processor configured to analyze a single frequency channel of interest thereby creating a plurality of analysis points at different frequencies within the frequency channel of interest; identify a clean bandwidth for transmitting data within the single frequency channel of interest wherein the clean bandwidth is derived from a set of analysis points from the plurality of analysis points within the single frequency channel; and instruct the one or more cable modems in the cable plant to constrain their data transmissions to the clean bandwidth within the frequency channel of interest; wherein the data processor is further configured to: compare a noise level of one of the plurality of analysis points to a predetermined noise level; increment a counter if the noise level of the analysis point is below the predetermined noise level; and save a value corresponding to the counter and reset the counter if the noise level of the analysis point is above the predetermined noise level thereby storing one or more values corresponding to the counter.