Patent ID: 7519081

Claim:
A method of providing a host with local area network connectivity and access to other services in a cable transmission network, the method comprising: allocating data bandwidth in the cable transmission network to support bi-directional communication between the host and a central concentrator; conveying at least one data flow between the host and the central concentrator over the allocated data bandwidth; and utilizing bandwidth not allocated to data communications in the cable transmission network to provide the host with at least one audio/visual service, wherein the allocating data bandwidth further comprises: providing at least two first frequency channels for a first direction of communication between the host and the central concentrator; and providing at least one second frequency channel for second direction of communication between the host and the central concentrator, the second direction of communication being in an opposite direction to the first direction of communication; and wherein the conveying at least one data flow further comprises: communicating first direction frames in the first direction, the first direction frames being fragmented to allow contemporaneous communication of portions first direction frames over the at least two first frequency channels; and communicating second direction frames in the second direction, the second direction frames communicated over the at least one second frequency channel.