Patent ID: 8826359

Claim:
A method for enhancing the legacy and non-legacy upstream data carrying capacity of a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network with a cable head, at least one trunk optical fiber, at least one trunk optical fiber node terminating on at least one CATV trunk cable, said CATV trunk cable at least partially legacy RF signal connected to a plurality of CATV active devices, with at least one branch CATV cables at least partially legacy RF signal connected to said plurality of CATV active devices, thus forming an at least partially legacy RF signal connected CATV Tree and Branch Network, and a plurality of legacy RF signal compatible cable modems or Ethernet terminals connected to said CATV Tree and Branch Network, said method comprising: running at least one shadow optical fiber from said trunk optical fiber to Coax Fiber Terminals; wherein said Coax Fiber Terminals are connected to said CATV cable and intercept some but not all local legacy and non-legacy upstream CATV RF signals being transmitted by those cable modems or Ethernet terminals connected to said trunk or branch CATV cables, thereby partitioning said CATV Tree and Branch Network into a plurality of different CATV cable domains, at least some of said domains connected to a plurality of households; wherein within a domain, said households share the same upstream and downstream legacy and non-legacy RF signals along the same stretch of CATV cable, and wherein said households need not directly connect to said Coax Fiber Terminals; wherein between domains, said households do not share all of the same legacy upstream and legacy downstream RF signals, but do share at least some of the same original legacy downstream RF signals; using said Coax Fiber Terminals to intercept said local legacy upstream CATV RF signals and remove at least some but not all of said upstream legacy CATV RF signals from said trunk or branch CATV cables connected to said CATV active devices, and backhaul at least the information carried by the removed upstream legacy CATV RF signals using said at least one shadow optical fiber.