Patent ID: 6914909

Claim:
A method for dividing upstream timeslots in a multiple access system comprising a line terminator coupled to a plurality of network terminators, said line terminator distributing downstream packets to said plurality of network terminators, wherein said method comprises: inserting a grant associated with one of said plurality of network terminators into said downstream packets, wherein said line terminator inserts said grant at a predefined location in a downstream packet, and distributing said downstream packet, and transmitting an upstream packet in one of a plurality of first or second predefined upstream timeslots, wherein a plurality of said second predefined upstream timeslots are interposed between each of said first predefined upstream timeslot, and wherein each of said network terminators transmits an upstream packet in response to reception and recognition of its associated grant, wherein transmitting further comprises: transmitting an upstream packet in a first predefined timeslot if said network terminator recognizing its associated grant is a lower order network terminator and said predefined location is a non-idle grant, transmitting an upstream packet in one of said second predefined timeslots if said network terminator recognizing its associated grant is a higher order network terminator and said predefined location is a non-idle grant, and transmitting an upstream packet in one of said second predefined timeslots if said network terminator recognizing its associated grant is a higher order network terminator and said predefined location is an idle grant.