Patent ID: 8654640

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving Internet Protocol (IP) packets on a first device for delivery over a Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) interface, wherein each DOCSIS packet of a plurality of DOCSIS packets encapsulates IP data from the IP packets and includes a sequence number that the first device generates for a bonding group that the first device controls; delivering a first number of the DOCSIS packets to a DOCSIS device using first downstream channels on the first device, wherein the first downstream channels are associated with the bonding group; detecting that a capacity of the first downstream channels exceed a threshold value; determining an available capacity of second downstream channels on a second device, wherein the second downstream channels are associated with the bonding group; identifying a second number of the DOCSIS packets that do not exceed the available capacity of the second downstream channels on the second device; and forwarding the second number of the DOCSIS packets from the first device to the second device, wherein the second device delivers the second number of the DOCSIS packets to the DOCSIS device using the second downstream channels.