Patent ID: 7869460

Claim:
A computerized method of allocating an upstream bandwidth to a modem of which channel combination is supported by a system, the method comprising: receiving a bandwidth request message that comprises bandwidth demand information and service identifier information corresponding to the modem; collecting channel identifier information and channel number information of a plurality of channels for the modem on the basis of the service identifier information; generating time bandwidth size information that represents the size of the time bandwidth to be allocated to each of the plurality of channels on the basis of the bandwidth demand information and the channel number information; and generating with a processor a bandwidth allocation message that allocates a part of the plurality of channels to the modem on the basis of the channel identifier information and the time bandwidth size information, wherein the bandwidth allocation message comprises: channel identifier information that comprises identifiers of the plurality of channels to be allocated to the modem; bandwidth allocation time point information that comprises bandwidth allocation time points of the plurality of channels to be allocated to the modem; and bandwidth size information that comprises sizes of time bandwidths to be allocated to the plurality of channels to be allocated to the modem, and wherein the generating of the bandwidth allocation message comprises: arranging the plurality of channels in an order of bandwidth allocation time points of the plurality of channels; calculating a time difference between the bandwidth allocation time points of at least one pair of the plurality of channels arranged according to the bandwidth allocation time points; allocating a part of at least one of the plurality of channels to the modem according to the time difference between the bandwidth allocation time points and bandwidth division information; and further allocating time bandwidths, which are allocated to other channels not allocated to the modem among the plurality of channels, to the modem.