Patent ID: 8204074

Claim:
An apparatus for processing a plurality of upstream data signals received from a plurality of communication channels in a point-to-multipoint communications system, each of the plurality of upstream data signals including one or more Service IDs (SIDs) from among a plurality of SIDs, comprising: a plurality of physical layer (PHY) devices configured to receive one or more of the plurality of upstream data signals, each of the plurality of PHY devices being configured to determine a corresponding service flow from among a plurality of service flows for the one or more of the plurality of upstream data signals using a look-up table, the look-up table being configured to assign each of the plurality of SIDs to one or more of the plurality of service flows; a plurality of media access control (MAC) devices, each of the plurality of MAC devices being assigned to one or more of the service flows from among the plurality of service flows; and a switching infrastructure configured to route the one or more of the plurality of upstream data signals from each of the plurality of PHY devices to one or more of the plurality of MAC devices that are assigned to the corresponding service flow.