EP0140475A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Multiple access communication on a CATV reverse channel
Assignee: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Filing: 1984-07-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2004-07-13
Abstract
Abstract A multiple access communications system links a plurality of geographically dispersed subscriber locations (each of which including a transmitter and receiver) with a central location (also including a transmitter and receiver). Multiple access communication is required in the direction from the subscriber transmitters (100) to the central receiver (48). In order to maintain stability, a subscriber/transmitter which unsuccessfully transmits (due to a collision with a transmission from another subscriber) will retransmit. Multiple succeeding unsuccessful transmissions at any subscriber result at that subscriber in increasingly longer delays between successive transmissions.
Inventors
- 👤 John E. Stifle
- 👤 Donald A. c/o University of Illinois Lee
- 👤 Donald L. Bitzer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 14:29
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17345; H04N7/17363; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/28; H04L12/2801; H04N2007/17381
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of multiple access communication for communicating information from a plurality of transmitters (100) coupled over a common communication link (Reverse Channel) to a receiver location (48) comprising: transmitting (401) from a transmitter, with information to transmit, at an arbitrary time, over said communication link, initiating a sequence of retransmissions at said transmitter (411-415), said sequence terminating on receipt of an acknowledgement from said receiver (414), characterized in that at least some of said sequential retransmissions are spaced by increasingly longer delays (D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , D 4 , etc).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of multiple access communication for communicating information from a plurality of transmitters (100) coupled over a common communication link (Reverse Channel) to a receiver location (48) comprising: transmitting (401) from a transmitter, with information to transmit, at an arbitrary time, over said communication link, initiating a sequence of retransmissions at said transmitter (411-415), said sequence terminating on receipt of an acknowledgement from said receiver (414), characterized in that at least some of said sequential retransmissions are spaced by increasingly longer delays (D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , D 4 , etc).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each of said transmitters is located at a different station (71, 72, 73), which station includes a further receiver (255) incapable of receiving transmissions from any other transmitter sharing said common communication link.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 1 which includes a second communication link (Forward Channel) coupling a further transmitter (46), associated with said receiver (48), with a plurality of further receivers (255), each said further receiver associated with a different one of said transmitters, and which includes the further step of: transmitting an acknowledgement by said further transmitter to said further receivers on said second communication link in response to reception by said receiver of a message from any of said transmitters.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each of said transmitters is located at a different station (71, 72, 73), and wherein an initial transmission, and each of said subsequent retransmissions by any of said transmitters is controlled without regard to the condition of said communication link.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 1 in which each of said retransmissions is associated with a preceding delay and in which a sequence of retransmissions beginning with the fourth (R 4 ) is preceded by a delay (D 3 ) which is substantially the sum of those delays preceding the preceding two retransmissions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 5 wherein each said delay in said sequence includes a major component and a minor, randomizing component, and in which the major component of a fourth or subsequent transmission is equal to the sum of the major component of the two preceding delays.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
95 words
Apparatus for multiple access communication for communicating information from a plurality of transmitters coupled over a common communication link to a head end receiver comprising: first means (240, 401) for transmitting from a transmitter, with information to transmit, at an arbitrary time, second means (240, 405) for initiating a sequence of repeated retransmissions from said transmitter, said sequence terminating upon receipt of an acknowledgement (414) from said head end receiver, characterized in that said second means including delay means (413, 415) for producing at least some of said sequential retransmissions spaced by increasingly longer delays.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
95 words
Apparatus for multiple access communication for communicating information from a plurality of transmitters coupled over a common communication link to a head end receiver comprising: first means (240, 401) for transmitting from a transmitter, with information to transmit, at an arbitrary time, second means (240, 405) for initiating a sequence of repeated retransmissions from said transmitter, said sequence terminating upon receipt of an acknowledgement (414) from said head end receiver, characterized in that said second means including delay means (413, 415) for producing at least some of said sequential retransmissions spaced by increasingly longer delays.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus of claim 7 in which said delay means inhibits the retransmission, from a prior transmission by a time delay D, at least some of said delays D being longer than a preceding delay by substantially at least the length of a delay preceding said preceding delay.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 7 in which said delay means spaces each of said sequential transmissions by a delay D, each of said delays D in said sequence, beyond a fixed number of delays, is longer than a preceding delay by substantially at least the length of a delay preceding said preceding delay.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus of claim 8 or 9 in which said delay means provides each of said delays D with a major component and a minor, randomizing component, and in which said delay means provides at least the major components of some of said sequential delays which are longer than the major component of the next preceding delay by the length of the major component of the still next preceding delay.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of any of claims 7-9 in which each said transmitter is at a different location (71, 72, 73), which location does not include a receiver capable of direct reception from any of said transmitters (215, 220).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus of claim 11 in which said communication link is carried by a RF cable (105), said communication link is a reverse channel of said cable, and each of said transmitters is associated with a receiver (215, 255) tuned to a further transmitter, said further transmitter (48) associated with said head end receiver, transmitting on a forward channel also carried by said RF cable.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 7 in which each of said retransmissions is associated with a preceding delay and in which a fourth or subsequent retransmission (R4)-in said sequence is preceded by a delay (D 3 ) which substantially is the sum of those transmission delays preceding the preceding two retransmissions.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of providing multiple access communication on the reverse channel of a RF cable to a receiver located at a head end of said RF cable comprising the steps of: transmitting (401) from a transmitter with information to transmit at an arbitrary time, initiating a sequence of retransmissions from said transmitter (411-415), said sequence of retransmissions terminating on reception of an acknowledgement from said head end receiver (414), characterized in that each of said retransmissions is delayed from a preceding retransmission by a delay D, at least some of said delays D longer than a preceding delay at least by the length of a delay preceding said preceding delay.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of providing multiple access communication on the reverse channel of a RF cable to a receiver located at a head end of said RF cable comprising the steps of: transmitting (401) from a transmitter with information to transmit at an arbitrary time, initiating a sequence of retransmissions from said transmitter (411-415), said sequence of retransmissions terminating on reception of an acknowledgement from said head end receiver (414), characterized in that each of said retransmissions is delayed from a preceding retransmission by a delay D, at least some of said delays D longer than a preceding delay at least by the length of a delay preceding said preceding delay.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 14 in which each of said delays, beyond a fixed number of delays, exceeds a preceding delay by a duration at least substantially equal to a delay preceding said preceding delay.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 14 or 15 in which each said delay is made up of two components, a first major component which becomes increasingly longer after a fixed number of delays, and a second, minor, randomizing component which has a duration on the order of the length of a single transmission.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 16 in which said major component has a duration at least twice as long as the propagation delay from said transmitter to said head end receiver.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 in which said major delay component has a duration at least ten times the duration of said minor delay component.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 in which a sequence of said delays forms a geometric progression.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 in which a sequence of said delays form a Fibonacci series.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 6 in which a sequence of said major components of said delays have durations forming a geometric progression.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 6 in which a sequence of said major delay components of said delays have durations forming a Fibonacci series.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 10 in which said delay means produces said delays with major components of durations forming a geometric progression.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 10 in which said delay means produces said delays with major components of duration forming a Fibonacci series.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 16 in which a sequence of said major delay components have durations forming a geometric progression.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 16 in which a sequence of said major delay components have durations forming a Fibonacci series.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
GB1523753A
Cited
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