A method and device are provided for controlling access to data. Portions of the data are protected and rules concerning access rights to the data are determined. Access to the protected portions of the data is prevented, other than in a non-useable form; and users are provided access to the data only in accordance with the rules as enforced by a mechanism protected by tamper detection. A method is also provided for distributing data for subsequent controlled use of those data. The method includes protecting portions of the data; preventing access to the protected portions of the data other than in a non-useable form; determining rules concerning access rights to the data; protecting the rules; and providing a package including: the protected portions of the data and the protected rules. A user is provided controlled access to the distributed data only in accordance with the rules as enforced by a mechanism protected by tamper protection. A device is provided for controlling access to data having protected data portions and rules concerning access rights to the data. The device includes means for storing the rules; and means for accessing the protected data portions only in accordance with the rules, whereby user access to the protected data portions is permitted only if the rules indicate that the user is allowed to access the portions of the data.

System for controlling access and distribution of digital property

The present invention describes a system and method for communicating voice and data over a packet-switched network that is adapted to coexist and communicate with a legacy PSTN. The system permits packet switching of voice calls and data calls through a data network from and to any of a LEC, a customer facility or a direct IP connection on the data network. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The system interfaces with customer facilities (e.g., a PBX), carrier facilities (e.g., a LEC) and legacy signaling networks (e.g., SS7) to handle calls between any combination of on-network and off-network callers. The soft switch sites provide the core call processing for the voice network architecture. The soft switch sites manage the gateway sites in a preferred embodiment, using a protocol such as the Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) protocol to request the set-up and tear-down of calls. The gateway sites originate and terminate calls between calling parties and called parties through the data network. The gateway sites include network access devices to provide access to network resources. The data network connects one or more of the soft switch sites to one or more of the gateway sites. The provisioning and network event component collects call events recorded at the soft switch sites. The network management component includes a network operations center (NOC) for centralized network management.

Voice over data telecommunications network architecture

A packet-centric wireless system includes: a wireless base station communicating via a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to a first data network; one or more host workstations communicating via TCP/IP to the first data network; one or more subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) stations coupled with the wireless base station over a shared bandwidth via TCP/IP over a wireless medium; and one or more subscriber workstations coupled via TCP/IP to each of the subscriber CPE stations over a second network. The system can allocate shared bandwidth among the subscriber CPE stations to optimize end-user quality of service (QoS). The first data network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN). The second network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN).

Transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip) packet-centric wireless point to multi-point (ptmp) transmission system architecture

In a method for admitting new connections based on measured quantities in a wireless communications network having a base station and remote hosts, the base station measures and computes performance metrics to determine whether admission of the new connection could cause a failure to meet the Quality of Service (QoS) promised to already admitted connections. Only if the QoS can be maintained is the new connection is admitted. In one embodiment, the base station may optionally disconnect one or more already admitted lower priority connections if doing so will allow a higher priority new connection to be admitted without loss of QoS to the remaining already admitted connections. In one embodiment, each connection request specifies the average bit rate required and a traffic burstiness factor, the base station measures the number of bytes sent by each connection for a certain period of time and a burstiness factor for the traffic in either direction. The base station computes an equivalent number of admitted connections and determines whether the new equivalent number of admitted connections, after admission of the new connection, would exceed a threshold. The measured quantities can be various metrics related to interference. In one embodiment, uplink Frame Error Rate (FER), an average uplink bit rate, a burstiness factor of the uplink trafc, and a packet loss rate are measured at the base station. Downlink FER is similarly measured at each already admitted remote host and is sent to the base station. Alternatively, the average downlink bit rate, burstiness factor of downlink traffic, and packet loss rate may also be sent from each remote host to the base station. Considering the effect of the average rate and packet loss rate requested by a new connection and the computed equivalent bandwidth, the base station decides whether to admit the new connection based on whether the QoS of all admitted connections can be maintained.

Method for admitting new connections based on usage priorities in a multiple access system for communications networks

An application aware, quality of service (QoS) sensitive, media access control (MAC) layer includes an application-aware resource allocator, where the resource allocator allocates bandwidth resource to an application based on an application type. The application type can be based on input from at least one of: a packet header; and an application communication to the MAC layer. The application communication includes: a communication between the application, running on at least one of a subscriber workstation and a host workstation, and the MAC layer, running on at least one of a subscriber CPE station and a wireless base station. The bandwidth resource is wireless bandwidth. The resource allocator schedules bandwidth resource to an IP flow. The IP flow includes at least one of: a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) IP flow; and a user datagram protocol/internet protocol (UDP/IP) IP flow. The resource allocator in scheduling takes into account resource requirements of at least one of a source application and a destination application of an IP flow. The resource allocator takes into account IP flow identification information extracted from at least one packet header field. The bandwidth resource is wireless bandwidth. The resource allocator allocates switching resource to an application based on an application type. The application type is based on input from at least one of: packet header; and an application communication to the MAC layer. The application communication includes a communication between an application, running on at least one of a subscriber workstation and a host workstation, and the MAC layer, running on at least one of a subscriber CPE station and a wireless base station. The application communication includes a priority class of the IP flow.

Application-aware, quality of service (QoS) sensitive, media access control (MAC) layer

STM traffic, e.g. voice and video telephony (VT), as well as packet mode (e.g. ATM) traffic, e.g. broadcast digital video, interactive television, and data, are transmitted via a multiple access broadband fiber/coaxial cable network. Customer premises equipment (CPE) at stations, and a bandwidth controller, which may be at a head end or central office, with which all stations communicate, work together to adapt to the changing demands of the traffic mix, and efficiently allocate bandwidth to a variety of bursty and isochronous traffic sources. The bandwidth allocation defines two types of time slots, STM and ATM, and divides each frame into two corresponding STM and ATM regions. The boundary between the regions can be changed dynamically. A contention access signaling channel is provided in the STM region, for call control and set-up requests. Within the STM region, the time slots can be of variable length and be allocated on a per call basis; the length of the time slots is proportional to the bandwidth requirement of STM calls. Within the ATM region, the time slots are of fixed length, each capable of accommodating one ATM cell. Further, the fixed length ATM time slots may be reserved for a particular user for the duration of a call, or may be shared through a contention process. At least one contention ATM time slot is always made available for signaling messages related to ATM call control and set-up requests. The downstream time frame is structured in a similar manner, but includes an additional MAP field to transmit to the stations ATM time slot allocation and status information for time slots in the upstream channel.

Method and apparatus enabling synchronous transfer mode and packet mode access for multiple services on a broadband communication network

A head-end dynamically allocates bandwidth of a communications channel as a function of the type of communications traffic. In particular, the head-end communicates to subscriber stations via a broadband cable network using an access protocol, which is modified to provide a variable number of mini-slots and a variable number of data slots in each frame. Each mini-slot is used to request assignment of a data slot(s) to subscriber stations for the communication of information and, also, as a vehicle to resolve contention between subscriber stations. The head-end dynamically adjusts the number of mini-slots over a period time as a function of the type of communications traffic, e.g., bursty and isochronous traffic sources. Any variation in the number of mini-slots concomitantly effects the number of data slots available to communicate information. For example, less mini-slots provides more data slots. As a result, the dynamic adjustment of the number of mini-slots allows the head-end to more efficiently allocate bandwidth on the communications channel.

Method and apparatus enabling enhanced throughput efficiency by use of dynamically adjustable mini-slots in access protocols for shared transmission media

The authors describe a protocol that can adapt to the changing demands of a mix of synchronous transfer mode (STM) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) applications and efficiently allocate bandwidth to a variety of bursty traffic sources. In the case of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, the protocol resides in customer premises equipment (CPE) and a common head-end/central-office (HE/CO) controller. A medium-access control (MAC) processor provides for dividing the time domain for a given digital bitstream into successive frames, each with multiple STM and ATM time slots. Within the STM region of a frame, variable-length time slots are allocated to calls (e.g., telephony, video telephony) requiring different amounts of bandwidth. In the upstream channels, a contention access signaling time slot is also provided in the STM region for call control and setup requests. Within the ATM region, fixed-length time slots accommodate one individual ATM cell. These ATM time slots may be reserved for a user for either the duration of a call or a burst of successive ATM cells, or shared via a contention process. At least one contention time slot is available for signaling messages related to ATM call control and setup requests. The MAC-layer protocol, its relation to circuit- and ATM-amenable applications, and its performance with respect to throughput, latency, and bandwidth efficiency for several service scenarios are examined.

Chia-Chang Li

Papers

Method and apparatus enabling synchronous transfer mode and packet mode access for multiple services on a broadband communication network

Method and apparatus enabling enhanced throughput efficiency by use of dynamically adjustable mini-slots in access protocols for shared transmission media

Adaptive digital access protocol: a MAC protocol for multiservice broadband access networks

Method and apparatus enabling STM and packet mode access on a broadband communications network