Kenneth A Gould

US Patent:

6839865, Jan 4, 2005

Filed:

Dec 29, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/752744

Inventors:

Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US
Joo Chung - Centreville VA, US
Michael Sun - Syracuse NY, US
Frank Huang - Reston VA, US

Assignee:

Road Runner - Herndon VA
ServiceCo, LLC - Herndon VA

International Classification:

G06F 1100

US Classification:

714 6, 370356

Abstract:

A system and method for avoiding a single point of failure in the broadcast of streaming data. The system uses multiple redundant servers steaming the exactly same data to a failover device. The failover device buffers the steams into a primary and secondary data stream and automatically switches from the primary to the secondary data stream if it detects a corruption in the primary data stream. Since the buffered data packets of the two steams are identical and are synchronized, there is not outage for multicast receivers when the primary data source fails since there is a switch to exactly the same data in the next packet of the secondary data stream.

US Patent:

7293282, Nov 6, 2007

Filed:

Jul 3, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/613659

Inventors:

Andrew Danforth - Herndon VA, US
Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable, Inc. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

H04L 9/00

US Classification:

726 4, 713168

Abstract:

The present invention teaches methods and systems for blocking unauthorized access to cable modem configuration files stored on trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) servers. Filenames are modified by the DHCP to incorporate an authentication key (and optional cloaking) prior to transmission to the cable modem. When the TFTP server receives a modified filename, it also generates an authentication key. The authentication keys must match in order for the cable modem to receive the configuration file requested. At a minimum, authentication keys depend upon the un-modified filename, the cable modem IP address and a “coordination pass phrase” known to the TFTP server and DHCP server, but not known to the cable modem. Variations include optional cloaking, various actions performed for non-matching authentication keys, selection of authentication key generating algorithm and inclusion of cable modem MAC address in the authentication key for all cable modems or for premium service customer cable modems.

US Patent:

7346700, Mar 18, 2008

Filed:

Apr 7, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/408273

Inventors:

Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US
John Anthony Chen - Ashburn VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

G06F 15/16
G06F 15/173

US Classification:

709232, 709235, 709225

Abstract:

A system and method for managing e-mail traffic originating from a specific IP address. An outbound e-mail message is routed to an e-mail governor where the IP address of the computer from which outbound e-mail message originated is determined. A record associated with the originating IP address is created in a datatstore. Metrics useful to determine an e-mail message rate and an e-mail byte rate are stored in the e-mail record. An e-mail message rate is determined and compared with an e-mail message rate threshold. If the e-mail message rate threshold is exceeded, the originating IP address is sending spam e-mail (spam) and redial action is taken. An e-mail byte rate is also determined and compared with an e-mail byte rate threshold. If the e-mail byte rate threshold is exceeded, the originating IP address is using excess network resources to send e-mail and redial action is taken.

US Patent:

7372809, May 13, 2008

Filed:

May 18, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/848397

Inventors:

John Anthony Chen - Ashburn VA, US
Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable, Inc. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

H04J 1/16

US Classification:

370229, 370389, 370401, 370392

Abstract:

Methods and systems for thwarting denial of service attacks originating in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network (DCN) are described. A DCN comprises one or more sub-networks each comprising an access network, one or more cable modem termination systems (CMTSs) and one or more cable modems (CMs). The DCN also accesses an edge server and a local DNS cache server. The DCN interfaces with the Internet and accesses a remote DNS server according to well-known protocols. The CMTS is adapted to compare the source IP address included in IP packet headers to the IP address of the customer premises equipment (CPE) from which the IP packet originates as assigned by the DNS. Data packets that have spoofed addresses are either deleted or quarantined. Packets reaching the edge server are evaluated by an attack detection system. A packet determined to be part of a denial of service attack is inspected and the source IP address and the destination IP address extracted.

US Patent:

7376718, May 20, 2008

Filed:

Jul 14, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/619262

Inventors:

Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US
Andrew Danforth - Herndon VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable - Stamford CT

International Classification:

G06F 15/177

US Classification:

709220, 709217, 709248, 713 2

Abstract:

A system and method for managing provisioning parameters in a cable network. A dynamic TFTP (DTFTP) server and a CMTS manage the provisioning of devices in a cable network. The DTFTP server and the CMTS share common provisioning parameters. A provisioning parameter has a name and a value. When changes are made in the value of a provisioning parameter that is also used by a CMTSs supported by that DTFTP server, the DTFTP server securely communicates the new provisioning parameter values to each such CMTS. In one embodiment of the present invention, the DTFTP server pushes the new provisioning parameter values to the CMTSs. In another embodiment of the present invention, a poller pulls the provisioning parameters from the DTFTP server to a central datastore where changes in provisioning parameters used by the CMTSs supported by the DTFTP are identified. The changed provisioning parameter values are pushed from the central datastore to the CMTSs.

US Patent:

7512969, Mar 31, 2009

Filed:

Nov 21, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/719836

Inventors:

Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US
Christopher Pierce Williams - Potomac Falls VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

G06F 7/04
G06F 17/30
G06F 15/173
H04L 12/403
H04N 7/16
H04N 7/173
H04L 9/32
G08B 23/00

US Classification:

726 4, 726 22, 726 23, 726 29, 725 25, 725 30, 725111, 725115, 709222, 709225, 709228

Abstract:

The detection of devices with duplicate media access controller (MAC) addresses in a cable network. A cable network device (CND) having a MAC address is connected by the cable network to a cable modem termination system (CMTS) having a gateway interface address. A centralized storage of historical cable modem MAC address/giaddr tuple data is used to identify CNDs that report duplicate MAC addresses. The cable network tracks the CND MAC address/giaddr tuple data of all CND requests that it receives and stores the MAC address/giaddr tuple data into a datastore (such as a database). When a CND seeks to access the network, the cable network looks into the datastore to determine whether the CND MAC address of the CND has previously been stored with a different associated giaddr, which would imply that there are multiple CNDs attached to different CMTSs where the CNDs share the same MAC address. If such duplication is detected, an appropriate remedial response is taken.

US Patent:

7539193, May 26, 2009

Filed:

Jan 27, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/044964

Inventors:

Howard L. Pfeffer - Reston VA, US
Kenneth Gould - Herndon VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable, Inc. - Stamford CT

International Classification:

H04L 12/26
H04J 3/14
G08C 15/00
G06F 11/00

US Classification:

370392, 370235, 370389, 709220

Abstract:

A system and method for facilitating communication between a CMTS and an application sever in a cable network. Customer premises equipment (CPE) generates packets that are sent through a cable modem (CM) to a cable modem termination system (CMTS). A packet is parsed by CMTS and the destination IP address and port number compared to the destination IP address-port tuples received by the CMTS from a datastore. A packet that is directed to an IP address-port tuple on the target list (a “service request packet”) is modified to incorporate CMTS-identifying information and subscriber-identifying information in the packet header. When the application server communicates with the CMTS to reserve the network resources, the application server provides the CMTS with the CM MAC and CM IP addresses to facilitate resource allocation, subscriber identification and billing.

US Patent:

7693171, Apr 6, 2010

Filed:

Jan 3, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/325107

Inventors:

Kenneth Gould - Oakton VA, US

Assignee:

Time Warner Cable Inc. - New York NY

International Classification:

H04H 20/10
H04H 20/28

US Classification:

370432, 370486, 725111, 725120

Abstract:

Methods and apparatus for assigning physical channels in a content-based network. In an exemplary embodiment, the network comprises a cable television network having a plurality of cable modems, and the physical channels are assigned to the cable modems based at least in part on any multicast transmissions that may exist on the system. When two cable modems are receiving the same multicast transmission, the invention causes tuning of one or more of the cable modems to the same physical channel in order to limit the total number multicast transmissions on the network. Multicast transmissions typically comprise video or audio information, but other types of information may also be multicast according to the invention. In another embodiment, a multicast transmission list (containing a list of multicast transmissions and the corresponding physical channels) is sent to the set of cable modems. This list is used by the modems (or associated CPE) to manage channel allocation and tuning.