Licensed and Unlicensed Spectrum Set-Top Box

摘要

Novel tools and techniques are described for providing media content to a plurality of set-top boxes (“STBs”) over a licensed spectrum and over an unlicensed spectrum. In an aspect, each of the plurality of STBs might comprise a first transceiver configured to receive media content or data over a licensed spectrum and a second transceiver configured to receive and send media content or data over an unlicensed spectrum. The first STB of the plurality of STBs might receive a first portion of the media content at the first transceiver and receive a second portion of the media content at the second transceiver from a second STB of the plurality of STBs. The plurality of STBs might query each other to determine available frequencies and/or bandwidth, and might store results of the query in a table in local memory or in a database accessible by all of the plurality of STBs.

主权项

1. A system for providing media content to a plurality of set-top boxes over a licensed spectrum and over an unlicensed spectrum, the system comprising:
a first set-top box (“STB”) at a first customer premises, the first STB being one of a plurality of STBs at one or more customer premises, each of the plurality of STBs comprising a first transceiver configured to receive media content over the licensed spectrum and a second transceiver configured to send and receive media content over the unlicensed spectrum, the first STB configured to receive, at a first transceiver of the first STB, a first portion of media content over the licensed spectrum; and a second STB of the plurality of STBs, the second STB configured to receive, at a first transceiver of the second STB, a second portion of the media content over the licensed spectrum, and configured to transmit, using a second transceiver of the second STB, the second portion of the media content to a second transceiver of the first STB over the unlicensed spectrum.