In a cable modem system, signals are transmitted upstream from a cable modem
(CM)
to a cable modem termination unit (CMTS) when the subscriber desires to communicate
with the headend. The invention described herein is directed to a method and apparatus
for increasing the communication channel between the CM and the CMTS. This is accomplished
by providing a method and apparatus for increasing physical layer flexibility in
cable modem systems. In this manner, the CMTS is capable of assigning burst profiles
and granting mini-slots to the CMs according to the CMs' burst profile and robustness level.
