US Patent 6880170 Ingress detection and attenuation

The present invention encompasses a method and apparatus for ingress detection and attenuation. When a determination is made that the level of ingress in a return frequency band has exceeded a predetermined threshold, the return path is attenuated or disconnected at a communications gateway device located at or substantially near the subscriber location. By disconnecting the return path or attenuating the return path signal at or near the subscriber location, ingress is reduced and locations which are the cause of severe ingress are effectively isolated. This allows for a high degree of reliability to be maintained on the return path, and insures that critical services like cable telephony can be provided.