Negative acknowledgment (NAK) suppression

• US 20030159099A1
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vukovic, Ivan N., Harris, John M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/749
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1628 List acknowledgements, i.e. the acknowledgement message consisting of a list of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers H04L1/1614 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements

Abstract

Logic circuitry (409) constantly monitors a transmitter (410) to determine if the transmitter (410) is idle. Logic circuitry (409) suppresses all NAKs until data and other channel information is not being transmitted by the transmitter (410) and RF resources are not scarce. Additionally, logic circuitry (409) suppresses all NAKs until a predetermined number of NAKs has been buffered by the logic circuitry (409). More particularly, logic circuitry (409) determines when a number of NAKs will sufficiently fill an over-the-air frame. Once the predetermined number of NAKs has been collected, the logic circuitry (409) will generate the appropriate NAKs.

Claims

1. A method of negative acknowledgment (NAK) suppression, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that a NAK needs to be transmitted;

determining if data or other channel information currently needs to be transmitted over a channel; and

transmitting the NAK if data and other channel information does not need to be transmitted over the channel, otherwise buffering the NAK.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining if a predetermined number of NAKs have been buffered; and

transmitting the NAKs if the predetermined number of NAKs have been buffered, otherwise buffering the NAK.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of transmitting the NAKs if the predetermined number of NAKs have been buffered comprises the step of transmitting the NAKs if the number of NAKs is equal to an amount of NAKs required to fill an over-the-air frame.

4. A method comprising the steps of:

determining that a NAK needs to be transmitted over a channel;

determining a number of NAKs currently buffered; and

transmitting the NAKs currently buffered along with the NAK if the predetermined number of NAKs have been buffered, otherwise buffering the NAK.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

determining if data or other channel information currently needs to be transmitted over the channel; and

transmitting the NAK if data and other channel information does not need to be transmitted over the channel, otherwise buffering the NAK.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of transmitting the NAKs if the predetermined number of NAKs have been buffered comprises the step of transmitting the NAKs if the number of NAKs is equal to an amount of NAKs required to fill an over-the-air frame.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a buffer storing NAKs; and

logic circuitry coupled to the buffer, the logic circuitry having a transmission status of a transmitter as an input and outputting instructions for a NAK generator to generator to generate NAKs based on the transmission status of the transmitter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the transmission status of the transmitter comprises information on whether or not data or other channel information is currently awaiting transmission.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the logic circuitry additionally outputs instructions for the NAK generator to generate NAKs based on a number of NAKs stored in the buffer.