Transferring multiple data units over a wireless communication link

• US 20030186715A1
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: McGowan, Steven B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/74 Backing up
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/709 Backup
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A wireless communication system may include a first transceiver that may concurrently keep at least two data units, such as payloads of data pending for transfer to a second transceiver (e.g., a targeted wireless communication device) over a communication link (e.g., a short-range radio link) on a communication channel. To wirelessly communicate with one or more networked wireless communication devices or systems, in one embodiment, the first transceiver is located in a device that may use a local link control and adaptation protocol capable of non-blocking data transfer operations. In one embodiment, pending multiple, data units are buffered to participate in a data streaming session. The transfer of the data units may be monitored to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session. When the protocol learns that during the data streaming session a problem occurred with a data unit that was pending, the problem may be reported via an event instead of waiting for feedback to arrive from the targeted wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing at a source transceiver a first data unit for a wireless transfer thereof over a communication link to a target transceiver physically separated from the source transceiver; and

processing a second data unit at said source transceiver for the wireless transfer thereof to said target transceiver while sending said first data unit on a communication channel within a data streaming session over said communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

buffering said second data unit at said source transceiver; and

sending said second data unit without waiting for transmission of the first data unit to complete at said target transceiver.

3. The method of claim 2, including:

providing a non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during the data streaming session; and

monitoring the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring including:

determining whether a problem occurred with the transmission of at least one of said first and second data units during the data streaming session; and

if a problem occurs, reporting the problem instead of waiting until the end of the data streaming session by providing an event including at least one of a first or a second indication for the transmission of the first data unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the event, performing at least one of sending said second data unit based on the first indication and undertaking a recovery based on the second indication.

6. The method of claim 3, including providing a data write in the data transfer operation.

7. The method of claim 3, including providing a data read in the data transfer operation.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing said data write including, placing one or more payloads of data in a buffer based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein placing said one or more payloads of data in said buffer including, posting each of said one or more payloads of data as one or more packets of data for transmission over said communication channel.

10. The method of claim 9, including:

using a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep said one or more payloads of data pending concurrently; and

using said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a first device;

a first transceiver located in the first device to wirelessly communicate over a communication link to a second transceiver physically separated from the first device; and

a buffer located in the first device to enable a wireless transfer of a first data unit to the second transceiver and queue a second data unit to communicate said first data unit on a communication channel within a data streaming session over said communication link.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first transceiver to communicate said second data unit without waiting for transmission of the first data unit to complete at said second transceiver.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first device including an application programming interface that enables a non-blocking data transfer of said first data unit, said interface to:

provide the non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during the data streaming session; and

monitor the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said application programming interface including a non-blocking data transfer logic to:

determine whether a problem occurred with the transmission of at least one of said first and second data units during the data streaming session; and

if a problem occurs, report the problem instead of waiting until the end of the data streaming session by providing an event including at least one of a first or a second indication for the transmission of the first data unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said non-blocking data transfer logic to in response to the event, perform at least one of send said second data unit based on the first indication and undertake a recovery based on the second indication.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said application programming interface to:

use a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep one or more payloads of data concurrently pending in said buffer;

provide a data write operation to place said one or more payloads of data in said buffer based on the non-blocking data transfer logic;

post said one or more payloads of data as one or more data packets for transmission over said communication channel; and

use said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device and at least one slave wireless communication device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said applications programming interface to provide a data read operation based on the non-blocking data transfer logic.

18. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first processor-based device;

a memory located in said first processor-based device to store;

an application to operate a local link control and adaptation protocol;

an interface including a buffer to concurrently keep pending a first and a second data payloads for the local link control and adaptation protocol;

a radio driver to operate based on the interface; and

a radio transceiver operably coupled to said first processor-based device via the radio driver for a wireless transfer of said first and second data payloads over a communication link to a wireless communication device physically separated from the first processor-based device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said interface to enable said first processor-based device to place said first and second data payloads on a communication channel based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said non-blocking data transfer protocol to provide at least one of data write and data read operations over a radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.

21. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising:

providing at a source transceiver a first data unit for a wireless transfer thereof over a communication link to a target transceiver physically separated from the source transceiver; and

processing a second data unit at said source transceiver for the wireless transfer thereof to said target transceiver while sending said first data unit on a communication channel within a data streaming session over said communication link.

22. The article of claim 21, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising:

buffering said second data unit at said source transceiver; and

sending said second data unit without waiting for transmission of the first data unit to complete at said target transceiver.

23. The article of claim 22, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising:

providing a non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during the data streaming session; and

monitoring the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

24. The article of claim 23, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising:

determining whether a problem occurred with the transmission of at least one of said first and second data units during the data streaming session; and

if a problem occurs, reporting the problem instead of waiting until the end of the data streaming session by providing an event including at least one of a first or a second indication for the transmission of the first data unit.

25. The article of claim 24, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform, in response to the event, at least one of steps sending said second data unit based on the first indication and undertaking a recovery based on the second indication.

26. The article of claim 25, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising providing a data write in the data transfer operation.

27. The article of claim 25, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising providing a data read in the data transfer operation.

28. The article of claim 26, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising providing said data write including, placing one or more payloads of data in a buffer based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

29. The article of claim 28, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising placing said one or more payloads of data in said buffer including, posting each of said one or more payloads of data as one or more packets of data for transmission over said communication channel.

30. The article of claim 29, comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to perform steps comprising:

using a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep said one or more payloads of data pending concurrently; and

using said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.