Method for reducing the latency time for interactive data communication via a satellite network

• US 20030236828A1
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Satcloud IP Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Klaus Rock, Ute Rock
• Inventors: Rock, Ute, Rock, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18586 Arrangements for data transporting, e.g. for an end to end data transport or check
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Method for reducing the latency time for interactive data communication between a client computer (12) and a server computer (8), connected via a satellite network (1) containing a geostationary satellite (6), whereby a data processing program (10) is running on the server computer (8) producing data, which are transferred to the client computer (12) in the form of data packets (20, 20_m, 20_mUDP) and displayed by said client computer via a display medium (14) connected to the client computer (12) in the form of an interactive user program (26), and whereby the operator of the client computer (12) is given an input prompt (22) by the user program (26) to enter further data, which are transmitted to the server computer (8) in the form of further data packets (24, 24_m, 24_mUDP) via the satellite network (1), wherein the transmission of further data packets (24, 24_m, 24_mUDP) from the client computer (12) to the server computer (8) occurs essentially without an acknowledgement of the receipt of the transmitted further data packets (24, 24_m, 24_mUDP) by the server computer (8).

Claims

1. A method for reducing latency time for interactive data communication between a client computer and a server computer running a data processing program, the client computer and server computer being connected via a satellite network containing a geostationary satellite, the method comprising the steps of:

producing data via the data processing program running on the server computer;

transferring the data from the server computer to the client computer as data packets, the data being displayed by said client computer via a display medium connected to the client computer in the form of an interactive user program;

providing an operator of the client computer an input prompt by the user program to enter further data; and

transmitting the further data to the server computer in the form of further data packets via the satellite network, the transmitting of the further data packets from the client computer to the server computer occurring essentially without acknowledgement of receipt of the further transmitted data packets by the server computer.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the transferring of the data packets from the server computer to the client computer occurs essentially without acknowledgement of receipt of the transferred data packets by the client computer.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data packets and/or the further data packets are transferred via the geostationary satellite in accordance with a UDP network transfer protocol.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the data packets and/or further data packets transferred in accordance with the UDP network transfer protocol are generated through conversion from data packets and/or further data packets produced for transfer according to a TCP network transfer protocol.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein completion of transfer of the data packets and/or the further data packets between the client computer and the server computer via the geostationary satellite is induced by the transfer of a TCP data packet and/or a further TPC data packet produced for transfer in accordance with the TCP network transfer protocol.

6. The method according claim 1 further comprising:

scanning the further data packets for redundant data before the transmitting of the further data packets to the server computer; and

removing the detected redundant data from the further data packets.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the removing step includes replacing the detected redundant data with already-entered data.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the removing of the redundant data from the further data packets occurs via hardware using a hardware unit of the client computer.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the removing of the redundant data from the further data packets occurs via software in the form of a data processing program running on the client computer.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the redundant data in the further data packets from the client computer comprise periodically repeating portions of data.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the periodically repeating portions of data are transmitted data that ensure a network connection is maintained between the client computer and the server computer.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the periodically repeating portions of data are produced independently by the server computer without the periodically repeating portions being transmitted by the client computer.

13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

scanning the data packets produced by the server computer for redundant data before the transferring to the client computer; and

removing the detected redundant data from the data packets.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the removing the detected redundant data includes replacing the detected redundant data with data stored in the server computer.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the removing of the redundant data from the data packets occurs via hardware using a hardware unit of the server computer.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the removing of the redundant data from the data packets occurs via software in the form of a data processing program running on the server computer.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the redundant data in the data packets sent by the server computer include periodically repeating portions of data.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the periodically repeating portions of data include flashing input prompts used by the interactive user program for interactive display on the display medium and/or portions of data in the data packets required by the client computer to maintain a network connection between the client computer and the server computer.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the periodically repeating portions of data removed from the data packets sent by the server computer are produced independently by the client computer without transmission by the server computer.

20. The method according to claim 1 further comprising detecting via the client computer frequently recurring data sequences in the data packets, storing a copy of these frequently recurring data sequences or an image representation corresponding to these data sequences in a memory of the client computer and displaying on the display medium a copy of the data sequences or the image representation stored in the memory instead of the recurring data sequences.

21. The method according to claim 1 further comprising combining several of the data packets and/or further data packets to be transferred between the server computer and the client computer via the geostationary satellite into larger data packets and/or larger further data packets.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the combined larger data packets and/or the combined larger further data packets have an optimum size such that transfer via the geostationary satellite occurs without fragmentation of the data packets.

23. The method according to claim 22 further comprising determining the optimum size of the larger data packets and/or larger further data packets by the server computer when setting up the satellite network for a particular connection to the client computer based on parameters specific to the connection.

24. The method according to claim 22 further comprising determining the optimum size of the larger data packets and/or the larger further data packets by the server computer during data exchange between the client computer and the server computer for the particular connection to the client computer based on parameters specific to the connection.

25. A satellite network for executing the method according claim 1 comprising:

a geostationary satellite;

a client computer; and

a server computer connected to the client computer via the geostationary satellite, the server computer executing a data processing program producing data, and the server computer and the client computer having program executable steps permitting the data to be transferred to the client computer in the form of data packets and displayed by said client computer via a display medium connected to the client computer in the form of an interactive user program, and whereby an operator of the client computer is provided an input prompt by the user program to enter further data, the further data being transmitted to the server computer in the form of further data packets via the geostationary satellite, the transmission of the further data packets from the client computer to the server computer occurring essentially without acknowledgement of the receipt of the further transmitted data packets by the server computer.

26. The satellite network as recited in claim 25 wherein the transmission of the data packets from the server computer to the client computer occurs essentially without an acknowledgement of the receipt of the transmitted data packets by the client computer.

27. A data carrier containing a software program for reducing the latency time for interactive data communication between a client computer and a server computer, connected via a satellite network containing a geostationary satellite, whereby a data processing program runs on the server computer producing data, the data being transferred to the client computer in the form of data packets and display of the data by said client computer via a display medium connected to the client computer in the form of an interactive user program, and whereby an operator of the client computer is provided an input prompt by a user program to enter further data, the further data being transmitted to the server computer in the form of further data packets via the satellite network, the software program comprising:

machine executable program steps to essentially remove requests for acknowledgement of the receipt of the further data packets to be transmitted to the server computer from the further data packets produced by the client computer during display of the interactive user program or the entering of data before the further data packets are sent to the server computer.

28. A data carrier containing a software program for reducing the latency time for interactive data communication between a client computer and a server computer, connected via a satellite network containing a geostationary satellite, whereby a data processing program runs on the server computer producing data, the data being transferred to the client computer in the form of data packets and displayed by said client computer via a display medium connected to the client computer in the form of an interactive user program, and whereby an operator of the client computer is given an input prompt by the user program to enter further data, the further data being transmitted to the server computer in the form of further data packets via the satellite network, the software program comprising:

machine executable program steps essentially removing requests for acknowledgement of receipt of the data packets to be transmitted to the client computer from the data packets produced by the data processing program of the server computer during display of the interactive user program before the data packets are sent to the client computer.