Embedding class of service information in MAC control frames

• US 20040147249A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xocyst Transfer AG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xocyst Transfer AG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wentink, Maarten Menzo
• Application Number:
  US10/376,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20040147249A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1692 Physical properties of the supervisory signal, e.g. acknowledgement by energy bursts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/48 during retransmission after error or non-acknowledgment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment

Abstract

An apparatus for improving the compilation of quality of service information in wireless local area networks is disclosed. In the illustrative embodiment, a class-of-service field is embedded in medium access control (MAC) control frames; this field is populated with an indication of the class of service of a Data Frame associated with the control frame.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement frame that comprises a class-of-service field; and

parsing said acknowledgement frame.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said class-of-service field is populated with an indication of the class of service of a Data Frame associated with said acknowledgement frame.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

compiling a traffic metric for said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

determining the transmission time of said Data Frame, wherein said transmission time is included in said traffic metric.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

broadcasting said traffic metric.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said acknowledgement frame and said Data Frame are in accordance with IEEE 802.11e, and wherein said acknowledgement frame and said Data Frame are transmitted in accordance with a direct link protocol.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said acknowledgement frame is transmitted with a greater potency than the potency with which said Data Frame is transmitted, and wherein the average radiated power with which said acknowledgement frame is transmitted is within 50% of the average radiated power with which said Data Frame is transmitted.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a Data Frame that comprises a first class-of-service field, wherein said first class-of-service field is populated with an indication of said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service; and

transmitting an acknowledgement frame that comprises a second class-of-service field, wherein said second class-of-service field is populated with said indication of said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

parsing said Data Frame; and

composing said acknowledgement frame.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said acknowledgement frame and said Data Frame are in accordance with IEEE 802.11e.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said Data Frame is transmitted in accordance with a direct link protocol, and wherein said transmitting said acknowledgement frame is in accordance with said direct link protocol.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said acknowledgement frame is transmitted with a greater potency than the potency with which said Data Frame is transmitted, and wherein the average radiated power of said transmitting of said acknowledgement frame is within 50% of the average radiated power with which said Data Frame is transmitted.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting a second Data Frame at lesser potency than said acknowledgement frame.

14. A method comprising:

transmitting a Data Frame that comprises a first class-of-service field, wherein said first class-of-service field is populated with an indication of said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service; and

receiving an acknowledgement frame that comprises a second class-of-service field, wherein said second class-of-service field is populated with said indication of said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

composing said Data Frame; and

parsing said acknowledgement frame.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said acknowledgement frame and said Data Frame are in accordance with IEEE 802.11e, and wherein said transmitting said Data Frame is in accordance with a direct link protocol, and wherein said acknowledgement frame is transmitted in accordance with said direct link protocol.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said acknowledgement frame is transmitted with a greater potency than the potency with which said Data Frame is transmitted, and wherein the average radiated power of said transmitting of said Data Frame is within 50% of the average radiated power with which said acknowledgement frame is transmitted.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

transmitting a second acknowledgement frame at greater potency than said Data Frame.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a Request-to-Send Frame that comprises a first class-of-service field, wherein said first class-of-service field is populated with an indication of the class of service of a Data Frame associated with said Request-to-Send Frame; and

transmitting a Clear-to-Send frame that comprises a second class-of-service field, wherein said second class-of-service field is populated with said indication of the class of service of said Data Frame.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

said Request-to-Send Frame also comprises a duration field populated with an indication of the transmission time of at least one frame, wherein said at least one frame comprises said Data Frame; and

said transmission time is included in a traffic metric for said Data Frame'"'"'s class of service.