Method and apparatus for synchronizing applications of terminals in communication network

• US 20080075126A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Chil-youl
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for synchronizing applications of network terminals are provided. Time information, which is synchronized and managed with other terminals for controlling use of media in the network in a media access control (MAC) layer, is transmitted to an application layer so as to directly execute the application using a synchronization interface. Accordingly, it is possible to synchronize applications without exchanging packets for obtaining synchronization information of terminals using a TCP/IP protocol.

Claims

1. A method of executing an application in a terminal connected to a network, the method comprising:

requesting synchronization information from a media access control (MAC) layer, by an application layer;

providing time information which is managed for medium access control in the network from the MAC layer to the application layer in response to the requesting; and

executing the application by the application layer based on the time information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless local area network, and the time information is set based on a timestamp field value of a beacon frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless personal area network, and the time information is set based on a piconet synchronization parameter field value of a beacon frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the providing of the time information, the MAC layer provides the time information to the application layer using a service access point.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the MAC layer provides a result of correction of the timestamp field value according to a characteristic of the terminal to the application layer.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the MAC layer provides a result of correction of the piconet synchronization parameter field value according to a characteristic of the terminal to the application layer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing information for correcting the time information according to a characteristic of the terminal from the MAC layer to the application layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application generates transport stream packets for transmitting video data, and in the executing of the application, a timestamp field of the transport stream packets is set based on the time information.

9. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing a method of executing an application in a terminal connected to a network, the method comprising:

requesting synchronization information from a media access control (MAC) layer, by an application layer;

providing time information which managed for medium access control in the network from the MAC layer to the application layer in response to the requesting; and

executing the application by the application layer based on the time information.

10. An application executing apparatus in a terminal connected to a network;

the application executing apparatus comprising;

a media access control (MAC) layer module; and

an application layer module which executes an application,

wherein the application layer module requests the MAC layer module to provide synchronization information and executes the application based on the synchronization information received in response to the request, and

wherein the MAC layer module provides time information, which is managed for medium access control in the network, to the, application layer in response to the request.

11. The application executing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the network is a wireless local area network, and the time information is set based on a timestamp field value of a beacon frame.

12. The application executing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the network is a wireless personal area network, and the time information is set based on a piconet synchronization parameter field value of a beacon frame.

13. The application executing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the MAC layer module provides the time information to the application layer module in the form of a service access point.

14. The application executing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the MAC layer module provides a result of correction of the timestamp field value according to a characteristic of the terminal to the application layer module.

15. The application executing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the MAC layer module provides a result of correction of a piconet synchronization parameter field value according to a characteristic of the terminal to the application layer module.

16. The application executing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the MAC layer module provides information for correcting the time information according to a characteristic of the terminal to the application layer module.

17. The application executing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the application generates transport stream packets for transmitting video data, and the application layer module sets a timestamp field of the transport stream packets based on the time information.