Retransmitting lost packet with subsequent received packet

• US 20090129309A1
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thubert, Pascal, Ribiere, Vincent Jean, Wetterwald, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,072,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises transmitting onto a wireless connection, by a device, a first wireless data packet destined for a second device; in response to a determined absence by the device of a required acknowledgment of the first wireless data packet from the second device, queuing by the device the first wireless data packet while waiting for a second wireless data packet; receiving by the device the second wireless data packet; and transmitting, by the device, the first wireless data packet with the second wireless data packet to the second device via the wireless connection in response to the device receiving the second wireless data packet and before any other device can send a data frame on the wireless connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting onto a wireless connection, by a device, a first wireless data packet destined for a second device;

in response to a determined absence by the device of a required acknowledgment of the first wireless data packet from the second device, queuing by the device the first wireless data packet while waiting for a second wireless data packet;

receiving by the device the second wireless data packet; and

transmitting, by the device, the first wireless data packet with the second wireless data packet to the second device via the wireless connection in response to the device receiving the second wireless data packet and before any other device can send a data frame on the wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless data packet is transmitted with the second wireless data packet within a single transmit opportunity interval according to a prescribed wireless medium access protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet are voice packets carrying voice data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is a mesh access point and the wireless connection is an upstream connection toward a wired access point having a wired connection to a wired network, the receiving including receiving the second wireless data packet, via a second wireless connection, from one of a second mesh access point or a host network node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first wireless data packet with the second wireless data packet includes:

creating a single transmit data frame that includes the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet, and

transmitting the single transmit data frame containing the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet to the second device via the wireless connection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the single transmit data frame is less than a prescribed maximum transfer unit.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet each are voice packets carrying voice data.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the device is a mesh access point and the wireless connection is an upstream connection toward a wired access point having a wired connection to a wired network, the receiving including receiving the second wireless data packet, via second wireless connection, from one of a second mesh access point or a host network node.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first wireless data packet contains voice data and the second wireless data packet contains first and second voice packets containing voice data, the method further comprising outputting, by the first device to a third device having transmitted the second wireless data packet, a single acknowledgment in response to the first device receiving the second wireless data packet.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless interface circuit configured for transmitting onto a wireless connection a first wireless data packet destined for a second device; and

a media access control circuit configured for determining an absence of a required acknowledgment of the first wireless data packet from the second device, the media access control circuit further configured for queuing the first wireless data packet in response to the determined absence of the required acknowledgment while waiting for a second wireless data packet, wherein the media access control circuit further is configured for responding to the wireless interface circuit receiving the second wireless data packet by causing the wireless interface circuit to transmit the first wireless data packet with the second wireless data packet to the second device via the wireless connection and before any other device can send a data frame on the wireless connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media access control circuit is configured for causing the first wireless data packet to be transmitted with the second wireless data packet within a single transmit opportunity interval according to a prescribed wireless medium access protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet are voice packets carrying voice data.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the media access control circuit is configured to operate as a mesh access point and the wireless connection is an upstream connection toward a wired access point having a wired connection to a wired network, the wireless interface circuit configured for receiving the second wireless data packet, via a second wireless connection, from one of a second mesh access point or a host network node.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media access control circuit is configured for causing the first wireless data packet to be transmitted with the second wireless data packet based on:

creating a single transmit data frame that includes the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet, and

sending the single transmit data frame containing the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet to the wireless interface circuit for transmission to the second device via the wireless connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the single transmit data frame is less than a prescribed maximum transfer unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first wireless data packet and the second wireless data packet each are voice packets carrying voice data.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the media access control circuit is configured to operate as a mesh access point and the wireless connection is an upstream connection toward a wired access point having a wired connection to a wired network, the wireless interface circuit configured for receiving the second wireless data packet, via a second wireless connection, from one of a second mesh access point or a host network node.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first wireless data packet contains voice data and the second wireless data packet contains first and second voice packets containing voice data, the media access control circuit configured for generating, for output by the wireless interface circuit to a third device having transmitted the second wireless data packet, a single acknowledgment in response to the wireless interface circuit receiving the second wireless data packet.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting onto a wireless connection a first wireless data packet destined for a second device; and

means for determining an absence of a required acknowledgment of the first wireless data packet from the second device, the means for determining further configured for queuing the first wireless data packet in response to the determined absence of the required acknowledgment while waiting for a second wireless data packet, wherein the means for determining further is configured for responding to the means for transmitting receiving the second wireless data packet by causing the means for transmitting to transmit the first wireless data packet with the second wireless data packet to the second device via the wireless connection.