TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL/INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PACKET-CENTRIC WIRELESS POINT TO MULTI-POINT (PtMP) TRANSMISSION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

• US 20090271512A1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jorgensen, Jacob W.
• Application Number:
  US12/184,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271512A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• 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 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0414 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 : Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 : Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13296 : Packet switching, X.25, frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 : Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 : of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 : Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 : Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 : Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 : Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 : Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A packet-centric wireless point to multi-point telecommunications system includes: a wireless base station communicating via a packet-centric protocol to a first data network; one or more host workstations communicating via the packet-centric protocol to the first data network; one or more subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) stations coupled with the wireless base station over a shared bandwidth via the packet-centric protocol over a wireless medium; and one or more subscriber workstations coupled via the packet-centric protocol to each of the subscriber CPE stations over a second network. The packet-centric protocol can be transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). The packet-centric protocol can be a user datagram protocol/internet protocol (UDP/IP). The system can include a resource allocation means for allocating shared bandwidth among the subscriber CPE stations. The resource allocation is performed to optimize end-user quality of service (QoS). The wireless communication medium can include at least one of: a radio frequency (RF) communications medium; a cable communications medium; and a satellite communications medium. The wireless communication medium can further include a telecommunications access method including at least one of: a time division multiple access (TDMA) access method; a time division multiple access/time division duplex (TDMA/TDD) access method; a code division multiple access (CDMA) access method; and a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) access method.

The first data network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN). The second network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN).

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method for managing an internet protocol (IP) stack, comprising:

monitoring an application layer of the IP stack to detect quality of service (QoS) requirements for IP streams; and

assigning a packet to a queue of a plurality of queues at a MAC layer of the IP stack responsive to the detected QoS requirements for an IP stream that includes the packet, wherein the plurality of queues have assigned priorities that are used to control transmission of the queued packets on a network.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the monitoring comprises reading header data from the packet, wherein the header data is inserted by an application that sources the IP stream.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the packet comprises additional header data inserted at one or more intermediate layers of the IP stack between the application layer and the MAC layer.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising modifying packet attributes of the packet responsive to the detected QoS requirements.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the network is wireless.

15. A method comprising:

monitoring an application layer of an internet protocol (IP) stack to detect quality of service (QoS) requirements for IP streams; and

controlling packet assignments to a plurality of queues at a MAC layer of the IP stack responsive to the detected QoS requirements for an IP stream that includes the packet, wherein the plurality of queues have assigned priorities that are used to control transmission of the queued packets on a network.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the monitoring comprises reading header data from the packet, wherein the header data is inserted by an application that sources the IP stream.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein the packet comprises additional header data inserted at one or more intermediate layers of the IP stack between the application layer and the MAC layer.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 further comprising modifying packet attributes of the packet responsive to the detected QoS requirements.

19. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the network is wireless.

20. A computer accessible storage medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed:

monitor an application layer of an internet protocol (IP) stack to detect quality of service (QoS) requirements for IP streams; and

control packet assignments to a plurality of queues at a MAC layer of the IP stack responsive to the detected QoS requirements for an IP stream that includes the packet, wherein the plurality of queues have assigned priorities that are used to control transmission of the queued packets on a network.

21. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 20 wherein the plurality of instructions that monitor comprise instructions that read header data from the packet, wherein the header data is inserted by an application that sources the IP stream.

22. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 21 wherein the packet comprises additional header data inserted at one or more intermediate layers of the IP stack between the application layer and the MAC layer.

23. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 20 further comprising modifying packet attributes of the packet responsive to the detected QoS requirements.

24. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 20 wherein the network is wireless.

25. A wireless device configured to implement an internet protocol (IP) stack, wherein the wireless device is configured to monitoring an application layer of the IP stack to detect quality of service (QoS) requirements for IP streams, and wherein the wireless device is further configured to assign a packet to a queue of a plurality of queues at a MAC layer of the IP stack responsive to the detected QoS requirements for an IP stream that includes the packet, wherein the plurality of queues have assigned priorities that are used to control transmission of the queued packets on a network.

26. The wireless device as recited in claim 25 wherein the wireless device is configured to monitor by reading header data from the packet, wherein the header data is inserted by an application that sources the IP stream.

27. The wireless device as recited in claim 26 wherein the packet comprises additional header data inserted at one or more intermediate layers of the IP stack between the application layer and the MAC layer.

28. The wireless device as recited in claim 25 further configured to modify packet attributes of the packet responsive to the detected QoS requirements.

29. The wireless device as recited in claim 25 wherein the network is wireless.

30. A method comprising:

monitoring an application layer of an internet protocol (IP) stack to detect quality of service (QoS) requirements for IP streams; and

assigning QoS classes to packets at a MAC layer of the IP stack responsive to the detected QoS requirements.

31. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein each of the QoS classes is mapped to a corresponding queue of a plurality of queues.

32. The method as recited in claim 31 wherein the plurality of queues are assigned priorities that control transmission of packets in the plurality of queues on a network.

33. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein the monitoring comprises reading header data from the packet, wherein the header data is inserted by the application.

34. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein the packet comprises additional header data inserted at one or more intermediate layers of the IP stack between the application layer and the MAC layer.

35. A method comprising:

determining, at an application layer of a protocol stack that also includes a media access control (MAC) layer and one or more intermediate layers between the application layer and the MAC layer, data corresponding to an Internet protocol (IP) stream, wherein the data is indicative of one or more quality of service (QoS) requirements for the IP stream;

communicating the data directly from the application layer to the MAC layer; and

assigning, at the MAC layer, one of a plurality of QoS classes to one or more packets in the IP stream responsive to the data.

36. The method as recited in claim 35 further comprising, at the MAC layer, placing the one or more packets into one of a plurality of queues based on the QoS class assigned to those packets, wherein each of the plurality of queues is associated with one of the plurality of QoS classes.

37. The method as recited in claim 35 further comprising, at the MAC layer, scheduling the one or more packets to be transmitted on a wireless network, wherein the scheduling is based on the QoS class assigned to the packets.

38. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein assigning one of the plurality of QoS classes to the one or more packets comprises:

extracting packet header data from each of the one or more packets, the packet header data including application layer header data; and

accessing one or more data structures to identify the one of the plurality of QoS classes to be assigned to the one or more packets using the packet header data.

39. The method as recited in claim 38 wherein communicating directly from the application to the MAC layer comprises writing the one or more data structures from the application layer.

40. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein the assigning comprises:

assigning a first QoS class of the plurality of QoS classes to the IP stream responsive to the IP stream including real-time data; and

assigning a second QoS class of the plurality of QoS classes to a second IP stream including non-real-time data;

wherein the first QoS class has a higher priority relative to the second QoS class.

41. The method as recited in claim 40 wherein the real-time data comprises video data.

42. The method as recited in claim 40 wherein the real-time data comprises audio data.

43. The method as recited in claim 35 further comprising constructing wireless transmission frames, at the MAC layer, for transmission on a wireless network, wherein the constructing is based on the plurality of QoS classes and packets to which the plurality of QoS classes are assigned.

44. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein the constructing comprises scheduling packets including audio or video data isochronously.

45. The method as recited in claim 44 wherein the constructing comprises:

assigning bandwidth at a first priority level to web page data; and

assigning bandwidth at a second priority level lower than the first priority level to other transmitted data.

46. The method as recited in claim 35 further comprising:

detecting a lost packet of the IP stream at the MAC layer; and

retransmitting the lost packet at the MAC layer.

47. The method as recited in claim 46 wherein the one or more intermediate layers comprise a transport layer, and wherein the retransmitting is performed without signalling the transport layer.

48. The method as recited in claim 46 wherein the one or more intermediate layers comprise a transport layer, and wherein the retransmitting is performed prior to a time at which the transport layer is configured to detect the lost packet.

49. A method comprising:

receiving a packet at a media access control (MAC) layer of a protocol stack;

extracting packet header data from the packet at the MAC layer, the packet header data including application layer header data; and

reading one or more data structures responsive to the packet header data to assign the packet to one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) classes at the MAC layer.

50. The method as recited in claim 49 further comprising:

determining data indicating one or more QoS requirements for an IP stream that includes the packet at a second layer of the protocol stack, wherein at least one additional layer is included in the protocol stack between the second layer and the MAC layer; and

writing the data to the one or more data structures.

51. In an apparatus implementing at least a portion of a protocol stack that includes a MAC layer, an application layer, and one or more intermediate layers between the MAC layer and application layer, a method comprising:

receiving, at the MAC layer, a set of data directly from the application layer, bypassing the one or more intermediate layers, wherein the received set of data is indicative of one or more quality of service (QoS) requirements for an Internet Protocol (IP) stream; and

assigning, at the MAC layer, one of a plurality of QoS classes to packets in the IP stream, wherein the assigning is performed based at least in part upon the received set of data.

52. A method, comprising:

determining, at the application layer of a network apparatus, a set of data corresponding to an Internet Protocol (IP) stream, wherein the set of data is indicative of one or more quality of service (QoS) requirements for the IP stream;

the network apparatus communicating the set of data directly from the application layer to the MAC layer; and

wherein the communicating causes one of a plurality of QoS classes to be assigned, at the MAC layer, to packets in the IP stream, and wherein the QoS classes are assigned, based at least in part, upon the set of data received from the application layer.

53. A computer accessible storage medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed:

determine, at an application layer of a protocol stack that also includes a media access control (MAC) layer and one or more intermediate layers between the application layer and the MAC layer, data corresponding to an Internet protocol (IP) stream, wherein the data is indicative of one or more quality of service (QoS) requirements for the IP stream;

communicate the data directly from the application layer to the MAC layer; and

assign, at the MAC layer, one of a plurality of QoS classes to one or more packets in the IP stream responsive to the data.

54. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 53 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, at the MAC layer, place the one or more packets into one of a plurality of queues based on the QoS class assigned to those packets, wherein each of the plurality of queues is associated with one of the plurality of QoS classes.

55. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 53 wherein the plurality of instructions which, when executed, assign one of the plurality of QoS classes to the one or more packets comprise a plurality of instruction which, when executed:

extract packet header data from each of the one or more packets, the packet header data including application layer header data; and

access one or more data structures to identify the one of the plurality of QoS classes to be assigned to the one or more packets using the packet header data.

56. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 55 wherein the plurality of instructions which, when executed, communicate directly from the application to the MAC layer comprises a plurality of instruction which, when executed, write the one or more data structures from the application layer.

57. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 53 wherein plurality of instructions which, when executed, assign comprise a plurality of instructions which, when executed:

assign a first QoS class of the plurality of QoS classes to the IP stream responsive to the IP stream including real-time data; and

assign a second QoS class of the plurality of QoS classes to a second IP stream including non-real-time data;

wherein the first QoS class has a higher priority relative to the second QoS class.

58. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 53 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, construct wireless transmission frames, at the MAC layer, for transmission on a wireless network, wherein the constructing is based on the plurality of QoS classes and packets to which the plurality of QoS classes are assigned.

59. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 58 wherein the plurality of instructions which construct the wireless transmission frames comprise a plurality of instructions which, when executed, schedule packets including audio or video data isochronously.

60. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 59 wherein the plurality of instructions which construct the wireless transmission frames comprise a plurality of instructions which, when executed:

assign bandwidth at a first priority level to web page data; and

assign bandwidth at a second priority level lower than the first priority level to other transmitted data.

61. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 53 wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed:

detect a lost packet of the IP stream at the MAC layer; and

retransmit the lost packet at the MAC layer.

62. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 61 wherein the one or more intermediate layers comprise a transport layer, and wherein the retransmitting is performed without signalling the transport layer.

63. The computer accessible storage medium as recited in claim 61 wherein the one or more intermediate layers comprise a transport layer, and wherein the retransmitting is performed prior to a time at which the transport layer is configured to detect the lost packet.