DATA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20100195665A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Plextek Ltd.
• Inventors: Jackson, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/464
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays

Abstract

In the sending of data in a network from a sending node to a receiving node via a relay node, the receiving node sends a notification arranged to notify both the sending node and receiving node of receipt of data at the receiving node. Notifications acknowledge that the data has been correctly received over each individual stage of transmission, and further acknowledge to the sending node that data has been correctly transmitted over the whole transmission path and received at the receiving node. The burden on the network of sending acknowledgments is reduced while notifications of data transmission over single stages and over the whole transmission path are provided.

Claims

1. A relay node for transmitting data in a network, the network comprising the relay node, a sending node and a receiving node, the receiving node and the relay node being configured to receive data via the network at a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of a protocol layer stack, the first protocol layer being for transmitting data between adjacent nodes of a connection and the second layer being for establishing a connection in respect of the data, and to send different types of notification identifying receipt of data, the different types of notification including:

a first type of notification identifying receipt of data at the first protocol layer of the node from which the notification is sent; and

a second type of notification identifying receipt of data at the first protocol layer of the node from which the notification is sent and at the second protocol layer of the receiving node,

the relay node comprising;

an interface for receiving data at the first protocol layer of the relay node, the data having been sent from the sending node, wherein the interface is configured to send the data to the receiving node; and

means for monitoring for a given notification of the second type from the receiving node,

wherein the relay node is configured to;

cease the monitoring and send, to the sending node, a notification of the second type, in response to receiving the given notification; and

send, to the sending node, a notification of the first type, in response to the predefined period elapsing without receipt, at the relay node, of the given notification.

2. A relay node according to claim 1, wherein the relay node comprises a store for storing the data and configured to remove the data from the store in response to receiving the given notification.

3. A relay node according to claim 1, wherein the relay node is configured to:

send, in response to receipt of the given notification at the receiving node after the predetermined time limit has elapsed, a third type of notification, different to the first and second types of notification, the third type of notification identifying receipt of data at the second protocol layer of the receiving node;

monitor for a confirmation of receipt of the third type of notification at the sending node; and

resend the third type of notification in response to not receiving the confirmation.

4. A relay node according to claim 1, wherein each of the notifications comprises an identifier of the data.

5. A relay node according to claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a plurality of interfaces, each configured to receive data at one of the protocol layers of the protocol stack.

6. A receiving node for receiving data across a connection in a network, the network comprising the receiving node, a relay node and a sending node, the receiving node and the relay node being configured to receive data via the network at a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of a protocol stack, the first protocol layer being for transmitting data between adjacent nodes of a connection and the second layer being for establishing a connection in respect of the data, wherein transmission of data across adjacent nodes of the connection may be acknowledged using a first protocol layer notification for identifying receipt of data at the first layer of the node from which the first protocol layer notification is sent, and receipt of data at the receiving node may be acknowledged using a second protocol layer notification for identifying receipt of data at the second protocol layer of the receiving node, the receiving node comprising means for receiving a first set of data, the first set of data having been sent from the sending node via the relay node,

wherein, in response to receiving the data at the first protocol layer and at the second protocol layer of the receiving node, the receiving node is configured to create and send a combined notification, the combined notification comprising information for notifying the relay node of receipt of the first set of data at the first protocol layer of the receiving node, and information for notifying the sending node of receipt of the first set of data at the second protocol layer of the receiving node.

7. A receiving node according to claim 6, comprising means for receiving a second set of data, the second set of data having been sent from the sending node via the relay node, wherein the receiving node is configured to create and send a said first protocol layer notification in response to receiving the second set of data at the first layer of the receiving node, and a predetermined time period elapsing prior to receipt of the second set of data at the second layer of the receiving node.

8. A receiving node according claim 6, wherein the receiving node is configured to create and send a said second protocol layer notification in response to receiving the second set of data at the second protocol layer of the receiving node after the predetermined time period has elapsed.

9. A receiving node according to claim 8, wherein the receiving node is configured to monitor for a confirmation of receipt of the second protocol layer notification at the relay node and to resend the third type of notification in response to not receiving the confirmation

10. A receiving node according to claim 6, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data are members of a sequence of sets of data, each member comprising an indicator of a position in the sequence, and the receiving node comprises means for determining the position.

11. A receiving node according to claim 10, wherein each of the types of notification comprises an indicator of a position in the sequence of the first set of data.

12. A receiving node according to claim 6, wherein instances of each of the first protocol layer notification, the second protocol layer notification and the third protocol layer notification comprise an identifier of the type of notification to which the instance belongs.

13. A receiving node according to claim 6, wherein the interface comprises a plurality of interfaces, each configured to receive data at one of the protocol layers of the protocol stack.

14. A method of transmitting data in a network, the network comprising a sending node, a relay node and a receiving node, the method comprising:

receiving data sent from the sending node at the relay node, and sending the data to the receiving node;

receiving a notification at the relay node, the notification being for notifying the sending node of receipt of the data at the receiving node;

determining whether the notification is of a first type or another, different, type of notification, wherein the first type of notification is for notifying the relay node of receipt of the data at the receiving node;

in the case that the notification is determined to be of the first type, not sending a confirmation of receipt of the notification at the relay node to the receiving node;

in the case that the notification is determined to be of the other type, sending the confirmation of receipt; and

,

in either case, sending a notification for identifying receipt of data at the receiving node to the sending node, and monitoring for a confirmation of the sent notification having been received at the sending node.

15. A method according to claim 14, in which the received notification comprises an identifier of a type of notification and the determining comprises using the identifier.

16. A method according to claim 15, in which the determining comprises comparing the identifier with a predetermined set of identifiers.

17. A method according to claim 16, in which the predetermined set of identifiers is stored at the relay node.

18. A method according to claim 14, comprising resending the sent notification in response to a predetermined time period elapsing prior to receipt of the confirmation of the sent notification having been received at the sending node.

19. A node adapted to perform the method of claim 14.

20. A computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions thereon for execution on a node to implement a method of transmitting data in a network according to claim 14.