Method for quickly and reliably transmitting frames of data over communications links

• US 5,553,083 A
• Filed: 01/19/1995
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Starburst Communications
• Inventors: Miller, C. Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US08/375,493
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 371/32, 371/33
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1446 of transmission speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• 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 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 : Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 : Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A data transmission method quickly and reliably transmits data (e.g., a file) from a source to one or more recipients over a communications link. The method includes transmitting the data, which are in the form of a plurality of frames, from the source over the link to one or more of the recipients until all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted over the link. While the data are being transmitted by the source, acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients are received by the source. The acknowledgments indicate which frames require retransmission. After all of the frames have been transmitted over the link, a retransmission is performed by the source for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate as requiring retransmission.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data over a communications link, comprising:

(A) partitioning the data into a plurality of blocks, each block including a plurality of frames;

(B) transmitting all of the frames to one or more recipients;

(C) during transmission, receiving acknowledgments from the recipients which include indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(D) repeating steps (B), (C), and (D) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

2. A method for quickly and reliably transmitting data to at least two recipients over a communications link comprising:

(A) transmitting a plurality of frames of data over the link to the recipients until all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted;

(B) while performing step (A), receiving acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients, the acknowledgments including indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(C) after all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted, repeating for a predetermined number of times steps (A), (B), and (C) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

3. A method for quickly and reliably transmitting data to at least two recipients over a communications link comprising;

(A) transmitting a plurality of frames of data over the link to the recipients until all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted;

(B) while performing step (A), receiving acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients, the acknowledgments including indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(C) after all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted, repeating until a predetermined amount of time has passed steps (A), (B), and (C) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

4. A method for quickly and reliably transmitting data to at least two recipients over the Internet, comprising:

(A) transmitting a plurality of frames of data over the Internet to the recipients until all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted;

(B) while performing step (A), receiving acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients, the acknowledgments including indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(C) after all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted, repeating steps (A), (B), and (C) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

5. A method for quickly and reliably transmitting data to at least two recipients over a cellular network, comprising:

(A) transmitting a plurality of frames of data over the cellular network to the recipients until all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted;

(B) while performing step (A), receiving acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients, the acknowledgments including indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(C) after all of the plurality of frames have been transmitted, repeating steps (A), (B), and (C) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

6. A method for quickly and reliably transmitting data to at least two recipients over a communications link, comprising:

(A) grouping a plurality of frames of data into a plurality of blocks, each block including a plurality of the frames and the number of blocks being less than the number of frames;

(B) transmitting each of the frames of each of the blocks over the link to the recipients until all of the plurality of blocks have been transmitted;

(C) while performing step (B), receiving acknowledgments from one or more of the recipients, the acknowledgments including indications of frames requiring retransmission; and

(D) after all of the plurality of blocks have been transmitted, repeating steps (B), (C), and (D) for only those frames which the acknowledgments indicate require retransmission.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (C) comprises receiving the acknowledgments wherein each acknowledgment comprises either a positive acknowledgment or a negative acknowledgment, the positive acknowledgment indicating that a particular one of the blocks was received correctly in its entirety by a particular one of the recipients, the negative acknowledgment indicating that a particular one of the recipients requires that one or more of the frames from a particular one of the blocks be retransmitted.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (C) further comprises receiving the acknowledgments for a particular one of the blocks only after all of the frames of that particular block have been transmitted over the link.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein step (B) further comprises transmitting the frames at a predetermined rate.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining which, if any, recipients are not acknowledging transmissions and then adjusting the predetermined rate based on that determination in order to increase recipient transmission acknowledgment.