User data protocol for internet data communications

• US 6,233,248 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exelis Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sautter, Robert B., Braun, Charles H.
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/950,158
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 370/464, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/469, 370/470, 370/471, 370/472, 370/473, 370/474, 370/476, 370/351, 370/352, 370/400, 370/401, 370/475, 370/408, 370/398, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395, 370/396, 370/399, 370/390, 370/296
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• 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 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• 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 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• 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

Abstract

An improved user data protocol is well suited for both Internet radio and packeting switching networks and provides built in addressing and transport control capabilities. Basically, the user protocol consists of layers 4, 3, and 2 of the seven layer OSI/ISO model. The protocol enables communications between Data Comminations Equipment and Data Terminal Equipment and particularly is adapted to provide communications both voice and data between radios. The main feature of the IMPROVED Protocol is the ability to transmit multiple data frames in a single transmission including the transmission of a particular synch. Transmissions basically consists of the transmission of an opening flag for a first frame and a data frame for the first frame and a closing flag for the first frame followed by an opening flag for the next frame and a data frame for the next frame and a closing flag for the next frame and so on where each data frame includes an address field followed by a control field followed by an information field which is followed by a frame check sequence. The frame format can be with or without an information field with each frame includes as indicated a flag, the address field, a control field, and a frame check sequence and an ending flag with the flag being an eight digit sequence of ones and zeros. Based on the unique flag format and the ability to provide different frame sequences one can implement a multi-addressing capability. This capability allows a user of the protocol to address a single message to many users. Multi-address messages are given to the network are inserted once at the source network node. Multi-address messages routed between network nodes going to the same node and travel across each interconnecting communication channel. Thus, the protocol and format reduces communication bandwidth to a minimum.

Claims

1. In a communication network including a plurality of communication nodes, wherein messages transmitted between certain nodes are routed through other nodes in the network, an improved method of communicating in the network using multi-address messaging comprising the steps of:

(a) constructing at a source node a multi-address message containing a network header that separately identifies network addresses of a plurality of destination nodes, wherein communication paths between the source node and the destination nodes traverse a common path routed through common intervening nodes; and

(b) transmitting the multi-address message from the source node to the destination nodes in accordance with the network addresses by transmitting a single copy of the multi-address message along the common path from each common intervening node to a next common intervening node, such that additional copies of the multi-address message are generated within the network only when the communication paths between the source node and the destination nodes diverge.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a1) for each network address in the network header, inserting in the network header an extend field indicating whether the network address is a basic network address or an extended network address usable when the destination node corresponding to the network address has moved from a home network to another network; and

(a2) for each extended address in the network header, including in the extended address the basic network address of the destination node corresponding to the network address and information for forwarding the multi-address message to said another network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

(c) receiving the multi-address message at a node and, for each network address, determining whether the network address is a basic network address or an extended network address; and

(d) routing the multi-address message to a next node in accordance with the network address and routing tables maintained by said node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a1) for each network address in the network header, inserting in the network header an end of routing (EOR) field indicating whether the network address is the last address in the network header, such that the number of destination network addresses in the network header is variable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further includes, for each network address in the network header:

(a1) inserting in the network header, on a per destination basis, a field indicating whether an acknowledgment is required from the destination node corresponding to the network address when the multi-address message is received by the destination node;

(a2) inserting in the network header, on a per destination basis, a field indicating whether an acknowledgment is required from the destination node corresponding to the network address when the multi-address message is read at the destination node corresponding to the network address; and

(a3) inserting in the network header, on a per destination basis, a field indicating whether an acknowledgment is required from the destination node corresponding to the network address when the multi-address message is printed at the destination node corresponding to the network address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-address message comprises a sequence of message frames each containing the network header, where step (a) further includes:

(a1) inserting a frame sequence number in the network header of each message frame, indicating a position of the message frame in the sequence; and

(a2) inserting an end of message field in the network header of each message frame indicating whether the message frame is the last in the multi-address message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes inserting the network address of the source node in the network header.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a1) inserting in the network header a precedence field indicating a relative precedence of the multi-address message;

the method further comprising the step of;

(c) when message traffic congestion occurs at a node, restricting message traffic at the node as a function of the relative precedence identified in the network header of each message, such that higher precedence messages are delivered to the node and lower precedence messages are not delivered to the node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a1) inserting in the network header a security field indicating a relative security level of the multi-address message;

the method further comprising the step of;

(c) restricting message traffic at a node as a function of the security level identified in the network header of each message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(c) acknowledging receipt of a multi-address message at a destination node by sending an acknowledgement message from the destination node to the source node;

(d) retransmitting the multi-address message to a destination node when the source not does not receive an acknowledgement message from the destination node after a predetermined period of time after transmission of the multi-address message;

(e) repeating step (d) until either an acknowledgement message is received from the destination node or a predetermined maximum number of retransmissions have been attempted.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-address message is an encapsulated message having a protocol different from a protocol of the multi-address message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein failure of the multi-address message to reach one destination node does not affect whether the multi-address message reaches other destination nodes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message in a point-to-point mode.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message in a broadcast mode.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message between radios over the air.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message over a wire-line connection.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message in a full-duplex communication mode.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes transmitting the multi-address message in a half-duplex communication mode.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-address message is capable of carrying voice or data transmissions.