Technique for handling undesired data over a limited bandwidth channel

• US 6,363,082 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Elliot, Steve, Kammer, David, Karstens, Rich
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US09/710,494
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 370/464, 370/465, 370/468, 370/469, 370/402, 370/401, 370/466, 370/489, 370/310, 370/467, 370/477, 709/245, 709/249, 707/10, 455/557, 455/550
• US Class Current: 370/469
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

A technique for handling undesired data over a limited bandwidth channel. Specifically, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention operates within an electronic system or device (e.g., personal digital assistant) which can be coupled to a networking environment. An embodiment of the present invention allows higher levels of software operating within an electronic system to directly communicate with and determine the current operation of lower levels of software. As such, a higher level of software is advantageously able to perform appropriate actions in response to activities being performed by a lower level of software. For example, the higher level of software is able to suspend its time-out of a delayed response to a data request after determining that the reason for the delay is due to the fact that there is a “log jam” caused by canceled data packets being processed by a transport layer while a UDP layer is currently discarding canceled data packets associated with a canceled data request. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention enables electronic devices to operate more efficiently.

Claims

1. An electronic system having a processor, a bus and a memory unit and further comprising:

an application software layer;

a port layer comprising a plurality of ports each for selective assignment to applications of said application software layer and communication with said applications;

a universal datagram protocol (UDP) layer coupled to communicate information with said port layer, said UDP layer reserving a space within said memory unit for storage of communication statistics and wherein said application software layer is for bypassing said port layer to directly access said communication statistics of said UDP layer;

an internet protocol (IP) layer coupled to communicate information with said UDP layer; and

a transport layer coupled to receive information and communicate said information to said IP layer.

2. An electronic system as described in claim 1 wherein said transport layer is compliant with the Mobitex wireless communication system.

3. An electronic system as described in claim 1 wherein said transport layer is compliant with the Ethernet network.

4. An electronic system as described in claim 1 wherein said transport layer utilizes a terrestrial phone line.

5. An electronic system as described in claim 1 wherein said electronic system is a personal digital assistant (PDA) platform.

6. An electronic system having a processor, a bus and a memory unit and further comprising:

an application software layer comprising an application for generating data packet requests and for selectively canceling a first data request for a first data packet;

a port layer comprising a plurality of ports each for selective assignment to said and communication with said application;

a universal datagram protocol (UDP) layer coupled to communicate data packets to said port layer, said UDP layer reserving a space within said memory unit for storage of communication statistics and wherein said application is also for bypassing said port layer to directly access said communication statistics;

an internet protocol (IP) layer coupled to communicate data packets to said UDP layer; and

a transport layer coupled to receive data packets and communicate said data packets to said IP layer.

7. An electronic system as described in claim 6 wherein said transport layer is compliant with the Mobitex wireless communication system.

8. An electronic system as described in claim 6 wherein said transport layer is compliant with the Ethernet network.

9. An electronic system as described in claim 6 wherein said transport layer utilizes a terrestrial phone line.

10. An electronic system as described in claim 6 wherein said electronic system is a personal digital assistant (PDA) platform.

11. An electronic system having a processor, a bus and a memory unit, performs a method of receiving a requested data packet comprising the steps of:

a) an application of an application software layer generating data packet requests and selectively canceling a first data request for a first data packet;

b) assigning a first port of a port layer to said first data request and subsequently canceling said first port assignment responsive to said first data request being canceled;

c) receiving said first data packet and forwarding said first data packet to a universal datagram protocol (UDP) layer, said step c) performed by a transport layer and an internet protocol (IP) layer communicatively coupled together;

d) said universal datagram protocol (UDP) layer dumping said first data packet to a no-port designation in response to receiving said first data packet while said first port is canceled, said UDP layer updating a communication statistic in response to step d); and

e) said application bypassing said port layer to directly access said communication statistic within said UDP layer and, based thereon, preventing improper time-out of a second data request that was issued subsequently to said first data request.

12. A method as described in claim 11 wherein said transport layer is compliant with the Mobitex wireless communication system.

13. A method as described in claim 11 wherein said electronic system is a personal digital assistant (PDA) platform.

14. A method as described in claim 11 wherein said communication statistics represent occurrences of no-port-dumps within said UDP layer.