Wireless network system and method

• US 6,496,520 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2000
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OptiMorphix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadcloud Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Acosta, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, RICKY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/618,881
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/236, 370/387, 370/392, 370/393, 370/469, 370/474, 370/216, 370/230, 370/241, 370/242, 370/252, 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 714/746, 714/748, 714/749, 714/750, 714/751
• US Class Current: 370/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1642 Formats specially adapted for sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of communications over a network is specially adapted for improved transmission performance with reduced bandwidth requirements in communications networks which are low quality or have widely varied physical channel performance, for example, wireless networks. The method includes steps of packetizing a payload into a series of data packets, inserting header packets at the beginning, middle, and towards the end of the series, transmitting the series, together with the header packets, receiving at least some of the data packets of the series and at least one of the header packets, and sending an acknowledgement. The acknowledgement is either that all data packets and at least one header packet were received; that not all data packets were received and at least one header packet was received; or that some data packets were received, but no header packet was received. Re-transmissions of data packets and the header packet, when such packets are not received, is minimized in order to limit the number of communications necessary to deliver an entire data payload.

Claims

1. A method of communications over a network, comprising the steps of:

packetizing a payload into a series of data packets;

inserting a header at the beginning, middle, and towards the end of the series;

transmitting the series, together with the header;

receiving at least some of the data packets of the series and the header; and

sending an acknowledgement selected from the group consisting of;

all data packets and the header received;

not all data packets received and the header received; and

some data packets received, but the header not received;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

identifying the data packets not received if the header is received but not all the data packets are received; and

wherein the acknowledgement of the step of sending includes identifiers of the data packets not received; and

re-transmitting only the data packets not received.

2. A method of communications over a network, comprising the steps of:

packetizing a payload into a series of data packets;

inserting a header at the beginning, middle, and towards the end of the series;

transmitting the series, together with the header;

receiving at least some of the data packets of the series and the header; and

sending an acknowledgement selected from the group consisting of;

all data packets and the header received;

not all data packets received and the header received; and

some data packets received, but the header not received;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

identifying that some data packets, but not any header, is received; and

wherein the acknowledgement of the step of sending includes identifiers of the data packets received;

determining which data packets were not received, based on the identifiers in the acknowledgement;

re-transmitting only the header and the data packets not received.