Method supporting the quality of service of data transmission

• US 6,501,741 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ala-Laurila, Juha, Mikkonen, Jouni
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US09/237,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400-402, 370/395.1, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.42, 370/395.43, 370/310.1, 370/310.2, 370/310, 370/321, 370/328-330, 370/337, 370/347, 370/395, 370/65, 370/351, 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for supporting the quality of service (QoS) in packet data transmission between a wireless communication device (1) communicating with a radio network, and an information network (LN), where data transmission between the wireless communication device (1) and the radio network (2) is controlled with at least one access point controller (5, 5′, 5″). Further, in the method, information is transmitted between the wireless communication device (1) and the access point controller (5, 5′, 5″) in radio flows. In the method, at least one radio flow is provided with a defined radio flow identification (RFID) and a quality of service (QoS).

Claims

1. A method for supporting the quality of service in packet data transmission between a wireless communication device communicating with a radio network, and an information network, where data transmission between the wireless communication device and the radio network is controlled with at least one access point controller, and in which method information is transmitted between the wireless communication device and the access point controller in radio flows, wherein at least one radio flow is provided with a defined radio flow identification and a quality of service, and the quality of service is determined in a centralised manner.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the quality of service is determined by the access point controller.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for determining the quality of service, the content of the packets, preferably the content of the header of the packets, is used.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterised in that the data transmission is divided at least into a network layer and a data link layer, wherein in the method, the data transmission is conducted in packets of the network layer, which are converted into packets of the data link layer to be transmitted in a radio flow, and that the quality of service is determined on the basis of the contents of the packets of the network layer.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the packets of the radio flow are formed from packets complying with the Internet protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the packets of the radio flow are transmitted in the radio network (2) as GPRS packets.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method comprises the steps of:

transmitting several different radio flows in packet data transmission between the wireless communication device (1) and the radio network (2), and

transmitting a packet of a second radio flow between packets of a first radio flow.

8. A system for supporting the quality of service in packet data transmission in a radio network, the system comprising:

at least one wireless communication device communicating with the radio network,

means for transmitting information between the radio network (2) and the information network,

means for controlling data transmission between the wireless communication device and the radio network, and

means for transmitting information between the wireless communication device and the access point controller in radio flows,

means for determining a radio flow identification for at least one radio flow,

means for determining the quality of service for the radio flow, and

means for determining the quality of service in a centralised manner.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterised in that said means for determining the quality of service in a centralised manner comprise the access point controller.

10. The system according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that it comprises means for determining the quality of service on the basis of the, contents of the packets, preferably the contents in the header of the packets.

11. The system according to claim 8, 9 or 10, characterised in that it comprises means (7, 103) for generating packets of a radio flow from packets complying with the Internet protocol.

12. The system according to any of the claim 8, characterised in that it comprises means for conducting data transmission in the radio network in GPRS packets.

13. The system according to any of the claim 8, characterised in that it comprises:

means for transmitting at least a first and a second radio flow in packet data transmission between the wireless communication device and the radio network, and

means for transmitting a packet of the second radio flow between packets of the first radio flow.

14. A wireless communication device equipped with means for transmitting information into a radio network, comprising:

means for transmitting information between a radio network and an information network,

means for controlling data transmission between the wireless communication device and the radio network, and

means for transmitting information between the wireless communication device and the access point controller in radio flows,

means for generating a radio flow identification for at least one radio flow,

means for connecting said radio flow identification into packets of said radio flow transmitted from the wireless communication device, and

means for transmitting quality of service related information to said radio network for performing the determination of the quality of service for said radio flow in a centralized manner in said radio network.