Urgent packet transmission

• US 6,631,132 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dialogic Networks (Israel) Ltd. (Dialogic, Inc. (United Arab Emirates))
• Original Assignee: Veraz Networks Ltd. (Shaul Shani)
• Inventors: Sourani, Sason
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/411,287
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.42, 370/389-392, 370/471-474, 370/428
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/245 using preemption

Abstract

A method of transmitting packets from a transmitter to a receiver. The method includes providing a first packet including a header, transmitting a leading part of the first packet on a link from the transmitter to the receiver, the leading part not including a header separate from the header of the entire packet, and transmitting a second packet on the link after the leading part of the first packet was transmitted and before a remaining part of the first packet was transmitted.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting packets from a transmitter to a receiver, comprising:

providing a first packet including a header;

transmitting a leading part of the first packet on a link from the transmitter to the receiver, the leading part not including a header separate from the header of the entire packet;

transmitting a second packet on the link after the leading part of the first packet was transmitted and before a remaining part of the first packet was transmitted; and

notifying the receiver, after transmitting the leading part of the first packet, that data transmitted on the channel from a specific point on belongs to the second packet.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the second packet comprises transmitting a packet which is more urgent than the first packet.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the second packet comprises a real time audio packet.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein notifying the receiver comprises transmitting a predetermined sequence of bits on the channel after the leading part of the first packet.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein transmitting a predetermined sequence of bits comprises transmitting the sequence at one or more predetermined stop points along the first packet.

6. A method according to claim 5, comprising transmitting a predetermined sequence of bits, different from the sequence used to notify that the data from a specific point on belongs to the second packet, at those predetermined stop points not used for the notifying.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein notifying the receiver that the bits transmitted from a specific point on belong to the second packet comprises notifying the receiver before transmitting part of the second packet.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein notifying the receiver that the bits transmitted from a specific point on belong to the second packet comprises notifying the receiver that the bits transmitted immediately after the notification belong to the second packet.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein notifying the receiver that the bits transmitted from a specific point on belong to the second packet comprises notifying the receiver after transmitting at least part of the second packet.

10. A method according to claim 1, comprising transmitting a remaining part of the first packet, not previously transmitted, after transmitting the second packet.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the leading part of the first packet is not retransmitted after transmitting the second packet.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second packet is ready for transmission only after the transmitting of the leading part of the first packet.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the leading part of the first packet comprises transmitting a field which indicates the length of the entire first packet.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the second packet comprises:

receiving the second packet after the transmitting of the leading part of the first packet;

determining whether the second packet should be transmitted prior to the transmission of a remainder of the first packet; and

transmitting the second packet responsive to the determination.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of first packets are transmitted on the link and wherein transmitting the second packet before a remaining part of the first packet was transmitted is performed for less than all of the first packets.

16. A method of transmitting packets from a transmitter to a receiver, comprising:

transmitting a first packet from the transmitter to the receiver; and

transmitting at predetermined stop points within the first packet a set of bits which indicate that no interruption is being declared in the transmission of the first packet.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the set of indicating bits indicates that the following bits until a next stop point belong to the first packet.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the set of indicating bits indicates that the previous bits from a previous stop point belong to the first packet.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined stop points are located at predetermined fixed intervals of bits within the first packet.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined stop points are located at adjustable locations within the first packet.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein indication of the locations of the predetermined stop points is contained in at least one field of a header of the first packet.

22. A transmitter, comprising:

a buffer operative to receive packets for transmission;

a physical layer unit which transmits packets from the buffer; and

a processor adapted to insert at predetermined stop points within the transmitted packets a set of bits which indicates whether an interruption is being declared in the transmission of the packet.

23. A receiver, comprising:

a physical layer unit which receives a stream of bits; and

a processor adapted to examine at predetermined stop points within the stream a set of bits which indicates whether the stream includes bits from a second packet before all the bits from a first packet were included in the stream.

24. A receiver according to claim 23, wherein the processor is adapted to remove the set of bits from the stream.

25. A receiver according to claim 23, wherein the processor is adapted to divide the stream into packets responsive to the examination.