Data link layer tunneling technique for high-speed data in a noisy wireless environment

• US 6,697,983 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chintada, Lakshmana Rao, Hong, Liang A., Moinzadeh, Kamyar
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres, Joseph D.
• Application Number:
  US09/694,943
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 714/748
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/189 Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365

Abstract

In accordance with the invention, a data link layer tunneling technique is disclosed for improving the throughput of high speed data in a noisy wireless environment. The method for recovering lost frames transmitted between a packet sending unit and a packet receiving unit in a data communications system, and generally comprises the steps of: (a) identifying a failure to successfully receive a missed frame at the packet receiving unit; (b) establishing a logical tunnel channel at the packet receiving unit to acknowledge the next successfully received frame; (c) starting a first timer at the packet receiving unit; (c) upon receiving a tunnel establishment request from the packet receiving unit, the packet sending unit resending the missed frame on the logical tunnel channel and starting a second timer; and (d) the packet sending unit resending the missed frame a specified number of times until receiving an acknowledgement from the packet receiving unit.

Claims

1. A method of recovering lost frames transmitted between a packet sending unit and a packet receiving unit in a data communications system, the method comprising:

identifying a failure to successfully receive a missed frame;

establishing a logical tunnel channel at the package receiving unit to acknowledge the next successfully received frame;

upon receiving a tunnel establishment request from the packet receiving unit, the packet sending unit resending the missed frame on the logical tunnel channel;

at the packet receiving unit, starting a first timer upon receipt of the next successfully received frame and acknowledging all frames having a predetermined poll bit setting irrespective of window closure; and

retransmitting the missed frame and starting a second timer at the packet sending unit, wherein the second timer has a timer duration, and wherein if the acknowledgment for the retransmitted missed frame is not received by the packet sending unit prior to expiration of the second timer, the packet sending unit resending the missed frame a specified number of times.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further including the packet receiving unit sending a receive ready (RR) frame upon successful receipt of the missed frame and the packet sending unit retransmitting the missed frame a specified number of times.

3. A method of recovering lost frames transmitted between a packet sending unit and a packet receiving unit in a data communications system, the method comprising:

identifying a failure to successfully receive a missed frame;

establishing a logical tunnel channel at the packet receiving unit to acknowledge the next successfully received frame;

at the packet receiving unit, starting a first timer;

upon receiving a tunnel establishment request from the packet receiving unit, resending the missed frame on the logical tunnel channel and starting a second timer at the packet sending unit;

resending the missed frame a specified number of times until receiving an acknowledgement from the packet receiving unit; and

closing the logical tunnel channel at the packet sending unit.