Method and system for providing quality-of-service on packet-based wireless connections

• US 6,728,365 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Kim, Li, Xiao-Dong, Wang, Chung-Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks-Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/464,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/349, 370/352, 370/356, 370/406, 370/235, 370/329, 370/469, 370/522, 370/524, 370/395.5, 709/232, 709/238, 709/246, 709/225, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 455/452.2, 455/450, 455/426.1, 455/509, 455/561
• US Class Current: 379/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

The invention provides methods and systems for extending RSVP signaling to wireless networks. RSVP messages may be intercepted by an RSVP daemon, adjusted as necessary to accommodate the wireless network, and then forwarded on as RSVP messages either on a traffic channel or as a short data burst. Alternatively, the RSVP messages may be encapsulated in layer 3 messages. Alternatively, RSVP messages may be intercepted by another component, such as a PDSN, which then coordinates the establishment of the requested wireless connection.

Claims

1. A method of extending RSVP QoS signaling to a wireless network comprising:

intercepting a PATH message to or from a mobile terminal served by the wireless network, modifying its contents to reflect constraints of the wireless network and forwarding the PATH message;

intercepting a RESV message received in response to the PATH message; and

after intercepting the RESV message, in sequence;

performing a QoS mapping from a RSVP QoS specified in the RESV message to wireless network parameters;

checking if an existing wireless traffic channel satisfies the wireless network parameters and if not coordinating the establishment of a wireless traffic channel which satisfies the wireless network parameters; and

forwarding the RESV message if a wireless traffic channel could be established and generating an RESVerr message if a wireless traffic channel could not be established.

2. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for allowing RSVP signaling to be extended to a radio network, the computer readable code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable code means for implementing a method according to claim 1.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein coordinating the establishment of a wireless traffic channel comprises checking if resources are available to satisfy the wireless network parameters, and proceeding with setting up the wireless channel if resources are available, and if not sending the RESVerr message to whatever entity previously forwarded the RESV message.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

intercepting a PATHTEAR message or RESVTEAR message relating to a particular RSVP session and releasing any radio resource assigned to the particular RSVP session and forwarding the message.

5. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile terminal terminated request wherein the PATH message is forwarded to the mobile terminal through a Data Burst message specifically defined for this purpose.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising updating a slack term S and a bandwidth reservation R in the RESV message to reflect the wireless network before forwarding the RESV message.

7. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile terminal originated request wherein the PATH message is sent by the mobile terminal through a Data Burst message specifically defined for this purpose.

8. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile originated request wherein the PATH message is generated by an application running on the mobile terminal and sent on a traffic channel.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising establishing the traffic channel if one is not already in existence.

10. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile terminal terminated request wherein the PATH message is forwarded to the mobile terminal through a Short Data Burst service.

11. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile terminal terminated request wherein the PATH message is forwarded to the mobile terminal on a traffic channel.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising establishing the traffic channel if one is not already in existence.

13. A method according to claim 1 applied to a mobile terminal originated request wherein the PATH message is sent by the mobile terminal through a Short Data Burst service.

14. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the mobile terminal transiting through MAC states during periods of inactivity.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the mobile terminal transits from Active to Control Hold, from Control Hold to Suspended, from Suspended to Dormant after a respective period of inactivity in each state.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising:

maintaining a cleanup timer for each of PATH state and RESV state each of which will expire after not being refreshed for predetermined periods of time; and

managing MAC state transitions on the basis of the expiry of the cleanup timers.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the RSVP QoS is specified in terms of a reserved bandwidth R and a slack term S, the method further comprising:

while in the Active state and if a timeout has occurred, determining from the slack term if there is sufficient slack to compensate for a delay which would occur in transiting from Control Hold to Active MAC states, and if not, not timing out from the Active state until the cleanup timer for the path or reservation state expires.

18. A method according to claim 15 further comprising:

maintaining respective timers for each of the MAC states of Active, Control Hold, and Suspended which control the MAC state transitions.

19. A method of extending a wire line QoS signaling schema featuring QoS messages to a wireless network comprising:

intercepting all QoS messages addressed to or received from a mobile terminal served by the wireless network, at least one of the QoS messages specifying a wire line QoS in accordance with the wire line QoS signaling schema;

modifying contents of the QoS messages to reflect constraints of the wireless network;

forwarding the QoS messages thus modified subject to the constraint that any message confirming the establishment of a connection between the mobile terminal and the wireless network is not forwarded until after;

performing a QoS mapping from a wire line QoS specified in the messages to wireless network parameters;

checking if an existing wireless traffic channel satisfies the wireless network parameters and if not coordinating the establishment of a wireless traffic channel which satisfies the wireless network parameters.

20. A base station comprising:

an RSVP daemon for intercepting RSVP messages;

a QoS signaling adaptation module adapted to;

map RSVP QoS to wireless parameters;

modify RSVP messages to reflect wireless constraints;

release RSVP messages to be forwarded after they have been modified subject to the constraint that any message confirming a connection to a mobile terminal having a particular RSVP QoS is not sent until a wireless connection having wireless parameters sufficient to at least meet the RSVP QoS has been established or verified to exist; and

a QoS signaling adaptation control module for requesting a wireless connection based on the wireless parameters.

21. A network functional element for extending RSVP QoS signaling comprising:

an RSVP QoS signaling adaptation functional element adapted to intercept RSVP messages and modify their contents to reflect the presence of the wireless network before forwarding them on; and

an RSVP QoS signaling control functional element adapted to coordinate the establishment of a traffic channel to a mobile terminal as a function of a MAC state of the mobile terminal.

22. A network functional element according to claim 21 further comprising a cleanup timer for each of PATH state and RESV state each of which will expire after not being refreshed for predetermined periods of time;

after the expiry of either of the cleanup timers performing a state transition.

23. A network functional element according to claim 21 further comprising a respective timer for each of the MAC states of Active, Control Hold, and Suspended which control the MAC state transitions.

24. A network functional element according to claim 21 wherein said RSVP messages comprise PATH and RESV messages.

25. A network finctional element according to claim 24 further comprising a resource control entity which establishes and maintains traffic channels to mobile terminals, wherein said RSVP QoS signaling control fimctional element interacts with the resource control entity to determine if resources are available to satisfy the wireless network parameters, and proceeds with setting up the wireless channel if resources are available, and if not sending a RESVerr message to whatever entity previously forwarded a RESV message of the RESV messages.

26. A network functional element according to claim 24 wherein the QoS parameters comprise a slack term S and a bandwidth reservation R in the RESV messages.