Communication method and system

• US 6,765,889 B1
• Filed: 07/13/1998
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ludwig, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abelson, Ron
• Application Number:
  US09/114,281
• Time in Patent Office: 2,199 Days
• Field of Search: 370/450, 370/447, 370/448, 370/445, 370/459, 370/461, 370/462, 370/331-333, 370/428, 370/216, 370/231, 370/394, 370/235, 370/236, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/237, 370/252, 370/465, 370/469, 455/436-444
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• 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 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

Communication method and system for transmitting data partitioned into a plurality of data packets between at least two communication units (CU1, CU2, CU4) using a communication network (N). During temporary interruptions of transmission of data packets via the communication network some of the transmitted data packets are lost. The invention allows to avoid the loss of data packets due to temporary interruptions of the communication network by determining at the sending data processing device, based on information received from the communication network, which data packets are lost or will be lost during transmission due to a temporary interruption of the communication network. The method can be used for data transmission via mobile communication networks and an “Internet”. To allow a retrieval of lost data packets, data packets scheduled for transmission can be temporarily stored in a temporary storage devices. Transmission of packets, retransmission and other services needed for data communication can be performed by an appropriately modified TCP/IP protocol set.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a plurality of data packets between at least two communication units via a communication network, the method including the steps of:

a) scheduling said data packets into a sequence for transmission at a first communication unit of the at least two communication units, formed by a first data processing device and first transmission control means,

b) sending said data packets to a second communication unit of the at least two communication units, via the communication network formed by a second processing device and a second transmission control means, wherein the at least two communication units use an amended standard protocol set for the transmission of data, causing a temporary storing of data packets or a temporary interruption of the transmission of data packets, while a compatibility to the standard protocol set is maintained;

c) determining, at the first communication unit, which of said data packets will be lost during transmission due to future temporary interruption of the communication network based on information received from the communication network by which a time period of said temporary interruption is determined, and

d) transmitting said data packets at a later time after the temporary interruption.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein data packets scheduled for transmission are temporarily stored in a first temporary storage device.

3. The Communication method according to claim 1, wherein the communication network includes a mobile communication network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the mobile communication network is a GSM network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein data packets transmitted from the first communication unit were previously received from a third data processing device, or data packets received at the second communication unit are transmitted to the third data processing device, wherein the transmission of data packets involves an Internet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the TCP/IP protocol suite is used for the transmission of data by the at least two communication units (CU1, CU2, CU4) and a third data processing device, for the transmission of data by the communications units and the third data processing device (C3).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein data packets are temporarily stored for a period of less than 3000 ms.

8. A method for transmitting a plurality of data packets between at least two communication units via a communication network (N), the method including the steps of:

a) scheduling said data packets into a sequence for transmission at a first communication unit of the at least two communication units, formed by a first data processing device and a first transmission control means,

b) sending said data packets to a second communication unit of the at least two communication units, formed by a second data processing device and a second transmission control means, via the communication network,

c) determining, at the first communication unit, which data packets will be lost during transmission due to a temporary interruption of the communication network, based on information received from the communication network, including

d) generating an interrupt message at a network node indicating a time period during which the communication link via the communication network is temporarily interrupted,

receiving said interrupt message at the first communication unit;

processing the interrupt message to determine data packets, which were transmitted or will be transmitted during said time period, wherein if the interrupt message is received at the first communication unit before the beginning of the time period of temporary interruption indicated in the interrupt message the transmission of the sequence of data packets is interrupted for said time period and continued after the end of said time period, and

d) transmitting said data packets associated with said time period at a time after the time period indicated in the interrupt message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein data packets scheduled for transmission are temporarily stored in a first temporary storage device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interrupt message includes a time stamp, execution time offset and an execution delay parameter.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein in case the interrupt message is received at the first communication unit within the time period of temporary interruption of the communication network, indicated in the interrupt message, the transmission of data packets is interrupted for the remainder of said time period and, after said time period ended, data packets which were sent during said time period are retransmitted and the transmission of the sequence of data packets is continued.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the communication network includes a mobile communication network.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the interrupt message is generated at a mobile station or a network node of the mobile communications network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the mobile communication network is a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the interrupt message is sent at the same time as a handover command used in GSM systems for indicating that a handover procedure of a communication link has to take place.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein data packets transmitted from the first communication unit were previously received from a third data processing device, or data packets received at the second communication unit are transmitted to the third data processing device, wherein the transmission of data packets involves an Internet.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein a TCP/IP protocol suite is used for the transmission of data by the communication units and the data processing device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the communication units use an amended standard protocol set for the transmission of data, causing a temporary storing of data packets or a temporary interruption of the transmission of data packets, while a compatibility to the standard protocol set is maintained.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein data packets are temporarily stored for a period of less than 3000 ms.

20. A communication system, comprising:

a first communication unit, formed a first by data processing device and first transmission control means,

a second communication unit, formed by a second data processing device (C2 or C4 or C1) and second transmission control means,

a communication network (N) for transmitting data partitioned into a plurality of data packets from said first communication unit to said second communication unit,

interrupt message means for generating an interrupt message indicating a time period during which a transmission via the mobile communication network will be temporarily interrupted due to a handover procedure, and

wherein said first transmission control means are arranged to determine data packets which will be lost during transmission, based on information received from the communication network, and transmits said data packets determined to be lost to the second communication unit at a later point in time.

21. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit comprises first temporary storage means for temporarily storing said plurality of data packets.

22. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the communication network is a mobile communication network.

23. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the mobile communication network is a GSM network.

24. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit or the second communication unit is connected between the communication network and an Internet for transmitting data packets to a third data processing device and receiving data packets from the third data processing device respectively.

25. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the interrupt message means is a mobile station or a network node of the mobile communication network.

26. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein said first transmission control means are arranged to determine data packets which were lost during transmission, by ascertaining the beginning and ending of a period of time of said interruption.