Internet-augmented radio port controller unit (RPCU) of personal acces communications systems (PACS)

• US 6,847,633 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryu, Bo, Zhang, Yongguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Toan D.
• Application Number:
  US09/258,435
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.21, 370/395.52, 370/46, 370/401, 370/467
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• 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 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/166 IP fragmentation; TCP segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure communicating information, particularly information transferred to and from an Internet host. The apparatus comprises a radio port control unit, comprising a router, and a stub. The router is communicatively coupled to transmit and receive messages with an Internet host and communicatively coupled to a packet forwarding module to accept SU-sourced messages and to provide SU-addressed messages to the packet forwarding module in a first data transfer protocol. The stub is coupled between the router and the packet forwarding module to translate messages from the first data transfer protocol to a second data transfer protocol and to translate messages from the second data transfer protocol to the first data transfer protocol. The method comprises the steps of receiving a data packet having a data payload, determining if the data payload is a loss-sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message, configuring the data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is required if the day payload is a loss-sensitive message and configuring the data packet to indicate that the acknowledgement message is not required if the data payload is a delay sensitive message, and transmitting the data packet.

Claims

1. A communication system for wireless transmission and reception of data between a subscriber unit (SU) and an Internet host:

a plurality of radio ports, each radio port configured to transmit an SU-addressed data packet to the subscribe unit in data segments and to receive a SU-sourced data packet from the subscriber unit in data segments;

a radio port controller unit, having;

a router including a router port, the router configured to transmit and receive messages with an Internet host and to communicate the transmitted and received messages via the router port;

a packet data control unit configured to encapsulate and frame the SU-addressed data packet into data segments for transmission to the subscriber unit and to assemble data segments received from the subscriber unit into the SU-sourced data packet; and

a packet forwarding module communicatively coupled to the packet data control unit and the router, the packet forwarding module configured to forward the SU-sourced data packet from the packet data control unit to the router and to forward the SU-addressed data packet from the router to the packet data control unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the router communicates the transmitted and received messages via the router port according to a first data transfer protocol, and the packet forwarding module forwards the SU-sourced data packet from the packet data control unit to the router and forwards the SU-addressed data packet from the router to the packer data control unit according to a second data transfer protocol; and

the system further comprises a stub device, coupled between the packet forwarding module and the router, configured to translate messages from the first data transfer protocol to the second data transfer protocol and to translate messages from the second data transfer protocol to the first data transfer protocol.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first data protocol is an Ethernet protocol.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the router is communicatively coupled to the packet forwarding module via a local area network (LAN).

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the router is physically distinct from the packet data control unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the SU-addressed data is an Internet protocol datagram.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the SU-addressed data packet comprises an SU-addressed data payload, and the packet forwarding module further comprises:

a data payload analysis module, configured to determine if the SU-addressed data payload is a loss-sensitive message or delay-sensitive message; and

a packet data control unit interface module, configured to command the packet data control unit to configure the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet to indicate that an acknowledgement message is required when the SU-addressed data payload is a loss-sensitive message and to indicate that an acknowledge message is not required when the SU-addressed data payload is a delay-sensitive message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data payload module identifies the SU-addressed data payload as a loss-sensitive message if the data payload conforms to a transfer control protocol (TCP) and identifies the SU-addressed data payload as a delay-sensitive message if the data payload conforms to a user datagram protocol (UDP).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the SU-addressed data packet comprises a packet header, and the data payload analysis module examines the packet header to determine whether the data payload conforms to the transfer control protocol or the user datagram protocol.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet comprises a data link packet header; and

the packet data control unit interface module sets an acknowledge bit in the data link packet header to indicate whether an acknowledge message is required from the subscriber unit.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the SU-sourced data packet comprises an SU-sourced data payload, and wherein:

the data payload analysis module is further configured to determine if the SU-sourced data payload is a loss-sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message;

the packet data control unit interface module is further configured to command the packet data control unit to broadcast a transmission status of the SU-sourced data packet to the subscriber unit only when the SU-sourced data payload is a loss sensitive message.

12. A method of communicating information from an Internet host to a subscriber unit (SU) served by at least one of a plurality of radio ports, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an SU-addressed data packet having an IP address associated with the subscriber unit in a router;

identifying the subscriber unit and the radio port serving the SU from a mapping between the IP address of the SU-addressed data packet, a dynamically allocated radio port unique subscriber unit identifier, and the radio port serving the subscriber unit;

encapsulating and framing the SU-addressed data packet to produce data segments; and

forwarding the data segments to the radio port serving the subscriber unit;

transmitting the data segments from the radio port to the subscriber unit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the IP router provides the SU-addressed data packet in a first data transfer protocol, and the method further comprises the step of translating the SU-addressed data packet from the first data transfer protocol to a second data transfer protocol.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data transfer protocol is an Ethernet protocol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the SU-addressed data packet comprises a SU-addressed data payload and the method further comprises the steps of:

determining if the SU-addressed data payload is a loss-sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message;

configuring the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is required if the SU-addressed data payload is a loss-sensitive message and configuring the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is not required if the SU-addressed data payload is a delay-sensitive message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining if the SU addressed data payload is a loss-sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message comprises the step of determining if the SU-addressed data payload conforms to a transfer control protocol (TCP) or a user datagram protocol (UDP).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the SU-addressed data packet comprises a packet header, and step of determining if the SU-addressed data payload conforms to the transfer control protocol or the user datagram protocol comprises the step of examining the packet header.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet comprises a data link packet header, and the step of configuring the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is required when the SU-addressed data payload conforms to the transfer control protocol and configuring the encapsulated and framed SU-addressed data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is not required when the data payload conforms to the user datagram protocol comprises the step of setting an acknowledge bit in the data link packet header.

19. A method of communicating SU-sourced data from a subscriber unit (SU) served by at least one of a plurality of radio ports, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving data segments from the subscriber unit in a radio port;

assembling the data segments to produce a message comprising the SU-sourced data in a radio port controller unit having a router; and

communicating the message from the router to an Internet host, wherein the SU-sourced data comprises an SU-sourced data payload and the method further comprises the steps of;

determining if the SU-sourced data payload conforms to a transfer control protocol (TCP) or a user data gram protocol (UDP); and

returning the transmission status of the SU-sourced data packet to the subscriber unit only when the SU-sourced data payload conforms to the transfer control protocol.

20. The method of claim 19 above, wherein the router comprises an router port compliant with a second data transfer protocol, and the method further comprises the step of translating the message from a first data transfer protocol to the second data transfer protocol.

21. A radio port control unit, comprising:

a router, communicatively coupled to transmit and receive messages with an Internet host and communicatively coupled to a packet forwarding module to accept SU-sourced messages and to provide SU-addressed messages to a packet forwarding module in a first data transfer protocol; and

a stub, coupled between the router and the packet forwarding module to translate messages from the first data transfer protocol to a second data transfer protocol and to translate messages from the second data transfer protocol to the first data transfer protocol.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first data transfer protocol is an Ethernet protocol.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the router is communicatively coupled to the packet forwarding module via a local area network.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the router is physically distinct from the packet forwarding module.

25. A method of communicating information, comprising the steps of:

receiving a data packet having a data payload;

determining if the data payload is a loss sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message;

configuring the data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is required if the data payload is a loss-sensitive message and configuring the data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is not required if the data payload is a delay sensitive message; and

transmitting the data packet.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the data packet is transmitted from a subscriber unit.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the data packet is transmitted to the subscriber unit.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for determining if the data payload is a loss sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message comprises means for determining if the data payload conforms to a transfer protocol or a user datagram protocol.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of determining if the data payload is a loss sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message comprises the steps of determining if the data payload conforms to a transfer control protocol or a user datagram protocol.

30. An apparatus for communicating information, comprising:

means for receiving a data packet having a data payload;

means for determining if the data payload is a loss sensitive message or a delay-sensitive message;

means for configuring the data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is required if the data payload is a loss-sensitive message and configuring the data packet to indicate that an acknowledge message is not required if the data payload is a delay sensitive message; and

means for transmitting the data packet.