Minimization and optimization of overall data transfer connect time between handheld wireless communicating devices and remote machines

• US 6,859,462 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Orative Corp. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Poor, Graham V., Mahoney, Margaret Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US09/635,912
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/428, 370/328, 370/338, 370/252, 709200-224, 714746-750
• US Class Current: 370/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1806 Go-back-N protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

A sender platform and a receiver platform, at least one of which is a handheld wireless communicating device, communicate digital data packets that are grouped into sequentially transmitted transactions. The data packets include not only the information to be communicated but also tokens. Each transaction is encoded with Begin and End tokens such that the Receiver can detect when the transmission of a transaction has been successfully completed. If communication is undesirably interrupted during transmission, the sender and receiver reconnect and resume the transfer at the point at which the last transaction failed to completely transfer. Any transaction that the receiver did not receive completely is rolled back.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information from a handheld wireless sender to a remote receiver, comprising:

entering said information into a change record in said sender;

detecting in said sender an indication of a wireless connection between said sender and said receiver;

grouping into packets said information in said change record;

grouping said packets in said sender into semantically unitary transactions having begin and end tokens delimiting each transaction;

constructing an actual transfer script in said sender having at least one transaction and having begin and end tokens delimiting said actual transfer script;

constructing a skeletal transfer script mirroring said actual transfer script but not having said packets, said skeletal transfer script having begin and end tokens delimiting said skeletal transfer script;

wirelessly beginning transmitting said skeletal transfer script from said sender to said receiver;

in response to receipt in said sender of an acknowledgement of receipt of said skeletal transfer script by said receiver, wirelessly beginning transmitting said actual transfer script from said sender to said receiver;

in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of a transaction of said actual transfer script from said receiver, continuing transmitting said actual transfer script from said sender to said receiver by beginning transmitting a next transaction in said actual transfer script; and

following detection of an indication of a renewed wireless connection between said sender and said receiver, rolling back or re-transmitting a transaction in its entirety from said sender to said receiver if an acknowledgement of receipt of said transaction is not received by said sender within a predetermined time interval after transmitting an end token indicating an end of said transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of a packet of a transaction from said receiver, continuing transmitting a transaction from said sender to said receiver by beginning transmitting a next packet in said transaction; and

following detection of an indication of a renewed wireless connection between said sender and said receiver, said sender re-transmits a packet in its entirety if said sender does not receive an acknowledgement of receipt of said packet within a predetermined time interval after transmitting an end token indicating an end of said packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of said actual transfer script from said receiver, said sender deletes said transactions from said actual transfer script and said change record.

4. A method for receiving information in a handheld wireless receiver device from a transmitter device, comprising:

detecting an indication of a wireless connection between said sender and said receiver;

wirelessly receiving a skeletal transfer script having begin and end tokens delimiting each transaction of an actual transfer script having at least one transaction;

wirelessly transmitting to said sender an acknowledgement of receipt of said skeletal transfer script;

wirelessly receiving said actual transfer script, said actual transfer script having begin and end tokens delimiting each transaction in said actual transfer script;

building a transfer record having indications of receipt of each data packet of a transaction having at least one data packet and indications of receipt of each begin token and end token;

in response to receipt of an end token following a received data packet, committing said received data packet to a local memory area;

in response to receipt of a token indicating an end of an actual transfer script, comparing said transfer record to said skeletal transfer script; and

wirelessly transmitting a token indicating receipt of said actual transfer script if said transfer record matches said skeletal transfer script.

5. A system for transmitting information in a handheld wireless sender device to a receiver device, comprising:

a change record controller having means for defining a change record memory area in which said information is storable prior to transmission from said sender device;

a data transfer controller grouping said information in said change record memory area into packets, grouping said packets into semantically unitary transactions having begin and end tokens indicating a beginning and end of a transaction, constructing an actual transfer script having at least one transaction and having begin and end tokens indicating a beginning and end of said actual transfer script;

a skeletal transfer script controller wirelessly transmitting a skeletal transfer script mirroring said actual transfer script but not having said packets, said skeletal transfer script having begin and end tokens indicating a beginning and end of said skeletal transfer script; and

an actual transfer script controller wirelessly beginning transmitting said actual transfer script in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of said skeletal transfer script from said receiver, said actual transfer script controller continuing transmitting said actual transfer script by beginning transmitting a next transaction in said actual transfer script in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of a transaction of said actual transfer script from said receiver, said actual transfer script controller rolling back or re-transmitting a transaction in its entirety following detection of an indication of a renewed wireless connection between said sender and said receiver if an acknowledgement of receipt of said transaction is not received within a predetermined time interval after transmitting an end token indicating an end of said transaction.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of a packet of a transaction from said receiver, said actual transfer script controller continues transmitting a transaction by beginning transmitting a next packet in said transaction; and

following detection of an indication of a renewed wireless connection between said sender and said receiver, said actual transfer script controller re-transmits a packet in its entirety if said sender does not receive an acknowledgement of receipt of said packet within a predetermined time interval after transmitting an end token indicating an end of said packet.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein, in response to receipt of an acknowledgement of receipt of said actual transfer script from said receiver, said actual transfer script controller deletes said transactions from said actual transfer script and said change record.