Method and device for facilitating efficient data transfer via a wireless communication network

• US 6,885,643 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2BCom LLC (Markman Advisors LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ami, Junko, Teramoto, Keiichi, Fujimoto, Kensaku, Takabatake, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert C
• Application Number:
  US09/671,012
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-253, 370/338, 370/469, 370231-236, 370/463, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40097 Interconnection with other networks LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; single bridge functionality H04L12/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A wireless network system capable of controlling highly efficient transfer of AV data by an upper application, using information indicating a wireless link condition that varies dynamically is disclosed. In this wireless network system, a wireless terminal and a wire gateway apparatus each store collected wireless link condition information in a descriptor. An upper application on the wireless terminal reads the descriptor at said terminal device and obtains wireless LAN link condition information. The wireless gateway apparatus makes notification to a wireless terminal of a VTR, for example, that actually exists in a 1394 terminal as if it existed as a sub-unit in the local terminal device. The wireless terminal accesses the collected wireless link condition information and selects a AV/C command to be sent to the VTR sub-unit of the wireless gateway apparatus. The wireless terminal transfers the play command for playback to the wireless gateway apparatus. The wireless gateway apparatus transfers the play command to a VTR sub-unit within a terminal on the wired network. In accordance with this action, the VTR sub-unit within the terminal on the wired network starts transfer of AV data.

Claims

1. A terminal device for control of data between communicating entities on a network via a wireless link, comprising:

an interface section for performing sending and receiving of packets with a remote communicating entity;

a link setting section for setting a link for control and for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

a wireless link information acquisition section for acquiring wireless link information indicating the condition of a wireless link between said terminal device the remote communicating entity in the network at the time of setting the link, and for updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link by the current dynamically acquired wireless link information, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

a wireless link information storage section for storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the remote communicating entity; and

an application section for, based on the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section, determining whether or not data can be transferred and, if data transfer is possible, changing a transmission rate for transfer of data with the remote communicating entity, in accordance with the wireless link information.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section includes wireless link information with regard to said terminal device and wireless link information with regard to the remote communicating entity.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the wireless link information acquisition section includes:

a remote wireless link information requesting section for requesting notification of wireless link information with regard to the remote communicating entity that the remote communicating entity has, at the time of startup by the application section; and

a remote wireless link information receiving section for receiving wireless link information of the remote communication entity, notification of which is made from the remote communication entity.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless link information updating section for changing wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section to a format interpretable by the application section and for passing the wireless link information to the application section.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless link information storage section stores wireless link information as information related to a constituent element of said terminal device.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein

a SubUnit defined in the AV/C Protocol, upper layer protocol of the IEEE 1394, is used as the constituent element.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless link monitoring section for monitoring the condition of a wireless link in the network, for outputting wireless link information acquired by the monitoring to the wireless link information acquisition section.

8. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a local wireless link information sending section for sending wireless link information of said terminal device to the remote communicating entity, in response to a request from the remote communicating entity.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface section for, based on wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section, providing to a user a list of data candidates for transfer, and waiting for input from the user of data selected from the list.

10. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless link information includes at least one of a packet discard rate, a usable bandwidth, a number of usable channels, a usable transfer rate, or observable information on which these are based.

11. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer parameter is at least one of an AV/C command or content data to be transferred.

12. A terminal device for transfer of data between communicating entities over a network via a wireless link, comprising:

an interface section for performing sending and receiving of packets with a remote communicating entity, and

a link setting section for setting a link for control and for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

a wireless link information acquisition section for acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between a local terminal device and the remote communicating entity in the network at the time of setting the link, and for updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link by the current dynamically acquired wireless link information, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

a wireless link information storage section for storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the remote communicating entity; and

a local terminal wireless link information notification section for receiving from the remote entity a request for local wireless link information of the local terminal and for sending the local wireless link information to the remote communicating entity.

13. A gateway device for controlling transfer of data between a first terminal device on a wired network and a second terminal device on a wireless network, the gateway device comprising:

a first interface section for sending and receiving packets via the wireless network,

a second interface section for sending and receiving packets via the wired network,

a first link setting section for setting a link for control and for data transfer with the second terminal device;

a second link setting section for setting a link with the first terminal device;

a wireless link information acquisition section for acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between the gateway device and the second terminal device on the wireless network at the time of setting the link, and for updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link by the current dynamically acquired wireless link information, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

a wireless link information storage section for storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the first and second terminal devices; and

a network connection processor for, based on the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section, performing receiving or sending of data between the first terminal device and the second terminal device via the first interface section and the second interface section.

14. The gateway device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a local terminal wireless link information sending section for, in response to a request from the first terminal device on the wired network or from the second terminal device on the wireless network, for sending local wireless link information to the first terminal device or the second terminal device, respectively.

15. The gateway device according to claim 13, wherein the wireless link information acquisition section includes:

a remote link information requesting section for requesting notification of the remote link information of the second terminal device to the first terminal device on the wired network; and

a remote link information receiving section for receiving remote link information, notification of which is made by the first terminal device.

16. A method for controlling transfer of data via a wireless link with a remote communicating entity over a network, comprising:

setting a link for control with the remote communicating entity;

acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between a local terminal device and the remote communicating entity at the time of setting the link, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

setting a link for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

updating wireless link information acquired at the time of setting of the link with current dynamically acquired wireless link information acquired after the setting of the link for data transfer;

storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the remote communicating entity;

determining whether or not transfer of data is possible, based on the updated wireless link information; and

changing a transmission rate for transfer of data with the remote communicating entity, in accordance with wireless link information in the case in which data transfer is possible, and performing receiving or sending of content data with the remote communicating entity, using the changed transmission rate.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the wireless link information includes wireless link information with regard to the local terminal device and information with regard the remote communicating entity.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the wireless link information updating includes:

requesting notification of the remote wireless link information of the remote communicating entity at the time of the startup of an application; and

receiving wireless link information of the remote communicating entity, notification of which is made by the remote communicating entity.

19. A method for transfer of content data via a wireless link with a remote communicating party on a network, comprising:

setting a link for control with the remote communicating entity;

acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between a local terminal device and the remote communicating entity on the network at the time of setting the link, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

setting a link for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting of the link with current dynamically acquired wireless link information acquired after the setting of the link;

storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the remote communicating entity; and

receiving a notification request sent from the remote communicating entity for the local wireless link information of the local terminal device, and sending to the remote communicating entity wireless link information of the local terminal device in response to the request.

20. A method for transfer of content data between a first terminal device on a wired network and a second terminal device on a wireless network, this method comprising:

setting a link for control with the second terminal device;

acquiring, at the time of setting of the link, wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device on the wireless network, the wireless link information including at least transmittable bandwidth information;

setting a link for data transfer with the second terminal device;

updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link with current dynamically acquired wireless link information acquired after the setting of the link;

setting a link with the first terminal device;

storing the acquired or updated wireless link information as Descriptor information referable by the first and second terminal devices; and

performing receiving or sending of data between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, based on the wireless link information.

21. A terminal device for control of data between communicating entities on a network via a wireless link, comprising:

an interface section for performing sending and receiving of packets with a remote communicating entity;

a link setting section for setting a link for control and for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

a wireless link information acquisition section for acquiring wireless link information indicating the condition of a wireless link between said terminal device and the remote communicating entity in the network at the time of setting the link, and for updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link by the current dynamically acquired wireless link information;

a wireless link information storage section for storing the acquired or updated wireless link information; and

an application section for, based on the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section, determining whether or not data can be transferred and, if data transfer is possible, optimizing a transfer parameter for transfer of data with the remote communicating entity, in accordance with the wireless link information, this transfer parameter being used to receive data from or send data to the remote communicating entity, via the interface section, wherein

the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section includes wireless link information with regard to the terminal device and wireless link information with regard to the remote communicating entity, and

the wireless link information acquisition section includes;

a remote wireless link information requesting section for requesting notification of wireless link information with regard to the remote communicating entity that the remote communicating entity has, at the time of startup of the application; and

a remote wireless link information receiving section for receiving wireless link information of the remote communicating entity, notification of which is made from the remote communicating entity.

22. A gateway device for controlling transfer of data between a first terminal device on a wired network and a second terminal device on a wireless network, the gateway device comprising:

a first interface section for sending and receiving packets via the wireless network,

a second interface section for sending and receiving packets via the wired network,

a first link setting section for setting a link for control and for data transfer with the second terminal device;

a second link setting section for setting a link with the first terminal device;

a wireless link information acquisition section for acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between the gateway device and the second terminal device on the wireless network at the time of setting the link, and for updating the wireless link information acquired at the time of setting the link by the current dynamically acquired wireless link information;

a wireless link information storage section for storing the acquired or updated wireless link information; and

a network connection processor for, based on the wireless link information stored in the wireless link information storage section, performing receiving or sending of data between the first terminal device and the second terminal device via the first interface section and the second interface section, wherein

the wireless link information acquisition section includes;

a remote link information requesting section for requesting notification of the remote link information of the second terminal device to the first terminal device on the wired network; and

a remote link information receiving section for receiving remote link information, notification of which is made by the first terminal device.

23. A method for controlling transfer of data via a wireless link with a remote communicating entity over a network, comprising:

setting a link for control with the remote communicating entity;

acquiring wireless link information indicating a condition of a wireless link between a local terminal device and the remote communicating entity at the time of setting the link;

setting a link for data transfer with the remote communicating entity;

updating wireless link information acquired at the time of setting of the link with current dynamically acquired wireless link information acquired after the setting of the link for data transfer;

determining whether or not transfer of data is possible, based on the updated wireless link information; and

optimizing a parameter for transfer of data with the remote communicating entity, in accordance with wireless link information in the case in which data transfer is possible, and performing receiving or sending of content data with the remote communicating entity, using the optimized parameter for transfer, wherein

the wireless link information includes wireless link information with regard to the local terminal device and information with regard to the remote communicating entity, and the wireless link information updating includes;

requesting notification of the remote wireless link information of the remote communicating entity at the time of the startup of an application; and

receiving wireless link information of the remote communicating entity, notification of which is made by the remote communicating entity.