Managing packet transmissions between a device in a limited connectivity network and a device residing outside the limited connectivity network

• US 7,088,687 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Timothy M., Ayyagari, Arun, AbiEzzi, Salim S., Zintel, William Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US10/977,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/313, 370/349, 370/506, 370/228, 370/330, 370/389, 370/278, 370/282, 370/338, 714/748, 714/749, 714/18, 714/751, 714/750, 709/230, 709/250, 455/466
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

The invention makes possible remote control of devices in a piconet by remote users communicating over the Internet and the like by providing a proxy-bridge device. The proxy-bridge device is a bridge for sending packets to and from between an external device and a device in the piconet. Moreover, the proxy-bridge device also serves as a proxy for the external device to devices in the piconet and as a proxy for devices in the piconet accessing an external device. The proxy-bridge wireless device'"'"'s protocol stack allows communications with the piconet devices within the piconet. In addition, the protocol stack allows an application to communicate with a remote device e.g., via the Internet Protocol. Thus, the proxy-bridge device, using two protocols, enables remote users discover the presence of a service offered by a device in a piconet as a logical embedded device within the proxy-bridge device and vice-versa.

Claims

1. A packet structure employed by a wireless protocol stack to send and receive data and control information while ensuring that the receipt of the packet is acknowledged with reduced bandwidth requirements, the packet comprising:

a request number field containing a current request number that is incremented upon sending the packet, the current request number implicitly acknowledging proper receipt of additional packets having request number fields with request numbers lower than the current request number; and

an indicator field specifying whether the packet is an information packet or a control packet.

2. The packet structure of claim 1 further having a payload field.

3. The packet structure of claim 2 wherein the payload field is eight bits for said control packet.

4. The packet structure of claim 1 wherein the wireless protocol stack conforms to the BLUETOOTH protocol, the wireless protocol stack having a connection management layer and a L2CAP layer.

5. A method for managing packet transmission, the method comprising the steps of:

implicitly acknowledging receipt of packets with request numbers lower than a current request number by placing the current request number in a request number field;

indicating whether a packet is a control packet or an information packet; and

maintaining a window size to limit the number of outstanding packets in a piconet.

6. The method of claim 5 further having the step of limiting the window size for control packets to one packet.

7. One or more computer-readable media including executable instructions that, when executed, implement a method for managing packet transmissions, the method comprising the steps of:

implicitly acknowledging receipt of packets having request numbers that are less than a current request number by placing the current request number in a request number field;

indicating whether a packet is a control packet or an information packet; and

maintaining a window size to limit the number of outstanding packets in a piconet.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7 having computer executable instructions for carrying out the step of limiting the window size for control packets to one packet.