Transferring multiple data units over a wireless communication link

• US 7,376,435 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: McGowan, Steven B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/113,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20030186715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509, 455/517, 455/452, 455/41, 455/456, 455/450, 455/403, 455/404.1, 455/522, 455/557, 455/423, 455/502, 455/524, 455/452.2, 455/515, 455/67.13, 455/69, 370/428, 370/348, 370/503, 370/466, 370/473, 370/465, 709227-228, 709/203, 709/200, 709/223, 709/310
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/74 Backing up
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/709 Backup
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A wireless communication system may include a first transceiver that may concurrently keep at least two data units, such as payloads of data pending for transfer to a second transceiver (e.g., a targeted wireless communication device) over a communication link (e.g., a short-range radio link) on a communication channel. To wirelessly communicate with one or more networked wireless communication devices or systems, in one embodiment, the first transceiver is located in a device that may use a local link control and adaptation protocol capable of non-blocking data transfer operations. In one embodiment, pending multiple, data units are buffered to participate in a data streaming session. The transfer of the data units may be monitored to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session. When the protocol learns that during the data streaming session a problem occurred with a data unit that was pending, the problem may be reported via an event instead of waiting for feedback to arrive from the targeted wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first and second data unit of a data streaming session to be transferred;

transferring a first data unit as a non-blocking transfer;

determining if an error occurred in said transmission of said first data unit;

transferring the second data unit as a blocking transfer if an error occurred in transferring the first data unit; and

wherein in a blocking transfer a data unit is not transferred until an acknowledgment of a receipt of a previously streamed data unit is received and in a non-blocking transfer a data unit is transferred without waiting for an acknowledgment of receipt of a previously streamed data unit.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

buffering said second data unit at a source transceiver that initiates the transfer of said first and second data units to a destination transceiver.

3. The method of claim 2, including:

providing a non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during the data streaming session; and

monitoring the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein providing an indication includes providing an event including at least one of a first or a second indication for the transmission of the first data unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the event, performing at least one of sending said second data unit based on the first indication and undertaking a recovery based on the second indication.

6. The method of claim 3, including providing a data write in the data transfer operation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing said data write including, placing one or more payloads of data in a buffer based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein placing said one or more payloads of data in said buffer including posting each of said one or more payloads of data as one or more packets of data for transmission over said communication channel.

9. The method of claim 8, including:

using a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep said one or more payloads of data pending concurrently; and

using said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.

10. The method of claim 3, including providing a data read in the data transfer operation.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver including a device to determine whether a problem has occurred with a non-blocking transmission of at least a first data unit during a data streaming session to a receiving unit and, if a problem is detected, to transmit a second data unit using a blocking transmission, wherein a blocking transmission requires an acknowledgement before transmission and a non-blocking transmission does not require acknowledgement.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said apparatus to transmit the first data unit without waiting for the transmission of the first data unit to complete at the receiving device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, including an interface to enable a non-blocking data transfer of said first data unit, to provide the non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during a data streaming session and to monitor the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said interface including a non-blocking data transfer logic to:

determine whether a problem occurred with the transmission of at least one of said first and second data units during the data streaming session; and

if a problem occurs, report the problem instead of waiting until the end of the data streaming session by providing an event including at least one of a first or a second indication for the transmission of the first data unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said non-blocking data transfer logic to, in response to the event, perform at least one of sending said second data unit based on the first indication and undertaking a recovery based on the second indication.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said interface to:

use a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep one or more payloads of data concurrently pending in said buffer;

provide a data write operation to place said one or more payloads of data in said buffer based on the non-blocking data transfer logic;

post said one or more payloads of data as one or more data packets for transmission over said communication channel; and

use said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device and at least one slave wireless communication device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said interface to provide a data read operation based on the non-blocking data transfer logic.

18. A wireless communication system comprising:

an interface including a buffer to keep a first and second data units pending for transmission;

a wireless interface; and

a transceiver, operably connectable to said wireless interface, said transceiver to transfer said first data unit by a non-blocking transmission during a data streaming session and, if a problem occurs, to transmit said second data unit using a blocking transmission, wherein a blocking transmission requires an acknowledgement before transmission and a non-blocking transmission does not require an acknowledgement.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said interface to enable said first processor-based device to place said first data unit on a communication channel based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said non-blocking data transfer protocol to provide at least one of data write and data read operations over a radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.

21. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a source transceiver to:

determine whether a problem occurred with a non-blocking transmission of at least one of a first and second data units during a data streaming session; and

if a problem occurred, transmit said second data unit using a blocking transmission.

22. The medium of claim 21 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to:

buffer said second data unit at said source transceiver; and

send said second data unit without waiting for transmission of the first data unit to complete at said target transceiver if no problem occurs during a previous data unit transmission.

23. The medium of claim 21 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to:

provide a non-blocking transfer of said first data unit during the data streaming session; and

monitor the non-blocking transfer to determine whether or not a data transfer operation was successful during the data streaming session.

24. The medium of claim 21 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to, in response to an event associated with transmission of said first data unit, send said second data unit based on the event and undertake a recovery based on said event.

25. The medium of claim 24 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to provide a data write in the data transfer operation.

26. The medium of claim 25 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to provide said data write including, placing one or more payloads of data in a buffer based on a non-blocking data transfer protocol.

27. The medium of claim 26 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to place said one or more payloads of data in said buffer including, posting each of said one or more payloads of data as one or more packets of data for transmission over said communication channel.

28. The medium of claim 27 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to:

use a local link control and adaptation protocol to keep said one or more payloads of data pending concurrently; and

use said communication link to enable a short-range radio link on a microwave carrier frequency capable of a transmission range about ten meters with a transmit power of about one miliwatt between at least one master wireless communication device to at least one slave wireless communication device.

29. The medium of claim 24 storing instructions that, if executed, enable the source transceiver to provide a data read in the data transfer operation.