Apparatus to speculatively identify packets for transmission and method therefor

• US 7,385,926 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kitchin, Ducan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung; Min
• Application Number:
  US10/304,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/236, 370/328, 370/338, 370/395.4
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

Methods and Apparatus including a packet selector are disclosed herein. The packet selector is configured to select and provide to a transmitter two or more packets, wherein at the time the two or more packets are provided to the transmitter, at least one of the provided packets is not definitely to be transmitted by the transmitter. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more storage structures to store a plurality of packets; and

a packet selector coupled to the one or more storage structures to provide to a transmitter a first packet from the one or more storage structures to be transmitted by the transmitter, and to preemptively provide to the transmitter a second packet from the one or more storage structures prior to receiving an indication of a success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, the second packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based at least in part upon the success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, said preemptively providing the second packet to the transmitter includes speculating as to possible outcomes of the transmission of the first packet by the transmitter, and based on the speculating to select the second packet from the one or more storage structures to preemptively provide the second packet to the transmitter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet selector is adapted to preemptively provide to the transmitter a third packet from the one or more storage structures prior to receiving the indication of success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, the third packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based at least in part upon the success or failure of the transmission of first packet.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the packet selector is adapted to provide to the transmitter conditional information to be used by the transmitter to select the second or third packet for transmission if the first packet is successfully transmitted.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is adapted to determine whether the first packet or the second packet is to be transmitted based on a determination that the first packet was successfully or unsuccessfully transmitted, respectively, and to transmit the first or the second packet accordingly.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is adapted to provide to the packet selector information associated with prior transmission of a packet or packets preceding the transmission of the first packet, the provided information to be used by the packet selector, at least in part, to select the second packet from the plurality of packets of the one or more storage structures.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet selector is adapted to speculate based, at least in part, on a channel characteristic or historical success rates of packets previously transmitted by the transmitter that preceded the transmission of the first packet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet selector is adapted to select the second packet from the plurality of packets of the one or more storage structures based on a quality indicator of a channel of previous transmission of one or more other packets preceding the transmission of the first packet.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet selector is adapted to select the second packet from the plurality of packets of the one or more storage structures based on a signal to noise ratio of a channel of previous transmission of one or more other packets preceding the transmission of the first packet.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is adapted to receive from the packet selector a third packet from the one or more storage structures prior to determining the success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, the third packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based upon the success or failure of the transmission of first packet.

10. A method comprising:

providing by a packet selector to a transmitter a first packet to be transmitted by the transmitter; and

preemptively providing by the packet selector to the transmitter a second packet prior to the packet selector receiving an indication of a success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, the second packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based at least in part upon the success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, said preemptively providing the second packet to the transmitter includes speculating by the packet selector as to possible outcomes of the transmission of the first packet by the transmitter, and based on the speculating the packet selector to select the second packet from a plurality of packets to preemptively provide the second packet to the transmitter.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the transmitter providing to the packet selector information associated with prior transmission of a packet or packets preceding the transmission of the first packet, the provided information to be used by the packet selector, at least in part, to select the second packet from the plurality of packets.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said speculating by the packet selector comprises speculating as to the possible outcomes of the transmission of the first packet by the transmitter based, at least in part, on a channel characteristic or historical success rates of other packets previously transmitted by the transmitter that preceded the transmission of the first packet.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting by the packet selector the second packet from the plurality of packets based at least on a quality indicator of a channel of previous transmission of one or more packets preceding the transmission of the first packet or on a signal to noise ratio of a channel of previous transmission of one or more other packets preceding the transmission of the first packet.

14. A wireless network comprising:

at least two nodes adapted to wirelessly transmit and receive packets, wherein at least one of the nodes includes one or more storage structures to store a plurality of packets, a transmitter, and a packet selector coupled to the one or more storage structures and the transmitter to provide to the transmitter a first packet from the one or more storage structures to be transmitted by the transmitter, and to preemptively provide to the transmitter a second packet from the one or more storage structures prior to receiving an indication of a success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, the second packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based upon the success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, said preemptively providing the second packet to the transmitter includes speculating as to possible outcomes of the transmission of the first packet by the transmitter, and based on the speculating to select the second packet from the one or more storage structures to preemptively provide the second packet to the transmitter.

15. The wireless network of claim 14;

further comprising at least one base station to communication with the at least two nodes, wherein the at least two nodes comprise a cellular transceiver.

16. The wireless network of claim 14, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless local area network.

17. The wireless network of claim 16, further comprising a server adapted to communicate with the at least two nodes.

18. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the at least two nodes are adapted to transmit packets to each other.

19. An article of manufacture comprising

a storage medium;

and

a plurality of instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by an apparatus, results in;

the apparatus providing a transmitter coupled with the apparatus a first packet to be transmitted by the transmitter, and to preemptively provide to the transmitter at least a second packet prior to receiving an indication of a success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, at least the second packet to be or not to be subsequently transmitted by the transmitter based upon the success or failure of the transmission of the first packet, said apparatus to preemptively provide the second packet to the transmitter by speculating as to possible outcomes of the transmission of the first packet by the transmitter, and based on the speculating to select the second packet from a plurality of packets to preemptively provide the second packet to the transmitter.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, further result in the apparatus to speculate based, at least in part, on a channel characteristic or historical success rates of other packets previously transmitted preceding the transmission of the first packet.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, further result in the apparatus to select based at least on a quality indicator of a channel of previous transmission of one or more packets preceding the transmission of the first packet or on a signal to noise ratio of a channel previous transmission of one or more other packets preceding the transmission of the first packet.