Apparatus, and associated method, for asynchronously pre-reserving channel to effectuate an interactive packet communication service in a radio communication system

• US 7,522,519 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tabikh, Sami A., Messenger, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chou; Albert T
• Application Number:
  US10/930,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431, 370/229, 370/328, 370/235, 370/473, 455/466, 455/509, 455/450, 710/100
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, is provided to facilitate communications pursuant to an interactive packet radio communication service, such as an interactive gaming service. When data is to be communicated by a gaming device, or other mobile node, request for channel allocation is made. And, packet data generated at the gaming device is buffered at a buffer and selectably manipulated when buffered thereat pending grant of a channel allocation. Because the data is permitted to be manipulated pending grant of the channel allocation, data packets that become obsolete during the pendency are overwritten, or otherwise caused not to be sent, thereby more efficiently utilizing the channel allocation allocated to effectuate the communication service.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a channel request message generator embodied at an application layer of a communication station, said channel request message generator configured to generate a channel request message to request allocation of a channel defined upon a radio air interface for the communication station to communicate packet-formatted data from the communication station to a remote station; and

a data buffer and manipulator configured to buffer the packet-formatted data at the communication station pending allocation of the channel responsive to the channel request message, further configured to selectably manipulate the packet-formatted data buffered at the communication station pending the allocation of the channel by modifying the buffered packet-formatted data, and further configured to provide the modified packet-formatted data to the radio air interface responsive to the channel being assigned.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication station comprises an operating system and wherein the channel request message comprises an operating system defined message.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the operating system comprises an open source operating system that defines input-output control commands, and wherein the channel request message comprises a first defined input-output control command.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the open source operating system comprises Symbian operating system that defines a socket class and wherein the first defined input-output control command comprises a socket class command.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the channel request message generator is further configured to communicate the channel request message to the radio layer of the communication station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication station is configured to form part of a radio communication system, wherein delivery of the channel request message precipitates generation of a radio-layer request for communication upon the radio air interface and of a response thereto, said apparatus further comprising a request-response detection generator embodied at the radio layer, said request-response detection generator configured to generate a request-response detection message responsive to delivery to the radio layer of a response to the radio-layer request.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the communication station comprises an open source operating system that defines input-output control commands, and wherein said request-response detection message comprises a second defined input-output control command.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the request-response detection generator is further configured to deliver the request-response detection message to the application layer of the communication station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the data buffer and manipulator is further configured to selectably provide the packet-formatted data to the radio layer in response to delivery of the request-response detection message to the application layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the response to the radio-layer request comprises channel grant indicia, and wherein the request-response detection message generated by said request response detection generator includes indications of the channel grant indicia.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein modifying the buffered packet-formatted data comprises overwriting selected data packets of the packet formatted data.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein modifying the buffered packet-formatted data comprises manipulation of header information of the packet formatted data.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein modifying the buffer packet-formatted data comprises deletion of selected parts of the packet formatted data.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the packet communication service comprises an interactive gaming service and wherein the packet formatted data buffered and manipulated by said data buffer and manipulator comprises data generated at the communication station pursuant to performance of the interactive gaming service.

12. The apparatus of claim I wherein modifying the buffered packet-formatted data comprises manipulation of transmission unit size of the packet formatted data.

16. A method comprising:

generating, at an application layer of a communication station, a channel request message to request allocation of a channel defined upon a radio air interface of the communication station to communicate packet-formatted data from the communication station to a remote station;

buffering the packet formatted data pending allocation of the channel responsive to the channel request message;

selectably manipulating the packet formatted data pending allocation of the channel by modifying the buffered packet-formatted data; and

providing the modified packet-formatted data to the radio air interface responsive to the channel being assigned.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein modifying the buffered packet-formatted data comprises selectably overwriting selected parts of the packet formatted data buffered during said operation of buffering.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the communication station comprises an open source operating system that defines input-output control commands and wherein the channel request message comprises a first defined input-output control command.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the operation of detecting a response to the channel request message.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the operation of selectably providing the packet formatted data to the radio layer of the communication station responsive to detection of the response to the channel request message.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to request allocation of a channel defined upon a radio air interface for a radio layer of a communication station to communicate packet-formatted data, further configured to buffer the packet-formatted data pending allocation of the channel responsive to the channel request message, further configured to selectably manipulate the buffered packet-formatted data by modifying the buffered packet-formatted data pending the allocation of the channel, and further configured to provide the modified packet-formatted data to the radio air interface responsive to the channel being assigned.

22. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing executable program instructions programmed to execute on the processor to cause the processor to at least request allocation of a channel defined upon a radio air interface for a radio layer of a communication station to communicate packet-formatted data, to buffer the packet-formatted data pending allocation of the channel responsive to the channel request message, to selectably manipulate the buffered packet-formatted data by modifying the buffered packet-formatted data pending the allocation of the channel by discarding obsolete data, and to provide the modified packet-formatted data to the radio air interface responsive to the channel being defined and allocated for the radio layer of the communication station.