Wireless datagram transaction protocol system

• US 7,746,787 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coffman, Stephen Blaine
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills; Donald L
• Application Number:
  US11/218,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/231, 370/235, 370/236.2, 370/277, 370/282
• US Class Current: 370/236.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1832 Details of sliding window management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/187 Details of sliding window management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0222 in packet switched networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems are provided for sequencing, delivery acknowledgement, and throttling of data packets over a network layer, such as UDP and SMS. To support devices with limited battery resources, the invention incorporates asymmetric retry logic and/or acknowledgements with overlapping ranges, to minimize the transmissions required for the device. The sender of a data-bearing frame does not need to wait for a frame to be acknowledged before sending the next, such that many frames can be “in flight” at once.

Claims

1. A process established between at least two devices, wherein each of the devices comprise a corresponding inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames, the process comprising the steps of:

communicating a value associated with each of the devices between the devices, the values comprising any of available stored energy for each of the devices, available operating time for each of the devices, and a priority value for each of the devices;

comparing the communicated values; and

providing asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames to reduce transmissions from a chosen device of the devices, wherein the RETRY frames communicate a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue of a corresponding device, wherein the chosen device is determined to have any of less available stored energy than the other device, less available operating time than the other device, or a higher priority value than the other device;

wherein the chosen device only sends a RETRY frame to the other device when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the other device to the chosen device; and

wherein the other device sends a RETRY frame to the chosen device upon any of

when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the chosen device to the other device, or

when the other device times out waiting for a DATA frame from the chosen device.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein each RETRY frame sent from the chosen device to the other device comprises information regarding a plurality of DATA frames within the sequence of DATA frames, wherein the information comprises an identification of DATA frames within the sequence that need to be resent from the other device to the chosen device, and an identification of DATA frames within the sequence that have been received at the chosen device from the other device.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices is a wireless device.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices comprises any of a portable computer, a portable phone, a personal digital assistant, and an electronic game device.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the devices communicate over any of a TDMA wireless packet network and a CDMA wireless packet network.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices is any of a server and a wired device.

7. A process implemented between a first device and a second device, wherein the first device and the second device each comprise a corresponding inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames, and wherein the second device is a wireless device having a limited power resource, the process comprising the steps of:

sending a sequence of DATA frames either from the first device to the second device, or from the second device to the first device; and

sending RETRY frames either from the second device to the first device, or from the first device to the second device,

wherein the RETRY frames communicate a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue of the corresponding device;

wherein the second device only sends a RETRY frame to the first device when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the first device; and

wherein the first device sends a RETRY frame to the second device upon any of

when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the second device to the first device, or

when the first device times out waiting for a DATA frame from the second device.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein any of the first device and the second device comprises any of a portable computer, a portable phone, a personal digital assistant, and an electronic game device.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein the first device is a wireless device.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the limited power resource comprises a battery.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the battery comprises any of a rechargeable battery and a replaceable battery.

12. The process of claim 7, wherein the second device is any of a server and a wired computer.

13. The process of claim 7, wherein the first device and the second device communicate over any of a TDMA wireless packet network and a CDMA wireless packet network.

14. A process implemented between two wireless devices comprising energy storage, wherein the two wireless devices each comprise an associated inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames, the process comprising the steps of:

communicating a value associated with each of the wireless devices between the two wireless devices, the values comprising any of available stored energy for each of the wireless devices, available operating time for each of the wireless devices, and a priority value for each of the wireless devices;

comparing the communicated values; and

providing asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames to reduce transmissions from a chosen wireless device of the two wireless devices, wherein the RETRY frames communicate a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue of the associated device, wherein the chosen wireless device is determined to have any of less available stored energy than the other wireless device, less available operating time than the other wireless device, or a higher priority value than the other wireless device;

wherein the chosen device only sends a RETRY frame to the other device when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the other device; and

wherein the other device sends a RETRY frame to the chosen device upon any of

when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the chosen device, or

when the other device times out waiting for a DATA frame from the chosen device.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the energy storage for any of the wireless devices comprises any of a rechargeable battery and a replaceable battery.

16. The process of claim 14, wherein

the asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames proceeds if the chosen wireless device is not currently powered by an alternate energy source.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein the alternate energy source comprises a wired connection to an external energy source.

18. The process of claim 14, wherein at least one of the wireless devices further comprises an alternate energy source, and wherein the chosen wireless device is chosen as one of the wireless devices that is not currently powered by the alternate energy source.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein the alternate energy source comprises a wired connection to an external energy source.

20. The process of claim 14, wherein any of the wireless devices comprise any of a portable computer, a portable phone, a personal digital assistant, and an electronic game device.

21. The process of claim 14, wherein any of the wireless devices communicate over any of a TDMA wireless packet network and a CDMA wireless packet network.

22. The process of claim 14, wherein any of the wireless devices is any of a server and a wired device.

23. A wireless device, comprising:

an inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames;

a transmitter for sending an outgoing wireless signal from the wireless device toward a second device, the second device comprising an associated inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames;

a receiver for receiving an incoming wireless signal;

at storage device for storing energy;

a processor for

comparing a value associated with each of the wireless device and the second device, wherein the values comprise any of available stored energy for each of the devices, available operating time for each of the devices, and a priority value for each of the devices; and

providing asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames to reduce transmissions from a chosen device of any of the wireless device and the second device, wherein the RETRY frames communicate a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue of a corresponding device, wherein the chosen device is determined to have any of less available stored energy than the other device, less available operating time than the other device, or a higher priority value than the other device;

wherein the chosen device only sends a RETRY frame to the other device when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the other device to the chosen device; and

wherein the other device sends a RETRY frame to the chosen device upon any of

when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the chosen device to the other device, or

when the other device times out waiting for a DATA frame from the chosen device.

24. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the second device is a wireless device.

25. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein any of the wireless device and the second device comprises any of a portable computer, a portable phone, a personal digital assistant, and an electronic game device.

26. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames reduces expenditure of stored energy for the chosen device.

27. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the wireless device and the second device communicate over any of a TDMA wireless packet network and a CDMA wireless packet network.

28. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein

the asymmetrical transmission of RETRY frames proceeds if the chosen device is not currently powered by an alternate energy source.

29. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the alternate energy source comprises a wired connection to an external energy source.

30. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein at least one of the devices further comprises an alternate energy source, and wherein the chosen device is chosen as one of the devices that is not currently powered by the alternate energy source.

31. The wireless device of claim 30, wherein the alternate energy source comprises a wired connection to an external energy source.

32. The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the second device is any of a server and a wired device.

33. A process implemented between a first device and a second device, wherein the first device and the second device each comprise a corresponding inbound queue for storing a sequence of DATA frames, and wherein the second device is a wireless device having a limited power resource, the process comprising the steps of:

sending a sequence of DATA frames either from the first device to the second device, or from the second device to the first device;

sending a RETRY frame from the second device to the first device only when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the first device, wherein the RETRY frame that is sent from the second device to the first device communicates a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue corresponding to the second device; and

sending a RETRY frame from the first device to the second device upon any of

when a request for a RETRY frame is sent from the second device to the first device, or

when the first device times out waiting for a DATA frame from the second device,

wherein the RETRY frame that is sent from the first device to the second device communicates a state of at least a portion of the inbound queue corresponding to the first device.