Initiation of network treatment for data packet associated with real-time application different from network treatment applicable to data packet non-associated with the real-time application

• US 8,036,122 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Welch, David Arthur, Walsh, Patrick Jay, Stamatopoulos, Jerry, Laha, Subhasis
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US10/406,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,113 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/235, 370/236, 370/913, 370/330, 370/329, 370/349, 370/352, 370/392, 705/26, 455/414, 455/445, 455/426, 455/452, 455/509
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A packet control component of an apparatus in one example monitors a data stream that comprises a plurality of data packets. The plurality of data packets comprise one or more first data packets associated with a real-time application and one or more second data packets non-associated with the real-time application. Upon a detection in the data stream of a data packet of the one or more first data packets, the packet control component initiates a network treatment for the data packet that is different from one or more network treatments applicable to the one or more second data packets.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing transfer of data packets between mobile stations and a packet data network (PDN) using radio link protocol (RLP) retransmission, comprising:

a packet control component operable to be connected between a radio network controller (RNC) and the packet data network for controlling the transfer of the data packets between one or more of the mobile stations, coupled to the RNC, and the packet data network, said packet control component comprising;

a connection management component for controlling the transfer of the data packets and for causing a mode-indicating signal to be sent to the RNC;

a bearer traffic component for receiving the data packets from the RNC and the PDN and extracting an information payload from the data packets; and

a flow analysis component receiving the information payload from the bearer traffic component, for decompressing and analyzing the information payload, for classifying the data packets as being a first data packets associated with a real-time application or a second data packets associated with a non-real-time application and sending the result to the connection management component for use in generating the mode-indicating signal;

wherein said mode-indicating signal causes the RNC to suspend the RLP retransmission, prevent transfer of the second data packets and allocate a transmission channel to the first data packets that has a higher capacity than a channel used for the RLP retransmission.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow analysis component is operable to determine that the data packet is associated with the real-time application by detection of a real-time service option indicator of the data packet;

and

wherein a presence of the real-time service option indicator within the data packet indicates to the connection management component to generate the mode-indicating signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the real-time service option indicator of the first data packet comprises a first service option indicator;

and

wherein the flow analysis component is operable to classify subsequent data packet as it one of the first data packets, and wherein the subsequent data packet comprises the real-time service option indicator, and wherein the packet control component is operable to determine that the subsequent data packet is associated with the real-time application by detection of the real-time service option indicator; and

wherein the flow analysis component is operable to classify a data packet as a one of the second data packets, and wherein the one of the second data packets comprises a service option indicator different from the real-time service option indicator, and wherein the flow analysis component is operable to determine that the one of the second data packets is non-associated with the real-time application by detection of the second service option indicator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information payload comprises a real-time protocol (RTP) message or a session initiation protocol message, and wherein the presence of the session initiation protocol message indicates to the flow analysis component that the data packet is associated with the real-time application;

and

wherein the flow analysis component is operable to initiate a configuration of the radio network that carries the data packet for the real-time application based on the occurrence of the session initiation protocol message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when one of the RLP retransmission is suspended, if the data packet fails to reach a termination point, then the data packet is not resent to the termination point.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein upon a detection of a completion of the real-time application, the connection management component is operable to change the mode indicating signal to restart the RLP retransmission, allow the transfer of the second data packets and allocate a transmission channel to the second data packets that has a lower capacity than that used by the first data packets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the real-time application comprises one or more of a voice over internet protocol communication, a push-to-talk communication, and the video teleconference between the radio network and the mobile station;

and

wherein the connection management component is operable to initiate the mode-indicating signal for the first data packets to promote an increase in a quality of service for the one or more of the voice over Internet protocol communication, the push-to-talk communication, and the video teleconference.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet control component is operable to collect one or more packet portions from the data stream to generate the data packet;

and

wherein the packet control component is operable to analyze a content portion of the data packet to determine whether the data packet is associated with the real-time application.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet control component is operable to look within a user datagram protocol header of an internet protocol datagram to determine whether the plurality of data packets comprise the one or more first data packets associated with the real-time application or the one or more second data packets non associated with the real-time application.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet control component is operable to compare a timeout value with an amount of time elapsed since receipt of the data packet associated with the real-time application to determine if the real-time application is complete.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one real-time application is a push-to-talk communication between the radio network and the mobile station.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a biological data storage medium.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises an atomic data storage medium.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first data packets employ a first service option indicator as a signal of association with the real-time application, and wherein the one or more second data packets employ one or more second service option indicators as a signal of non-association with the real-time application, and wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of:

determining that the data packet employs the first service option indicator; and

determining based on the presence of the first service option indicator that the data packet is associated with the real-time application.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of suspending the RLP retransmission further comprises:

if the data packet fails to reach a termination point, then the data packet is not resent to the termination point.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the mode-indicating signal further comprises the step of:

initiating an increase in a quality of service for the one or more of the voice over internet protocol communication, the push-to-talk communication, and the video teleconference.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps, comprising:

monitoring a data stream that comprises a plurality of data packets, wherein the plurality of data packets comprise one or more first data packets that comprise an association with a real-time application and one or more second data packets non associated with the real-time application, and wherein the real-time application comprises one or more services and at least one of the services is a video teleconference between a radio network and a mobile station;

extracting an information payload from a data packet of the plurality of data packets;

decompressing and analyzing the information payload as a point-to-point protocol frame;

determining from the analysis whether the point-to-point protocol frame is a real-time protocol (RTP) signaling protocol message indicating that the data packet is associated with the real-time application; and

generating a mode-indicating signal when the RTP signaling protocol message is detected such that, if the mode-indicating signal is detected, RLP retransmission is suspended, transfer of the second data packets is prevented and a transmission channel is allocated to the first data packets that has a higher capacity than a channel used for the RLP retransmission.

15. A method for managing transfer of data packets between mobile stations and a packet data network (PDN) using radio link protocol (RLP) retransmission, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a data stream that comprises a plurality of the data packets, wherein the plurality of the data packets comprise one or more first data packets associated with a real-time application and one or more second data packets non associated with the real-time application, and wherein the real-time application comprises one or more services and at least one of the services is a video teleconference between a radio network and one of the mobile stations;

extracting an information payload from a data packet of the plurality of the data packets;

decompressing and analyzing the information payload as a point-to-point protocol frame;

determining from the analysis whether the point-to-point protocol frame is associated with the real-time application or non associated with the real-time application based on the presence of a real-time protocol (RTP) signaling protocol message that is associated with the data packet;

generating a mode-indicating signal when the RTP signaling protocol message is detected; and

if the mode-indicating signal is detected, suspending the RLP retransmission, preventing transfer of the second data packets and allocating a transmission channel to the first data packets that has a higher capacity than a channel used for the RLP retransmission.