Method and apparatus of precedence identification for real time services

• US 8,050,259 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Samuel, Louis, Bosch, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US11/474,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20070297401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 370/471, 709/238, 709/240, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/389
• 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: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/3065 for real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/286 Time to live
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/35 by embedding flow control information in regular packets, e.g. piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for transmitting a data packet from a source to a destination via a network path having a number of hops. The sum of a playback delay associated with the data packet and the number of hops are stored in a header of the data packet. The data packet is transmitted from the source to the destination via the network path.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a data packet from a source to a destination via a network path including a number of hops, the method comprising:

storing, in a header of said data packet, a sum of a number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops; and

transmitting said data packet from said source to said destination via said network path.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating said sum at least one of said source and said destination.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing said data packet before said sum of said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops expires.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining said number of hops.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining priority of said data packet from said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing further comprises storing said sum in at least one of a Time-to-Live (TTL) field and a hop count field of said header of said data packet.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising using said sum to determine an order of scheduling.

9. A system for transmitting a data packet from a source to a destination via a network path including a number of hops, the system comprising:

a source configured to store, in a header of said data packet, a sum of a number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops and configured to transmit said data packet to said destination via said network path.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a processor configured to determine said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said destination processes said data packet before said sum of said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops expires.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said destination determines priority of said data packet from said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops.

13. A system for transmitting a data packet from a source to a destination via a network path including a number of hops, the system comprising:

means for storing, in a header of said data packet, a sum of a number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops; and

means for transmitting said data packet from said source to said destination via said network path.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for calculating said sum.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for determining said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for processing said data packet before said sum of said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops expires.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for determining said number of hops.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for determining priority of said data packet from said number of packets in a playout buffer in the destination and said number of hops.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein said means for storing further comprises means for storing said sum in a Time-to-Live (TTL) field of said header of said data packet.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for using said sum to determine an order of scheduling.