Memory full pipeline

• US 8,078,148 B1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Maurice, Robbie
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/361,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 370/230, 370/232, 370/234, 370/235, 370/253
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9073 Early interruption upon arrival of a fraction of a packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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

A method of accommodating legacy devices in which application memory is not able to operate fast enough to reliably receive data from a relay or other external device is disclosed. An application queue memory space is provided, either as a separate memory chip or as an area created and maintained by program code, to act as an intermediary between the slower application memory and the external device. This application queue memory space is preferably a transport stack.

Claims

1. A method for accommodating an application memory having a data transfer rate capability lower than desired to accommodate data received by a handheld communication device from an external device, the method comprising:

creating an application queue memory space whose size is determined by at least one of a number of messages and an average message size;

receiving data for the application memory;

storing the data in the application queue memory space;

transferring the data from the application queue memory space to the application memory at a rate determined at least in part by the transfer rate capabilities of the application memory, and,

responsive to an overflow of the application queue memory space, causing the external device to consider the handheld communications device to be out of coverage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing as the application queue memory space a transport stack.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pinging the handheld wireless communications device by the external device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising marking the handheld wireless communications device as out of coverage responsive to an expiration of a ping timer on the external device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising employing as the external device a relay.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising employing as the external device a server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising discarding stale data from the application queue memory space.

8. A system for accommodating on a handheld wireless communications device an application memory having a data transfer rate capability lower than the rate of data received by the handheld wireless communications device, the system comprising:

a handheld wireless communications device comprising a receiver, a processor, an application queue memory space, and an application memory;

the receiver being structured to receive wireless data signals;

the processor being structured to process and control data transfer to the handheld wireless communications device at a data rate substantially corresponding with the data rate of a received wireless data signal;

the application memory having a data transfer rate than is slower than the data rate of the received wireless data signal;

the application queue memory space being structured to store received data before it is stored in the application memory; and

,

an external device that is structured to send the wireless data signal to the handheld wireless communications device,

the system being structured such that an overflow of the application queue memory causes the external device to consider the handheld wireless communications device to be out of range.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the application queue memory space is a transport stack.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the application queue memory space is a library.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the external device is a relay.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the external device is a server.