Communications multiplexing with packet-communication networks

• US 8,199,761 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Barraclough, Keith, Irvine, David, Philander, Rodrigo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US11/407,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-235, 370/395.2, 370/395.3, 709226-229, 709/237
• US Class Current: 370/395.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A communication link is established with a packet-communications device. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a network connection is established between the packet-communications and a server to pass data such as requests and responses, as well as files, media, streaming and other data. The network connection is a tunneled connection, facilitating the communication of data using a particular protocol that may be different from or otherwise incompatible with the data being communicated. The tunnel is divided into two or more logical communications channels, facilitating the multiplexing of data (e.g., request/response pairs) onto a single physical network connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a first one of two packet-communicating devices, initiating a communications link over a packet-based network with a second one of the packet-communicating devices using a packet-based communications protocol and therein establishing a control communications channel with a control channel identifier;

establishing a data communications channel in the communications link by

at one of the first and second packet-communicating devices, sending a first communication over the communications link, the first communication being embedded in the packet-based communications protocol and indicating that a channel is to be established,

receiving the first communication at the other of the first and second packet-communicating devices, and

specifying a unique channel identifier for the indicated channel to be established;

using the established data communications channel to pass data by embedding the data, together with information identifying the specified unique channel identifier, within the packet-based communications protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link;

terminating the established data communications channel by passing a channel termination command embedded with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the specified channel identifier; and

using the control communications channel to pass control commands between the at least one of the first and second packet-communicating devices by embedding the control commands with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the control channel identifier therein, wherein the control commands comprise a pause command to pause messages being sent via the established communications channel, a resume command to resume messages being sent after the pause command, and a shutdown command to shut-down a single transport control protocol connection including the control communications channel and the established data communications channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet-based communications protocol comprises a single transport control protocol connection including the control communications channel with the control identifier and the established communications channel with the unique channel identifier, and wherein initiating a communications link includes forwarding a local connection at the first packet-communicating device to the second packet-communicating device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a data communications channel includes establishing two of said data communications channels.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein establishing two of said data communications channels includes establishing two data communications channels that coexist.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein establishing two of said data communications channels includes establishing a second data communications channel after a first data communications channel has been terminated.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising using the two data communications channels to pass separate data streams.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the communications link has been established:

sending an acknowledgement request from one of the packet-communicating devices to the other one of the packet-communicating devices;

maintaining the communications link in response to receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request from the other one of the packet-communicating devices; and

terminating the communications link in response to not receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request from the other one of the packet-communicating devices within a selected amount of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first packet-communicating device is not publicly addressable via the packet-based network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a communications link at a first one of the packet-communicating devices includes programming the first packet-communicating device to automatically initiate the communications link upon a condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein programming the first packet-communicating device includes programming the first packet communicating device to automatically initiate the communications link in response to at least one of a power-up condition and a packet-based network connectivity condition of the packet-communicating device.

11. The method of claim 1, further including pausing the passing of data over a particular channel in response to a pause command received via the control communications channel, and resuming the passing of data over the particular channel in response to a resume command received via the control communications channel.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively pausing and resuming the communication of data over a communications channel in response to a condition of communications congestion on the communications link.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively pausing and resuming the communication of data over a communications channel in response to a priority associated with a particular data transfer channel to facilitate the priority transfer of data over a higher priority channel, relative to the transfer of data over a lower priority channel.

14. A system comprising:

at least two packet-communicating devices that communicate over a packet-based network;

a communication link engine at each packet-communicating device, the communication line engines adapted to facilitate communications by

at a first one of the packet-communicating devices, initiating a communications link with a second one of the packet-communicating devices using a packet-based communications protocol and therein establishing a control communications channel with a control channel identifier, and

establishing a data communications channel in the communications link by

at one of the first and second packet-communicating devices, sending a first communication over the communications link, the first communication being embedded in the packet-based communications protocol and indicating that a channel is to be established,

receiving the first communication at the other of the first and second packet-communicating devices, and

specifying a unique channel identifier for the indicated channel to be established;

wherein the first and second packet-communicating devices use the established data communications channel to pass data by embedding the data, together with information identifying the specified unique channel identifier, within the packet-based communications protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link and the first and second packet-communicating devices use the control communications channel to pass control commands between the first and second packet-communicating devices by embedding the control commands with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the control channel identifier therein, wherein the control commands comprise a pause command to pause messages being sent via the established communications channel, a resume command to resume messages being sent after the pause command, and a shutdown command to shut-down a single transport control protocol connection including the control communications channel and the established data communications channel; and

wherein the communications link engines are adapted to terminate the established data communications channel by passing a channel termination command embedded with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the specified channel identifier.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communications link engines are adapted to establish two of said data communications channels and wherein the first and second packet-communicating devices concurrently pass data over the two data communications channels.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the communications link engines in the first and second packet-communicating devices is adapted to

send an acknowledgement request to the communications link engine at the other one of the packet-communicating devices;

maintain the communications link in response to receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request; and

terminate the communications link in response to not receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement within a selected amount of time.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first packet-communicating device is programmed to automatically initiate the communications link upon a condition.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first packet-communicating device is programmed to automatically initiate the communications link in response to at least one of a power-up condition and a packet-based network connectivity condition of the packet-communicating device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication link engines are adapted to pause the passing of data over a particular channel in response to a pause command received via the control communications channel, and to resume the passing of data over the particular channel in response to a resume command received via the control communications channel.