Conduit-sharing apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 8,625,563 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Fleming, Kristoffer D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US13/686,607
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370312-314, 370328-339
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to share an energy conduit, such as an antenna, between first data communicated according to a first formatting mechanism and second data communicated according to a second formatting mechanism according to a first priority assigned to the first data and a second priority assigned to the second data. The first formatting mechanism may be different from the second formatting mechanism.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data packets, the method comprising:

formatting a first data ticket by a first formatting mechanism in accordance with a first communication protocol;

assigning a first priority to the first data packet formatted;

formatting a second data packet by a second formatting mechanism in accordance with a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol;

assigning a second priority to the second data packet formatted;

attaching a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet, the priority tag including at least data priority level and management priority level that are shared and compared between the first formatting mechanism and the second formatting mechanism;

determining one of the first priority and the second priority as having a higher priority than the other; and

transmitting by a transmitter one of the first data packet and the second data packet having the higher priority over a single energy conduit prior to transmitting the other of the first data packet and the second data packet over the single energy conduit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning the first priority to the first data packet and assigning the second priority to the second data packet comprises attaching a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the attaching the priority tag comprises attaching the priority tag including an IEEE 802.1Q priority tag.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the first data packet in accordance with the first communication protocol that is an IEEE 802.11 protocol; and

formatting the second data packet in accordance with the second communication protocol that is a Bluetooth protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting over the single energy conduit comprises transmitting over the single energy conduit that is an antenna, an infrared transmitter, a photo emitter, or a charge coupled device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal;

activating an arbitration mechanism to select one of the first data packet and the second data packet when the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal; and

transmitting the selected one over the single energy conduit.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a first formatting mechanism configured to format a first data packet in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a second formatting mechanism configured to format a second data packet in accordance with a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol;

an assignment module configured to assign a first priority to the first data packet formatted, assign a second priority to the second data packet formatted, and attach a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet, the priority tag including at least data priority level and management priority level that are shared and compared between the first formatting mechanism and the second formatting mechanism;

a determination module configured to determine one of the first priority and the second priority as having a higher priority than the other; and

a transmitter configured to transmit one of the first data packet and the second data packet having the higher priority over a single energy conduit prior to transmitting the other of the first data packet and the second data packet over the single energy conduit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol is an IEEE 802.11 protocol and the second communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a steering mechanism configured to steer the first data packet or the second data packet to the single energy conduit for transmission.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the steering mechanism comprises a switch.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the single energy conduit is an antenna, an infrared transmitter, a photo emitter, or a charge coupled device.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a television, a cellular phone, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a workstation, a radio, a video player, or a vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the determination module is further configured to determine that the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal and activate an arbitration mechanism to select one of the first data packet and the second data packet when the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal, and the transmitter is further configured to transmit the selected one over the single energy conduit.

14. A computer program, tangibly stored on a computer readable non-transitory medium, the computer program being executable by a processor and comprising instructions for:

formatting a first data packet by a first formatting mechanism in accordance with a first communication protocol;

assigning a first priority to the first data packet formatted;

formatting a second data packet by a second formatting mechanism in accordance with a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol;

assigning a second priority to the second data packet formatted;

attaching a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet, the priority tag including at least data priority level and management priority level that are shared and compared between the first formatting mechanism and the second formatting mechanism; and

determining one of the first priority and the second priority as having a higher priority than the other, and transmitting one of the first data packet and the second data packet having the higher priority over a single energy conduit prior to transmitting the other of the first data packet and the second data packet over the single energy conduit.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the instructions for assigning the first priority to the first data packet and the instructions for assigning the second priority to the second data packet comprise instructions for attaching a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the priority tag comprises an IEEE 802.1Q priority tag.

17. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the first communication protocol is an IEEE 802.11 protocol and the second communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

18. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the single energy conduit is an antenna, an infrared transmitter, a photo emitter, or a charge coupled device.

19. The computer program of claim 14, further comprises instructions for:

determining that the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal;

activating an arbitration mechanism to select one of the first data packet and the second data packet when the first priority and the second priority are substantially equal; and

transmitting the selected one over the single energy conduit.