Multiradio-database systems and methods

• US 8,638,810 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Krishnaswamy, Dilip
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US12/109,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 370/449, 370/328, 370/465
• US Class Current: 370/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• 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

In various embodiments, communication apparatuses and methods for providing robust communications are disclosed. For example, an exemplary apparatus for use in a communication system employing a plurality of different communication channels may include a first database of channel performance information embedded on a machine-readable and writable medium, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by a Media Access Controller (MAC), input circuitry configured to receive information from a plurality of MACs monitoring their respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel, and output circuitry configured to provide the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first database of channel performance information embedded on a machine-readable and writable medium, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by one or more Media Access Controllers (MACs);

input circuitry configured to receive information from the one or more MACs monitoring respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel;

output circuitry configured to provide the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers; and

a security device that protects the first database from access by at least one unauthorized applications-level executable program,

wherein the input circuitry and the output circuitry are configured to exchange information between a MAC level and an applications level without requiring a use of intermediate level devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each record includes at least a first field containing at least one of the following for a particular communications channel:

a communications channel identifier, an available data bandwidth, an error rate, an availability indicator, an average back-off time, a latency indicator, an indicator of a number of retransmissions, and a channel protocol indicator.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the security device includes a trusted list of applications-level executable programs authorized to access the first database.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the security device includes at least one on a trusted list of applications-level executable programs authorized to access the first database and a set of trusted keys for enabling applications-level executable programs to access the first database.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the security device includes an intermediate access software agent.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of the trusted list and the set of trusted keys are established during a re-boot operation of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein data in the first database is protected from write access by applications-level executable programs.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least a first record of the first database is protected from write access by the one or more MACs that are not used to derive channel performance information associated with the first record.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein all records of the first database are protected from write access by the one or more MACs that are not used to derive related channel performance information.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the security device is configured to pass information to at least one applications-level executable program to indicate that a particular record in the first database has been updated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first database uses a data path between a first integrated circuit and a second integrated circuit, the data path comprising a single data line.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the single data line is configured to pass a serial data stream.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each record of the first database further includes a second field containing at least one of the following for a particular communications channel:

an available data bandwidth, a channel error rate, an availability indicator, an average backoff time, a latency indicator, an indicator of a number of retransmissions, a channel signal strength, and a channel protocol indicator.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each record of the first database further includes a second field containing an available data bandwidth, a third field containing a channel error rate, a fourth field containing an availability indicator, a fifth field containing an average back-off time, a sixth field containing a latency indicator, a seventh field containing an indicator of a number of retransmissions, an eighth field containing a channel signal strength, and a ninth field containing a channel protocol indicator.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first database of channel performance information comprises a memory that is dynamically allocated.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first database of channel performance comprises a memory that is allocated at only during a booting condition.

17. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus comprises a cell phone.

18. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is incorporated with one or more integrated circuits.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

storing means for storing a first database of channel performance information, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by one or more Media Access Controllers (MACs);

input means for receiving information from the one or more MACs monitoring respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel;

output means for providing the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers; and

security means for protecting the storing means from access by at least one unauthorized applications-level executable program,

wherein the input means and the output means are configured to exchange information between a MAC level and an applications level without requiring a use of intermediate level devices.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein each record includes at least a first field containing at least one of the following for a particular communications channel:

a communications channel identifier, an available data bandwidth, an error rate, an availability indicator, an average backoff time, a latency indicator, an indicator of a number of retransmissions, and a protocol indicator.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each record of the storing means further includes a second field containing an available data bandwidth, a third field containing a channel error rate, a fourth field containing an availability indicator, a fifth field containing an average back-off time, a sixth field containing a latency indicator, a seventh field containing an indicator of a number of retransmissions, an eighth field containing a channel signal strength, and a ninth field containing a channel protocol indicator.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the security means includes a set of trusted keys for enabling applications-level executable programs to access the first database.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the security means includes at least one on a trusted list of applications-level executable programs authorized to access the first database and a set of trusted keys for enabling applications-level executable programs to access the first database.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the security means includes an intermediate access software agent.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein at least one of the trusted list and set of trusted keys are established during a re-boot operation of the apparatus.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first database of channel performance information comprises a memory that is dynamically allocated.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first database of channel performance comprises a memory that is allocated at only during a booting condition.

28. A method for use in a communication system employing a plurality of different communication channels, comprising:

establishing a first database of channel performance information, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by a Media Access Controller (MAC);

receiving information from a plurality of MACs monitoring respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel;

providing the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers while protecting the first database from access by at least one unauthorized applications-level executable program; and

exchanging information between a MAC level and an applications level without requiring a use of intermediate level devices.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein each record includes at least a first field containing at least one of the following for a particular communications channel:

a communications channel identifier, an available data bandwidth, an error rate, an availability indicator, an average backoff time, a latency indicator, an indicator of a number of retransmissions, and a protocol indicator.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each record of the first database further includes a second field containing an available data bandwidth, a third field containing a channel error rate, a fourth field containing an availability indicator, a fifth field containing an average back-off time, a sixth field containing a latency indicator, a seventh field containing an indicator of a number of retransmissions, an eighth field containing a channel signal strength, and a ninth field containing a channel protocol indicator.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the protecting comprises using at least one on a trusted list of applications-level executable programs authorized to access the first database and a set of trusted keys for enabling applications-level executable programs to access the first database.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the protecting comprises using both a trusted list of applications-level executable programs authorized to access the first database and a set of trusted keys for enabling applications-level executable programs to access the first database.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the protecting comprises activating an intermediate access software agent for providing an interface between applications-level executable programs and the first database.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of the trusted list and set of trusted keys are established during a re-boot operation of the apparatus.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising allocating a memory for the first database.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the memory in the first database of channel performance information is dynamically allocated.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the memory in the first database of channel performance is allocated at only during a booting condition.

38. A communication apparatus for providing robust communications, comprising:

a set of one or more processors; and

one of more computer-readable memories coupled to the set of one or more processors containing a plurality of instructions for causing the set of one or more processors to execute;

establishing a first database of channel performance information, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by a Media Access Controller (MAC);

receiving information from a plurality of MACs monitoring respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel;

providing the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers while protecting the first database from access by at least one unauthorized applications-level executable program; and

exchanging information between a MAC level and an applications level without requiring a use of intermediate level devices.

39. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of one or more instructions for establishing a first database of channel performance information, wherein the first database includes a plurality of records with each record containing information relating to a wireless channel monitored by a Media Access Controller (MAC);

a second set of one or more instructions for receiving information from a plurality of MACs monitoring respective wireless channels such that each record of the first database contains channel performance information for a respective wireless channel;

a third set of one or more instructions for providing the channel performance information to a plurality of applications-level executable programs running on one or more computers while protecting the first database from access by at least one unauthorized applications-level executable program; and

a fourth set of one or more instructions to exchange information between a MAC level and an applications level without requiring a use of intermediate level devices.