Robust multipath routing

• US 8,830,912 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Conte, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US14/063,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20140050150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 370/228
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/243 using M+N parallel active paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

Implementations related to robust multipath routing are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for communicating over a wireless network, comprising:

receiving, at a first node, a packet stream comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets;

identifying an importance of packets of the packet stream and grouping the packets of the packet stream into at least one of a first or second group of packets based on the identified importance of the packets;

generating a copy of the second group of packets;

determining a first route for transmitting the first group of packets from the first node to a second node;

determining a second route for transmitting the second group of packets from the first node to the second node; and

determining a third route for transmitting the copied second group of packets from the first node to the second node;

wherein each of the first, second, and third routes are different routes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network includes a wireless ad hoc network that includes the first node and the second node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first route includes performing a multipath routing algorithm using a first value for a weighting variable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the second route includes performing the multipath routing algorithm using a second value for the weighting variable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first group of packets are more important than the second group of packets.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first group of packets include at least one of control packets or urgent pointers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second group of packets include data packets.

8. A method for communicating over a wireless network, comprising:

Receiving, at a first node, a packet stream comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets;

grouping packets of the packet stream into at least one of a first or second group of packets based on packet type;

generating a copy of the first group of packets;

determining a first route for transmitting the first group of packets from the first node to a second node;

determining a second route for transmitting the second group of packets from the first node to the second node; and

determining a third route for transmitting the copied first group of packets from the first node to the second node;

wherein each of the first, second, and third routes are different routes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless network includes a wireless ad hoc network that includes the first node and the second node.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining the first route includes performing a multipath routing algorithm using a first value for a weighting variable.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining the second route includes performing the multipath routing algorithm using a second value for the weighting variable.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first group of packets are more important than the second group of packets.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first group of packets include at least one of control packets or urgent pointers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second group of packets include data packets.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the control packets includes at least one of a TCP acknowledgement (ACK) packet, a Request to Send (RTS) packet, or a Clear to Send (CTS) packet.

16. A wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless node including a processor and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor, the processor configured to;

receive, at a first node, a packet stream comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets;

group packets of the packet stream into at least one of a first or second group of packets based on packet type;

generate a copy of the second group of packets;

determine a first route for transmitting the first group of packets from the first node to a second node;

determine a second route for transmitting the second group of packets from the first node to the second node; and

determine a third route for transmitting the copied second group of packets from the first node to the second node;

wherein each of the first, second, and third routes are different routes.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 16, wherein the determining the first route includes performing a multipath routing algorithm using a first value for a weighting variable.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 16, wherein the determining the second route includes performing the multipath routing algorithm using a second value for the weighting variable.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 16, wherein the first group of packets include at least one of control packets or urgent pointers.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 19, wherein the second group of packets include data packets.