Packet allocation schema for 3G and 4G routers

• US 9,686,164 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Paczkowski, Lyle Walter, Kunkel, Rodney Charles, Riehl, James Earl, Pearson, Timothy Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): LI, GUANG W
• Application Number:
  US13/445,512
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 370231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/00 Traffic control in data switching networks arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received H04L1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering

Abstract

Methods and systems that facilitate allocating a transmission of data over multiple wireless links using an allocation server is provided. An indication of a first and second endpoint is received. An indication of a plurality of wireless links between the first and second endpoints is also received. The plurality of wireless links transmit data via an information network that includes an allocation server that monitors the packets of data transmitted via the plurality of wireless links. Such monitoring reveals whether one or more of the wireless links satisfies a threshold based on one or more of an amount of latency, jitter, and dropped packets between the first and second endpoints. Based on satisfying a threshold, one or more packets of data are allocated by the allocation server.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method of directing transmission of data comprising a plurality of data packets over a plurality of wireless links using an allocation server, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first endpoint;

receiving an indication of a second endpoint;

receiving an indication from each of a plurality of wireless links communicatively coupling the first and second endpoints, wherein the plurality of wireless links includes a first wireless link and a second wireless link;

monitoring data, by an allocation server, transmitted via each of the plurality of wireless links between the first and second endpoints, wherein monitoring data further comprises monitoring one or more of the following;

an amount of jitter between the first and second endpoints,

an amount of packet loss between the first and second endpoints,

or

an amount of latency between the first and second endpoints;

based on monitoring the data, dividing, at a first multiplexer, the plurality of data packets between more than one of the plurality of wireless links by directing a first portion of the plurality of data packets to a first wireless link and a second portion of the plurality of data packets to a second wireless link as instructed by the allocation server, wherein an initial sequence of the plurality of data packets for transmission between the first and second endpoints is altered by the dividing; and

at a second multiplexer, reordering the plurality of data packets to the initial sequence prior to delivery to the first endpoint or the second endpoint.

2. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the allocation server, that the amount of jitter satisfies a threshold, wherein the amount of jitter that satisfies the threshold is associated with a transmission of data packets across the first wireless link;

identifying the second wireless link; and

determining an amount of data packets of the first wireless link to direct, via the first multiplexer, onto the second wireless link to reduce the impact of jitter between the first and second endpoints, wherein the amount of data packets is the first portion.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the allocation server, that the amount of packet loss satisfies a threshold, wherein the amount of packet loss that satisfies the threshold is associated with a transmission of data packets across the first wireless link;

identifying the second wireless link; and

determining an amount of data packets of the first wireless link to direct, via the first multiplexer, onto the second wireless link to reduce the impact of packet between the first and second endpoints, wherein the amount of data packets is the first portion of the plurality of data packets.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein dividing the plurality of data packets comprises:

determining, by the allocation server, that the amount of latency satisfies a threshold, wherein the amount of latency that satisfies the threshold is associated with a transmission of data packets across the first wireless link;

identifying the second wireless link; and

determining an amount of data packets of the first wireless link to direct, via the first multiplexer, onto the second wireless link, wherein the amount of data packets is the first portion of the plurality of data packets.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method of directing a transmission of data comprising a plurality of data packets over a plurality of transmission links using an allocation server, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first endpoint;

receiving an indication of a second endpoint;

receiving an indication from each of the plurality of transmission links communicatively coupling the first and second endpoints, wherein each of the plurality of transmission links comprise a data stream adapted to transmit data between the first and second endpoints;

monitoring, at an allocation server, each of the plurality of data streams, wherein the monitoring comprises receiving information regarding one or more of the following data stream characteristics for each of the plurality of data streams;

(1) an amount of jitter between the first and second endpoints;

(2) an amount of packet loss between the first and second endpoints; and

(3) an amount of latency between the first and second endpoints;

determining that at least one data stream characteristic associated with a first data stream of a first transmission link satisfies a threshold;

determining that at least one data stream characteristic associated with a second data stream of a second transmission link does not satisfy the threshold;

dividing, at a first multiplexer instructed by the allocation server, the second data stream into at least a first portion and a second portion of data packets;

directing the first portion of data packets from the second transmission link to the first transmission link, wherein an initial sequence of data packets of the second data stream is altered by the directing; and

reordering, at a second multiplexer, data packets of the second data stream to the initial sequence prior to delivery to the first endpoint or the second endpoint.

6. The media of claim 5, further comprising determining that none of the data stream characteristics associated with the second transmission link satisfy one or more predetermined thresholds.

7. The media of claim 5, wherein directing the first portion of data packets is based on reducing the impact of at least one of the data stream characteristics that satisfies a threshold.

8. The media of claim 5, further comprising transmitting the first portion and the second portion across at least one of the plurality of transmission links via the first multiplexer.

9. The media of claim 8, further comprising receiving, at a second endpoint and subsequent to reordering at the second multiplexer, each of the first and second portions of data packets.

10. The media of claim 5, wherein directing the first portion of data packets to the first transmission link is performed by the first multiplexer based on instructions by the allocation server.

11. A system for directing a transmission of data comprising a plurality of data packets via a plurality of wireless links, the system comprising:

a first endpoint;

a second endpoint;

a first and second wireless link, each comprising a plurality of transmission characteristics and communicatively coupling the first endpoint to the second endpoint;

an allocation server adapted to;

monitor data transmitted between the first and second endpoints via the first and second wireless links, wherein the data monitored includes transmission characteristics of the first and second wireless links and wherein the transmission characteristics comprise at least one of the following;

an amount of jitter between the first and second endpoints;

an amount of packet loss between the first and second endpoints; and

an amount of latency between the first and second endpoints;

a first multiplexer adapted to;

direct, as instructed by the allocation server when monitoring data, a portion of data packets from the first wireless link to the second wireless link based at least one of the plurality of transmission characteristics, wherein an initial transmission order of the data packets is changed by directing the portion of data packets from the first wireless link to the second wireless link;

a second multiplexer adapted to;

reorder the data packets into the initial transmission order prior to delivery of the data packets to the first or second endpoint; and

an information network coupled to the allocation server and intervening between the first and second endpoints.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the allocation server comprises non-transitory, computer-readable media embodied with a data structure that includes one or more predetermined thresholds for determining whether to direct a portion of data packets from the first wireless link to the second wireless link.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the allocation server is adapted to:

determine that at least one of the transmission characteristics associated with the first wireless link satisfies at least one of the one or more predetermined thresholds; and

identify the second wireless link;

direct, via the first multiplexer, the first portion data packets to the first wireless link based, in part, on the determination that at least one of the transmission characteristics associated with the first wireless link satisfied at least one of the transmission characteristics.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the allocation server adapted to identify the second wireless link is further adapted to determine-that none of the transmission characteristics associated with the second wireless link satisfy at least one of the predetermined thresholds.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first endpoint is a first router and the second endpoint is a second router.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the information network further comprises at least one of the first or second multiplexers, and wherein at least one of the first or second multiplexers comprises the allocation server.