System and method for increasing data throughout using a block acknowledgement

• US 20060018332A1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Saifullah, Yousuf, Kakani, Naveen
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The techniques described increase data throughput by aggregating block acknowledgements. These embodiments provide a single block acknowledgement for multiple traffic identifiers in data communication with a communication station. One method includes providing a multiple start sequence number corresponding to each traffic identifier of a plurality of traffic identifiers and providing a bit map corresponding to each multiple start sequence number. The bit map indicates a block acknowledgement of packets corresponding to one traffic identifier of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

Claims

1. A method of providing a block acknowledgement for multiple traffic identifiers in data communication with a communication station, the method comprising:

providing a multiple start sequence number corresponding to each traffic identifier of a plurality of traffic identifiers; and

providing a bit map corresponding to each multiple start sequence number, wherein the bit map indicates a block acknowledgement of packets corresponding to one traffic identifier of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a single acknowledgement in response to multiple frames sent in aggregated fashion to a communication station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein data communicated is non-quality of service (QoS) data, station, and access point, further comprising one instance of the start sequence number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement includes an identification for a receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a number traffic identifier indicating the number of traffic identifiers in a communication frame.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication frame includes a block ACK control field, a block ACK starting sequence control field, and a block ACK bitmap field.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication frame includes a duration field with an indication of a length for the communication frame.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a frame having the block acknowledgement immediately at the end of a communication burst.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a frame having the block acknowledgement after a delay from the end of a communication burst.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement is communicated at a lower data rate than a data rate of communicated data from a station.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a number traffic identifier indicating the number of traffic identifiers in a communication frame.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a block acknowledgement control field, a block acknowledgement starting sequence control field, and a block acknowledgement bitmap field.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a duration field with an indication of a length for the communication frame.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the data comprises quality of service data.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a duration field with an indication of a length for the communication frame.

11. A system for providing a single block acknowledgement for multiple traffic identifiers in data communication with a communication station, the system comprising:

a transmit opportunity including data and short inter-frame spaces; and

a block acknowledgement structure including a multiple start sequence number for each of a plurality of traffic identifiers and a corresponding bit map indicating acknowledgement of packets corresponding to one traffic identifier of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

16. A device configured for communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a data throughput including aggregated block acknowledgements, the device comprising:

a memory configured to contain a block acknowledgement structure; and

a processor that communicates the block acknowledgement structure to indicate receipt of data;

wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a multiple start sequence number for each of a plurality of traffic identifiers and a corresponding bit map indicating acknowledgement of packets corresponding to one traffic identifier of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a number traffic identifier indicating the number of traffic identifiers in a communication frame.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the block acknowledgement structure includes a block acknowledgement control field, a block acknowledgement starting sequence control field, and a block acknowledgement bitmap field.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the data is quality of service data.

21. A computer program product that increases data throughput by aggregating block acknowledgements to a single block acknowledgement for a plurality of traffic identifiers in a communication system, the computer program product comprising:

computer code to assign a start sequence number for each of a plurality of traffic identifiers, wherein each start sequence number is associated with a bit map indicating acknowledgment status for the corresponding traffic identifier; and

computer code to provide a block acknowledgment control field for each of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the number of start sequence numbers is contained in a number of traffic identifier field.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer code to determine an end to a transmit opportunity.

24. A block acknowledgment structure comprising:

a multiple start sequence number for each of a plurality of traffic identifiers; and

a corresponding bit map indicating acknowledgement of packets corresponding to one traffic identifier of the plurality of traffic identifiers.

25. The block acknowledgment structure of claim 24, further comprising a number traffic identifier indicating the number of traffic identifiers in a communication frame.

26. The block acknowledgment structure of claim 24, further comprising a block acknowledgement control field, a block acknowledgement starting sequence control field, and a block acknowledgement bitmap field.