Communications multiplexing with packet-communication networks

• US 20070247395A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Barraclough, Keith, Philander, Rodrigo, Irvine, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A communication link is established with a packet-communications device. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a network connection is established between the packet-communications and a server to pass data such as requests and responses, as well as files, media, streaming and other data. The network connection is a tunneled connection, facilitating the communication of data using a particular protocol that may be different from or otherwise incompatible with the data being communicated. The tunnel is divided into two or more logical communications channels, facilitating the multiplexing of data (e.g., request/response pairs) onto a single physical network connection.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information between two packet-communicating devices over a packet-based network, the method comprising:

at a first one of the packet-communicating devices, initiating a communications link with a second one of the packet-communicating devices using a packet-based communications protocol and therein establishing a control communications channel with a control channel ID;

establishing a data communications channel in the communications link by

at one of the first and second packet-communicating devices, sending a first communication over the communications link, the first communication being embedded in the packet-based communications protocol and indicating that a channel is to be established,

receiving the first communication at the other of the first and second packet-communicating devices, and

specifying a unique channel ID for the indicated channel to be established;

using the established data communications channel to pass data by embedding the data, together with information identifying the specified unique channel ID, within the packet-based communications protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link; and

terminating the established data communications channel by passing a channel termination command embedded with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the specified channel ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a communications link includes forwarding a local connection the first packet-communicating device to the second packet-communicating device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the control communications channel to pass control commands between the packet-communicating devices by embedding the control commands with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying a control channel ID therein.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a data communications channel includes establishing two of said data communications channels.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing two of said data communications channels includes establishing two data communications channels that coexist.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing two of said data communications channels includes establishing a second data communications channel after a first data communications channel has been terminated.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the two data communications channels to pass separate data streams.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the communications link has been established:

sending an acknowledgement request from one of the packet-communicating devices to the other one of the packet-communicating devices;

maintaining the communications link in response to receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request from the other one of the packet-communicating devices; and

terminating the communications link in response to not receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request from the other one of the packet-communicating devices within a selected amount of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first packet-communicating device is not publicly addressable via the packet-based network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a communications link at a first one of the packet-communicating devices includes programming the first packet-communicating device to automatically initiate the communications link upon a condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein programming the first packet-communicating device includes programming the first packet communicating device to automatically initiate the communications link in response to at least one of a power-up condition and a packet-based network connectivity condition of the packet-communicating device.

12. The method of claim 1, further including pausing the passing of data over a particular channel in response to a pause command received via the control communications channel, and resuming the passing of data over the particular channel in response to a resume command received via the control communications channel.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising selectively pausing and resuming the communication of data over a communications channel in response to a condition of communications congestion on the communications link.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising selectively pausing and resuming the communication of data over a communications channel in response to a priority associated with a particular data transfer channel to facilitate the priority transfer of data over a higher priority channel, relative to the transfer of data over a lower priority channel.

15. A system for communicating information over a packet-based network, the system comprising:

at least two packet-communicating devices;

a communication link engine at each packet-communicating device, the communication line engines adapted to facilitate communications by

at a first one of the packet-communicating devices, initiating a communications link with a second one of the packet-communicating devices using a packet-based communications protocol and therein establishing a control communications channel with a control channel ID, and

establishing a data communications channel in the communications link by

at one of the first and second packet-communicating devices, sending a first communication over the communications link, the first communication being embedded in the packet-based communications protocol and indicating that a channel is to be established,

receiving the first communication at the other of the first and second packet-communicating devices, and

specifying a unique channel ID for the indicated channel to be established;

wherein the first and second packet-communicating devices use the established data communications channel to pass data by embedding the data, together with information identifying the specified unique channel ID, within the packet-based communications protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link; and

wherein the communications link engines are adapted to terminate the established data communications channel by passing a channel termination command embedded with the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the specified channel ID.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the communications link engines are adapted to establish two of said data communications channels and wherein the first and second packet-communicating devices concurrently pass data over the two data communications channels.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the communications link engines in the first and second packet-communicating devices is adapted to send an acknowledgement request to the communications link engine at the other one of the packet-communicating devices;

maintain the communications link in response to receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement request; and

terminate the communications link in response to not receiving an acknowledgement response to the acknowledgement within a selected amount of time.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first packet-communicating device is programmed to automatically initiate the communications link upon a condition.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first packet-communicating device is programmed to automatically initiate the communications link in response to at least one of a power-up condition and a packet-based network connectivity condition of the packet-communicating device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the communication link engines are adapted to pause the passing of data over a particular channel in response to a pause command received via the control communications channel, and to resume the passing of data over the particular channel in response to a resume command received via the control communications channel.

21. A method for establishing a multi-channel tunneled communication link between two packet-communicating devices over a packet-based network, the method comprising:

establishing a communications link between the packet-communicating devices using a protocol amenable to use with the packet-based network;

establishing at least two tunneled channels in the communications link by, for each channel,

at one of the packet-communicating devices, using the protocol to send information, indicating that a channel is to be established, over the communications link to the other packet-communicating device,

receiving the information at the other packet-communicating device, and

specifying a unique channel ID for the indicated channel to be established;

using each tunneled channel to pass a unique data stream by embedding data, together with information identifying the specified unique channel ID for the channel, within the protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link; and

after all data in a unique data stream has been passed, terminating the tunneled channel over which the unique data stream was passed.

22. The method of claim 21, further including

establishing a tunneled control channel in the communications link, the tunneled control channel having a unique ID indicating that the channel is a control channel, and

using the control channel to pass control data between the packet-communicating devices by embedding the control data, together with information specifying the unique control channel ID, within the protocol and passing the embedded data over the communications link between the packet-communicating devices.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein establishing a tunneled control channel in the communications link, the tunneled control channel having a unique ID indicating that the channel is a control channel includes programming each of the packet-communicating devices to pass control data over the communications link using a predefined control channel ID.

24. A method for communicating data over a packet-based network between two packet-communicating devices that are operated independent of the packet-based network, the method comprising:

at a first one of the packet-communicating devices, establishing a communications link with a second one of the packet-communicating devices using a packet-based communications protocol, the communications link having a control channel with a control channel ID;

in the communications link and while the communications link is active, establishing data communications channels having individually-assigned channel IDs; and

using the established data communications channels to pass data by embedding data and a channel ID for the data within the packet-based communications protocol, and passing the embedded data over the communications link.

25. The method of claim 24, further including terminating the established data communications channels while the communications link remains active by, for each channel, passing a channel termination command embedded within the packet-based communications protocol and identifying the channel ID for the channel to be terminated.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein establishing data communications channels includes establishing a unique data communications channel for each data stream to be passed over the communications link.

27. The method of claim 24, further including using the control channel to control the flow of data over the communications link for the established data communications channels.

28. For use in communicating data over a packet-based network between two packet-communicating devices that are operated independent of the packet-based network, a packet-communicating device programmed to:

establish a communications link with a another packet-communicating device using a packet-based communications protocol, the communications link having a control channel with a control channel ID;

in the communications link and while the communications link is active, establish data communications channels having individually-assigned channel IDs; and

use the established data communications channels to pass data by embedding data and a channel ID for the data within the packet-based communications protocol and passing the embedded data over the communications link.

29. The packet-communicating device of claim 28, programmed to establish a unique data communications channel for each data stream to be passed, and for each data stream, to embed data with the channel ID of the unique data communications channel for said data stream, the channel ID identifying data as belonging to said data stream.