Lightweight internet protocol encapsulation (LIPE) scheme for multimedia traffic transport

• US 6,993,021 B1
• Filed: 03/08/1999
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chuah, Mooi Choo, Yue, On-Ching, Yan, Anlu, Fleischer, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Thai
• Application Number:
  US09/264,053
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 370/466, 370/467, 370/468, 370/469, 370/472, 370/473, 370/474, 370/476, 370392-394
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A packet encapsulation scheme for multiplexing application sessions—Lightweight IP Encapsulation (LIPE)—is described. An LIPE packet comprises at least one multiplexing header (NH) and associated multimedia data packet (MDP). The LIPE packet uses UDP/IP as transport. An MH field further comprises a 16-bit a user identifier (UID) field, an 11 bit length indicator (LNG) field, a 1 bit “more” (M) field and an optional payload type/class of service (PT/CoS) field comprising 8 bits.

Claims

1. A method for use in a packet server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a number of incoming data packets;

formatting a multiplexing header for each incoming data packet, wherein the formatted multiplexing header includes a user identifier field, a length indicator field, a more packets field, a class of service field, and a sequence number field; and

multiplexing the formatted multiplexing headers and their associated incoming data packets into a single transport session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the formatting step encapsulates LIPE packets using Internet Protocol/User Datagram Protocol (IP/UDP) transport.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the format for an encapsulated LIPE packet using (IP/UDP) transport comprises an IP header field, a UDP header field and at least one multiplexing header and an associated multimedia data packet, wherein the multiplexing header comprises a user identifier field, a length identifier field, and a more packets field, the more field being used to indicate the use of more than one multiplexing header and associated multimedia data packet for transporting incoming data packets.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the more packets field is used to indicate the use of more than one multiplexing header and an associated data packet for transporting incoming data packets.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the class of service field further comprises a number of bits representative of a payload type and a remaining number of bits representative of a quality of service.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the number of bits representative of the payload type represent different voice coding schemes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the number of incoming data packets is from a plurality of users.

8. A method for use in a packet server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a number of incoming data streams from a plurality of users;

formatting the incoming data packets into user datagram (UDP)/Internet Protocol (IP) packets such that each UDP/IP packet encapsulates at least a UDP header, an IP header and a formatted multiplexing header, wherein the formatted multiplexing header portion includes information for identifying an application associated with the payload, a user identifier field, a length indicator field, a more packets field, and a class of service field, where the more packets field is used to indicate the association of more than one data packet for the application.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the class of service field further comprises a number of bits representative of a payload type and a remaining number of bits representative of a quality of service.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the number of bits representative of the payload type represent different voice coding schemes.

11. A method for use in a packet server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a number of incoming LIPE packets associated with at least one of different applications and a plurality of users; and

formatting each of the incoming LIPE packets into user datagram (UDP)/Internet Protocol (IP) packets such that each UDP/IP packet encapsulates at least a UDP header, an IP header, a formatted multiplexing header and a payload portion, wherein the formatted multiplexing header portion includes information for identifying the different applications, a user identifier field, a length indicator field, a more packets field, and a class of service field, where the more packets field is used to indicate the association of more than one data packet for an application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the class of service field further comprises a number of bits representative of a payload type and a remaining number of bits representative of a quality of service.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the number of bits representative of the payload type represent different voice coding schemes.

14. An improved apparatus for transporting packets, the improved apparatus comprising:

a reception unit adapted to receive a number of incoming data packets;

an analysis unit adapted to analyze multiplexing header information associated with each incoming data packet;

a formatting unit adapted to format a multiplexing header for each incoming data packet utilizing the analyzed multiplexing header information;

wherein the formatted multiplexing header includes a user identifier field, and length indicator field, a more packets field, a class of service field and a sequence number field, wherein the more packets field is used to indicate the use of more than one multiplexing header and associated data packet for transporting incoming data packets; and

a modulator unit adapted to multiplex the incoming data packets into a single transport session.

15. The improved apparatus of claim 14 wherein the formatting unit further encapsulates the incoming data packets using User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) transport.

16. The improved apparatus of claim 15 wherein the format for an encapsulated LIPE packet using (IP/UDP) transport comprises an IP header field, a UDP header field and at least one multiplexing header and an associated multimedia data packet, wherein the multiplexing header comprises the user identifier field, length indicator field, and more packets field.

17. The improved apparatus of claim 14 wherein the class of service field further comprises a number of bits representative of a payload type and a remaining number of bits representative of a quality of service.

18. The improved apparatus of claim 17 wherein the number of bits representative of the payload type represent different voice coding schemes.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the number of incoming data packets is from a plurality of users.