Techniques for providing a generic multipath system by a flexible selection of network protocols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12212640-B2
Application number	US-202218686879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2021
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A compatibility layer, in particular a shim layer, is configured to provide flexible choice of network protocols in a multi-path environment. The compatibility layer includes a first set of communication interfaces that is associated to a first communication link, a second set of communication interfaces that is associated to a second communication link, an access unit configured to get access to a library of network protocols, and a converting unit. The converting unit is configured to convert data packets received from a network entity via the first communication link and/or the second communication link to at least one of the network protocols; and/or the converting unit is configured to convert data packets received from a communication network via the first communication link and/or the second communication link to one standard network protocol.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compatibility layer for providing a flexible choice of network protocols in a multi-path environment, the compatibility layer comprising:
a first set of communication interfaces corresponding to a first communication link;
a second set of communication interfaces corresponding to a second communication link; and
a processor configured to:
obtain network protocol information from a library of network protocols;
perform a selection of which network protocol is to be used for the first communication link and/or the second communication link, wherein the selection is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML) mechanisms; and
convert data packets received from a network entity via the first communication link and/or the second communication link to at least one of the network protocols.

2. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , wherein the compatibility layer is configured to provide performance information about the first communication link and/or the second communication link to a scheduler of the network entity.

3. The compatibility layer of claim 2 , wherein the performance information comprises:
network protocol specific information;
bytes-in-flight;
round-trip time (RTT);
latency;
packet loss rate;
congestion notification; and/or
path cost values.

4. The compatibility layer of claim 2 , wherein the compatibility layer is configured to provide the performance information to the network entity.

5. The compatibility layer of claim 2 , wherein the compatibility layer is configured to obtain the performance information via measurement or to receive the performance information.

6. The compatibility layer of claim 2 , wherein the selection is further based on the performance information about the first communication link and/or the second communication link and based on properties of the network protocols.

7. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , wherein the selection is further based on:
demand;
used services;
access type;
access characteristics;
time;
location;
bottleneck or congestion; and/or
a multi-connectivity scenario.

8. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a re-ordering interface configured to transmit data packets that have been converted to the network entity for re-ordering.

9. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , wherein the compatibility layer is part of a user equipment or a server unit.

10. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , wherein the library of network protocols is stored in the compatibility layer.

11. The compatibility layer of claim 1 , wherein the library of network protocols is accessible via a library interface.

12. A multipath communication system, comprising:
a communication network configured to provide at least two communication links;
a first network entity configured to send data packets via the at least two communication links;
a second network entity configured to receive the data packets via the at least two communication links; and
a compatibility layer, comprising a first set of communication interfaces corresponding to a first communication link and a second set of communication interfaces corresponding to a second communication link;
wherein the compatibility layer is configured to:
obtain network protocol information from a library of network protocols;
perform a selection of which network protocol is to be used for the first communication link and/or the second communication link, wherein the selection is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML) mechanisms; and
convert data packets received via the first communication link and/or the second communication link to at least one of the network protocols.

13. A method for providing a flexible choice of network protocols in a multi-path environment, the method comprising:
receiving, by a compatibility layer, data packets via a first communication link and/or a second communication link;
obtaining, by the compatibility layer, network protocol information from a library of network protocols;
performing, by the compatibility layer, a selection of which network protocol is to be used for the first communication link and/or the second communication link, wherein the selection is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML) mechanisms; and
converting, by the compatibility layer, the data packets received via the first communication link and/or the second communication link to at least one of the network protocols.

Assignees

• Deutsche Telekom Ag

Inventors

• Amend Markus
• Bogenfeld Eckard
• Brunstrom Anna
• Pieska Marcus
• Kassler Andreas

Classifications

• H04L69/14 Primary

  Multichannel or multilink protocols · CPC title