Increasing reliable data throughput in a wireless network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240868-B2
Application number	US-26747705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2005
Priority date	Nov 5, 2004
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving data transmission rates in communication networks are disclosed. In an 802.11 wireless communication network, where a source node of the wireless network transmits TCP data to a destination node of the wireless network, the destination node does not transmit TCP acknowledgments (ACKs) for the TCP data if 802.11 ACKs indicate that the destination node received the TCP data. If a source outside the wireless network transmits TCP data to the destination node within the wireless network through an intermediate device, such as an access point, the destination node suppresses transmitting TCP ACKs. The intermediate device transmits TCP ACKs as proxy for the destination node to the source. The intermediate device also suppresses TCP ACKs where a source node within the wireless network sends the TCP data to a destination node outside of the wireless network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reliably transmitting data from a source to a destination in a wireless network, the method comprising:
transmitting data from the source to the destination, the data transmitted according to a higher layer protocol that includes the transmission control protocol (TCP);
receiving a first acknowledgment at the source, wherein the first acknowledgment is transmitted from an intermediate device between the source and the destination, wherein the first acknowledgment is transmitted according to a lower layer protocol that includes an 802.11 protocol, wherein the first acknowledgment includes an 802.11 acknowledgment (802.11 ACK); and
suppressing any further transmission of acknowledgements in the wireless network at the source from the intermediate device, wherein the suppression is based on a transmission of a second acknowledgement from the destination to the intermediate device, wherein the second acknowledgement is transmitted according to the higher layer protocol and includes a transmission control acknowledgement (TCP ACK), and wherein the transmission of data in the wireless network from the source to the destination nevertheless remains reliable and occurs without delay of additional acknowledgment transmissions to the source from the intermediate device as a result of the first acknowledgment being transmitted according to the lower layer protocol and the second acknowledgment being transmitted according to the higher layer protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate device includes an access point for a wireless network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein suppressing the second acknowledgment is a result of not transmitting the second acknowledgment to the source.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source of the data originates outside the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source of the data originates within the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination of the data is outside the wireless network.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination of the data is within the wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that the destination received the transmitted data from the source without error.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a proxy acknowledgement at the source from the intermediate device thereby instructing the source that additional data may be transmitted to the source.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second acknowledgement between the intermediate device and the destination includes an exchange of operation-based information.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising broadcasting operation-based information of the intermediate device, wherein the broadcasted information can be received by the destination to adjust operation of the destination.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second acknowledgement from the destination to the intermediate device includes information used by the intermediate device to determine that the destination supports acknowledgement suppression.

Assignees

• Kish William S
• Chanak John
• Ruckus Wireless Inc

Inventors

• Kish William S
• Chanak John

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04L69/16

  Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] · CPC title

• H04W80/06

  Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless {(transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16)} · CPC title

• H04L1/1607 Primary

  Details of the supervisory signal · CPC title