Method and system for providing efficient data transmission based upon a contention protocol

1. A method for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused time slots in a previous frame;

transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

relinquishing said reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communication system; and

wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha; and

the method further comprising:

designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an information message associated with the transmission step indicating a valid transmission of the one packet, wherein the reserving step is performed based upon the received information message.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha, the method further comprising:

designating one time slot per TDMA frame for contention transmission.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the packets include at least one of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic and web browsing traffic.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting step comprises:

randomly selecting one transmission slot according to a uniform distribution.

6. A method for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused time slots in a previous frame;

transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

relinquishing said reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; and

wherein the maintaining step comprises:

transmitting null packets into the reserved transmission slot.

7. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:

a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and

a processor configured to determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of the said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communication system; and

wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor receives an information message associated with the transmitted one packet indicating a valid transmission of the one packet, wherein the reserved transmission slot is reserved based upon the information message.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the packets include at least one of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic and web browsing traffic.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor randomly selects the one transmission slot according to a uniform distribution.

12. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:

a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and

a processor configured to determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of the said one packet of the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the processor is configured to instruct transmission of null packets into the reserved transmission slot to maintain the reservation.

13. A satellite communication system comprising:

a payload configured to forward packets; and

a plurality of terminals configured to transmit the packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, each of the terminals comprising:

a plurality of queues configured to store the packets; and

a processor configured to receive at least one information message associated with a channel and determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in said channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period, and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames; and

wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the processor receives an information message associated with the transmitted packet indicating a valid transmission of the one packet, wherein the reserved transmission slot is reserved based upon the information message.

15. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha and one time slot per TDMA frame is provided for contention transmission.

16. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the packets include at least one of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic and web browsing traffic.

17. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the processor randomly selects one transmission slot according to a uniform distribution.

18. A satellite communications system, comprising:

a payload configured to forward packets; and

a plurality of terminals configured to transmit the packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, each of the terminals comprising:

a plurality of queues configured to store the packets, and

a processor configured to receive at least one information message associated with a channel and determine a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in said channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame, then transmit one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol, the processor reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot, wherein the reserved transmission slot is maintained until expiration of a predetermined timeout period, and then relinquished based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the processor is configured to instruct transmission of null packets into the reserved transmission slot to maintain the reservation.

19. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:

means for determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame;

means for transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

means for reserving an available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

means for maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

means for relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communications system; and

wherein the contention protocol is persistent Aloha; and

the apparatus further comprising:

means for designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , further comprising:

means for receiving an information message associated with the plurality of transmission slots indicating a valid transmission of the one packet, wherein the reserved transmission slot is reserved based upon the information message.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha, the apparatus further comprising:

means for designating one time slot per TDMA frame for contention transmission.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the packets include at least one of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic and web browsing traffic.

23. The apparatus to claim 19 , further comprising:

means for randomly selecting one transmission slot according to a uniform distribution.

24. A terminal apparatus for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, comprising:

means for determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame;

means for transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

means for reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

means for maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

means for relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein them maintaining means transmits null packets into the reserved transmission slot.

25. A computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of one or more instructions for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instruction which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame;

transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period;

wherein the communication channel is provided by a plurality of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frames used in a satellite communications system; and

wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha, the one or more processors further performing the step of:

designating one time slot per every sixth TDMA frame for contention transmission.

26. The computer-readable medium according to claim 25 , wherein the one or more processors further perform the step of:

receiving an information message associated with the transmitting step indicating a valid transmission of the one packet, wherein the reserving step is performed based upon the received information message.

27. The computer-readable medium according to claim 25 , wherein the contention protocol in the transmitting step is persistent Aloha, the one or more processors further performing the step of:

designating one time slot per TDMA frame for contention transmission.

28. The computer-readable medium according to claim 25 , wherein the packets include at least one of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic and web browsing traffic.

29. The computer-readable medium according to claim 25 , wherein the transmitting step comprises:

randomly selecting one transmission slot according to a uniform distribution.

30. A computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of one or more instructions for transmitting packets over a shared communication channel that is partitioned into a plurality of transmission slots, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instruction which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

determining a plurality of available transmission slots in a frame in a channel based on unused transmission slots in a previous frame;

transmitting one of the packets over one of the plurality of available transmission slots of the channel using a contention protocol;

reserving said available transmission slot based on a previously successful transmission of said one packet on the same transmission slot;

maintaining the reserved transmission slot until expiration of a predetermined timeout period; and

relinquishing the reserved transmission slot based on the expiration of said predetermined timeout period; and

wherein the maintaining step comprises:

transmitting null packets into the reserved transmission slot.