Inter-layer communication of receipt confirmation for releasing retransmission buffer contents
View Patent ↗Provided is a multi-layered transmission technique in which a signal indicating that a transmitted data packet has been correctly received by the receiver is provided from one communication layer to another. Based on that signal, the second layer releases the corresponding data from its retransmission buffer. As result, storage requirements for data waiting to be retransmitted, if necessary, often can be significantly reduced.
1. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit data using a multi-layered communication model that includes a plurality of layers;
wherein each layer in the plurality of layers has its own specifications, said specifications including defined interfaces for communicating with an adjacent layer; and
wherein the layers are configured such that:
(a) a first layer executes a protocol that includes receiving an acknowledgment signal indicating that a specified data packet has been received correctly;
(b) based on the acknowledgment signal, the first layer provides a confirmation signal to a second layer that is a different layer than the first layer; and
(c) based upon receipt of the confirmation signal from the first layer, the second layer releases data corresponding to the specified data packet from a retransmission buffer based solely on receipt of the confirmation signal from the first layer; and
wherein the first layer is configured to receive the acknowledgment signal or a negative acknowledgment signal with respect to each of a plurality of data packets transmitted by the first layer; and
wherein the first layer providing the confirmation signal is based on receipt of the acknowledgement signal or the receipt of the negative acknowledgement signal and a first and second criteria, wherein the first criteria is usable to determine whether the first layer transmission is successful, and wherein the second criteria is usable to determine whether the second layer releases the data associated with the first layer.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises a physical layer.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second layer is further from physical transmission than the first layer.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second layer does not perform its own error checking.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter uses the multilayered communication model for communicating over a cellular-based wireless network.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the cellular-based wireless network is a code division multiple access (CDMA) network.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first layer also is configured to provide an error signal to the second layer, and wherein upon receipt of the error signal the second layer is configured to cause data corresponding to the error signal to be retransmitted from the retransmission buffer.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first decision is made regarding correctness of the specified data packet for purposes of retransmitting the specified data packet and a second decision is made regarding correctness of the specified data packet for purposes of releasing the data corresponding to the specified data packet from the retransmission buffer, and wherein different criteria are used for making the first decision and the second decision.
9. A machine-readable memory medium storing program instructions for facilitating wireless communications, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement:
a transmission module configured to transmit data using a multi-layered communication model that includes a plurality of layers,
wherein each layer in the plurality of layers has its own specifications, said specifications including defined interfaces for communicating with an adjacent layer, and wherein the layers are configured such that:
(a) a first layer executes a protocol that includes receiving an acknowledgment signal indicating that a specified data packet has been received correctly;
(b) based on the acknowledgment signal, the first layer provides a confirmation signal to a second layer that is a different layer than the first layer; and
(c) based on receipt of the confirmation signal from the first layer, the second layer releases data corresponding to the specified data packet from a retransmission buffer based solely on receipt of the confirmation signal from the first layer; and
wherein the first layer is configured to receive the acknowledgment signal or a negative acknowledgment signal with respect to each of a plurality of data packets transmitted by the first layer; and
wherein the first layer providing the confirmation signal is based on receipt of the acknowledgement signal or the receipt of the negative acknowledgement signal and a first and second criteria, wherein the first criteria is usable to determine whether the first layer transmission is successful, and wherein the second criteria is usable to determine whether the second layer releases the data associated with the first layer.
10. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein the first layer comprises a physical layer.
11. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein the second layer is further from physical transmission than the first layer.
12. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein the second layer does not perform its own error checking.
13. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein the transmission module uses the multi-layered communication model for communicating over a cellular-based wireless network.
14. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 13 , wherein the cellular based wireless network is a code division multiple access (CDMA) network.
15. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein the first layer also is configured to provide an error signal to the second layer, and wherein upon receipt of the error signal the second layer is configured to cause data corresponding to the error signal to be retransmitted from the retransmission buffer.
16. The machine-readable memory medium according to claim 9 , wherein a first decision is made regarding correctness of the specified data packet for purposes of retransmitting the specified data packet and a second decision is made regarding correctness of the specified data packet for purposes of releasing the data corresponding to the specified data packet from the retransmission buffer, and wherein different criteria are used for making the first decision and the second decision.