System for a Generalized Packet Header Suppression Mechanism Using a Wireless Communications Medium

Abstract

A system for reducing the bandwidth required to transmit a data packet via a wireless network is provided. In an embodiment, the system is configured for generating a packet to be transmitted via the wireless network. Once a packet is generated, a packet type of the packet to be transmitted via the wireless network is determined. Based on the packet type, a suppression rule is selectively applied to the packet to generate a suppressed packet. Applying the suppression rule includes suppressing at least a portion of the header of the packet and adding a descriptor associated with the header suppression rule to the packet. The system is configured to conclude with the transmittal of the suppressed packet via the wireless network.

1 . A system for reducing the bandwidth required to transmit a data packet via a wireless network, the system comprising a transmitting node configured:
 to generate a packet to be transmitted via the wireless network;   to determine a packet type of the packet to be transmitted via the wireless network;   to select a suppression rule from a table of suppression rules based on the type of the packet to be transmitted;   to apply the suppression rule to the packet to generate a suppressed packet, wherein the transmitter node applies the suppression rule by suppressing at least a portion of the header of the packet and by adding a descriptor associated with the suppression rule to the packet; and   to transmit the suppressed packet via the wireless network.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a receiving node configured:
 to receive the suppressed packet from the transmitting node via the wireless network;   to select an expansion rule from a table of expansion rules based on the descriptor included with the suppressed packet; and   to apply the expansion rule to the suppressed packet to generate an expanded packet.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the packet type is one of a bandwidth request, a bandwidth grant, a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol acknowledgment message, a voice packet, a default message, a contention burst, and a reserved burst. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transmitter node is further configured to allocate bandwidth for the suppressed packet. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the table of suppression rules includes a parser specification sub-table, an expansion sub-table and a mask specification sub-table. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the table of suppression rules includes:
 a parser specification sub-table, wherein the parser specification sub-table comprises a specification of a suppressed packet header to reconstruct and flags to operate hardware to parse the reconstructed packet;   an expansion sub-table, wherein the expansion sub-table comprises values of fields that are suppressed so that a full header can be reconstructed from a suppressed header; and   a mask specification sub-table, wherein the mask specification sub-table comprises a byte mask to reconstruct the packet.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transmitting node is further configured to apply the suppression rule by suppressing the entire header of the packet. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transmitting node is further configured to apply the suppression rule by suppressing only a portion of the header of the packet. 
     
     
         9 . A system for reducing the bandwidth required to wirelessly receive a packet from a transmitting node via a wireless network, the system comprising a receiving node configured:
 to receive a suppressed packet via the wireless network,   to select an expansion rule from a table of expansion rules based on a descriptor included with the suppressed packet; and   to apply the expansion rule to the packet to generate a reconstructed packet.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein a table of suppression rules associated with the transmitting node and the table of expansion rules are identical. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein a table of suppression rules associated with the transmitting node and the table of expansion rules are set-up when the wireless network is initially configured. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the transmitting node and the receiving node are further configured to maintain synchronization between the table of suppression rules and the table of expansion rules. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the reconstructed packet is of a type that is one of: a bandwidth request, a bandwidth grant, a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol acknowledgment message, a voice packet, a default message, a contention burst, and a reserved burst. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the receiving node is further configured to apply the expansion rule to provide the full header of the reconstructed packet. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the receiving node is further configured to apply the expansion rule to provide a portion of the full header of the reconstructed packet. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the table of expansion rules includes:
 a parser specification sub-table, wherein the parser specification sub-table comprises a specification of a suppressed packet header to reconstruct and flags to operate hardware to parse the reconstructed packet;   an expansion sub-table, wherein the expansion sub-table comprises values of fields that are suppressed so that a full header can be reconstructed from a suppressed header; and   a mask specification sub-table, wherein the mask specification sub-table comprising a byte mask to reconstruct the suppressed packet.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the parser specification sub-table further comprises a version code field, a packet type field, a header length field, a packet length field, an error check code field, a baseline privacy code field, a suppression code field, a fragmentation code field and an extended header length field. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the expansion sub-table further comprises a number of suppressed bytes field and values of bytes suppressed.