TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL/INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PACKET-CENTRIC WIRELESS POINT TO MULTI-POINT (PtMP) TRANSMISSION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

A packet-centric wireless system includes: a wireless base station communicating via a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to a first data network; one or more host workstations communicating via TCP/IP to the first data network; one or more subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) stations coupled with the wireless base station over a shared bandwidth via TCP/IP over a wireless medium; and one or more subscriber workstations coupled via TCP/IP to each of the subscriber CPE stations over a second network. The system can allocate shared bandwidth among the subscriber CPE stations to optimize end-user quality of service (QoS). The first data network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN). The second network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and. a wide area network (WAN).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 a wireless communication device detecting loss of a transmission control protocol (TCP) packet on a wireless network; and   the wireless communication device retransmitting the TCP packet within the wireless network without invoking TCP retransmission responsive to detecting the loss.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 managing a TCP transmission widow for packets over the wireless network by transmitting a packet receipt acknowledgement before a TCP sender detects a lost packet and initiates retransmission. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein managing the TCP transmission window further occurs before the TCP sender resets transmission rates for packets. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the retransmitting is performed at a media access control (MAC) layer of a protocol stack. 
     
     
         5 . A method comprising:
 a wireless communication device detecting loss of a transmission control protocol (TCP) packet on a wireless network at a media access control (MAC) layer of a protocol stack in the wireless communication device; and   responsive to detecting the loss, the wireless communication device retransmitting the TCP packet within the wireless network from the MAC layer prior to a TCP layer detecting a loss of the TCP packet.   
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 5  further comprising:
 transmitting a packet receipt acknowledgement from the MAC layer to a TCP sender to prevent the TCP sender from detecting a lost packet and initiating retransmission and resetting transmission rates for packets. 
 
     
     
         7 . A computer readable storage medium configured to store a plurality of instructions which, when executed on a device that is configured to communicate over a wireless network:
 detect loss of a transmission control protocol (TCP) packet on the wireless network at a media access control (MAC) layer of a protocol stack; and   retransmit the TCP packet within the wireless network from the MAC layer without invoking TCP retransmission responsive to detecting the loss.   
     
     
         8 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 7  the plurality of instructions, when executed:
 manage a TCP transmission widow for packets over the wireless network by transmitting a packet receipt acknowledgement before a TCP sender detects a lost packet and initiates retransmission. 
 
     
     
         9 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8  wherein the TCP sender is coupled to the device separate from the wireless network. 
     
     
         10 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 9  wherein the TCP sender is a customer subscriber unit. 
     
     
         11 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8  wherein the TCP sender is coupled to the device via a wired connection. 
     
     
         12 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8  wherein the packet receipt acknowledgement is transmitted before the TCP sender resets transmission rates for packets.