초록 ▼

Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for enhanced block acknowledgement. In one embodiment, a receiver indicates a decoding delay for a maximum size aggregate frame in Block Ack negotiation, which may be used by a transmitter to determine to which Block Ack Request a Block Acknow

Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for enhanced block acknowledgement. In one embodiment, a receiver indicates a decoding delay for a maximum size aggregate frame in Block Ack negotiation, which may be used by a transmitter to determine to which Block Ack Request a Block Acknowledgement is responsive. In another embodiment, a Transmission Sequence Number (TSN) may be included in a Block Ack Request. The receiver includes the TSN in the corresponding Block Ack response. This allows the transmitter to determine which frames are “in transit.” The TSN may be used to identify blocks. In another embodiment, a TSN may be associated with one or more transmitted frames. While, the TSN is not transmitted with the Block Ack Request, the transmitter may determine which TSN corresponds with a Block Ack response in accordance with acknowledgements contained therein. Combinations of these techniques may be deployed. Various other aspects are also presented.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method comprising: receiving a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote device; associating a frame sequence identifier with each of the plurality of frames, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames; generating a plurality of transmit sequence i

1. A method comprising: receiving a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote device; associating a frame sequence identifier with each of the plurality of frames, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames; generating a plurality of transmit sequence indicators, each transmit sequence indicator associated with one of a plurality of blocks, each block comprising two or more of the frames for transmission to the remote device;transmitting at least one block and at least one block acknowledgement request, the block acknowledgement request having the transmit sequence indicator of a transmitted block; andreceiving a block acknowledgement from the remote device, the block acknowledgement including at least one of the transmit sequence indicators, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a transmit sequence indicator to the remote device. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a transmit sequence indicator in a transmit queue. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmit sequence indicator determined is the most recently transmitted transmit sequence indicator for which an associated frame is acknowledged. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising marking as not acknowledged all frames associated with the determined transmit sequence indicator or previously transmitted transmit sequence indicators for which the frame is not acknowledged in the block acknowledgement. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement indicates the transmit sequence indicator associated with the latest received frame to which the block acknowledgement applies. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising marking as not acknowledged all of the non-acknowledged frames in a block acknowledgement associated with the indicated transmit sequence indicator, and any previously transmitted transmit sequence indicators. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement comprises a bit field, each bit in the bit field indicating the success of decoding of an associated frame. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising marking a non-acknowledged frame for retransmission. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing an acknowledged frame from a transmit queue. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the block acknowledgement request is implied by transmitting a transmit sequence indicator subsequent to a transmitted frame. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting two or more of the plurality of blocks to the remote device. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting two or more block acknowledgement requests, each block acknowledgment request transmitted in conjunction with respective transmitted blocks. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a single block acknowledgement responsive to two or more of the plurality of transmitted blocks. 15. An apparatus comprising: means for storing a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote station;means for storing a frame sequence identifier for each of the plurality of frames for transmission to a remote station, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames; andmeans for storing a plurality of transmit sequence indicators for each of the plurality of frames for transmission to a remote station with a block acknowledgement request;means for storing at least one block acknowledgement request, the block acknowledgement request having the transmit sequence indicator of a transmitted block; andmeans for storing a received block acknowledgement from the remote device, the block acknowledgement including at least one of the transmit sequence indicators, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks. 16. An apparatus comprising: a memory comprising an input and an output, the input configured to receive a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote device; anda processor, coupled with the memory, configured to:associate a flame sequence identifier with each flame of the plurality of frames, each flame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames;generate a plurality of transmit sequence indicators, each transmit sequence indicator associated with one of a plurality of blocks, each block comprising two or more of the frames for transmission to the remote device;generate a block acknowledgement request including the transmit sequence indicator, the block acknowledgement request having the transmit sequence indicator of a transmitted block; andreceive a block acknowledgement from the remote device, the block acknowledgement including at least one of the transmit sequence indicators, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a transmitter including a transmitter input and a transmitter output, the transmitter input coupled to the memory, one or more frames from the output of the memory transmitted on the transmitter output. 18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a message generator including a message generator input and a message generator output, the message generator input coupled to the processor, a message delivered on the message generator output, and wherein the transmitter input is further coupled to the message generator output, the message of the message generator output transmitted on the transmitter output. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a receiver including a receiver input and a receiver output, receiving a message on the receiver input, the receiver output coupled to the processor. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to process a received block acknowledgement in accordance with a received transmit sequence indicator. 21. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote device;means for associating a frame sequence identifier with each of the plurality of frames, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames;means for generating a plurality of transmit sequence indicators, each transmit sequence indicator associated with one of a plurality of blocks, each block comprising two or more of the frames for transmission to the remote device; andmeans for transmitting at least one block and at least one block acknowledgement request, the block acknowledgement request having the transmit sequence indicator of a transmitted block; andmeans for receiving a block acknowledgement from the remote device, the block acknowledgement including at least one of the transmit sequence indicators, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising means for storing a transmit sequence indicator in a transmitter queue. 23. An apparatus comprising: a receiver having a receiver input and a receiver output, the receiver receiving:a first plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames being associated with a frame sequence identifier, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames;a first transmit sequence indicator associated with the first plurality of frames on the receiver input; anda block acknowledgement request from a remote device, the block acknowledgement request including at least one transmit sequence indicator associated with a plurality of transmitted blocks, each block comprising two or more frames;a decoder having a decoder input coupled to the receiver output and a decoder output;a message generator having a message generator input coupled to the decoder output and a message generator output, a message comprising the received first transmit sequence indicator and a block acknowledgment of the first plurality of frames, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks, in accordance with the decoder output delivered on the message generator output; anda transmitter having a transmitter input coupled to the message generator output and a transmitter output, the message of the message generator output transmitted on the transmitter output. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein one or more of the plurality of frames are aggregated into one or more aggregated frames. 25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the receiver further receives one or more previous transmit sequence indicators and one or more associated previous pluralities of frames, and wherein the message comprises block acknowledgment of the previous pluralities of frames in addition to the first plurality of frames. 26. A method comprising: receiving from a remote station:a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames being associated with a frame sequence identifier, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames; anda transmit sequence indicator associated with a plurality of received blocks, each block comprising two or more of the received plurality of frames;decoding the plurality of frames;determining a positive or negative acknowledgement for each of the plurality of frames in response to a block acknowledgement request having at least one transmit sequence indicator associated with the transmitted blocks;generating a message comprising the determined positive or negative acknowledgment for each of the plurality of frames and the transmit sequence indicator associated with the received plurality of frames; andtransmitting the message to the remote station. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the transmit sequence indicator is included in the block acknowledgement request. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the block acknowledgement request is implicit in receiving a transmit sequence indicator subsequent to a received frame. 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the message comprises a bit field, each bit in the bit field indicating the positive or negative acknowledgement for each of the plurality of frames. 30. An apparatus comprising: a receiver receiving:one or more pluralities of frames, each of the frames of the one or more pluralities of frames being associated with a frame sequence identifier, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames, wherein the pluralities of frames are grouped in blocks, each block having a transmit sequence indicator and comprising two or more frames: andat least one block and at least one block acknowledgement request having one or more associated transmit sequence indicators;a transmitter transmitting a block acknowledging message; andmeans for generating the block acknowledging message comprising the positive or negative acknowledgement for at least one of the one or more pluralities of frames and the transmit sequence indicator associated with the latest received plurality of frames for which positive or negative acknowledgment is provided in the block acknowledgement message. 31. Computer readable media operable to perform the following steps: receiving a plurality of frames for transmission to a remote device;associating a frame sequence identifier with each of the plurality of frames, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames;generating a plurality of transmit sequence indicators, each transmit sequence indicator associated with one of a plurality of blocks, each block comprising two or more of the frames for transmission to the remote device;transmitting at least one block and at least one block acknowledgement request, the block acknowledgement request having the transmit sequence indicator of a transmitted block; andreceiving a block acknowledgement from the remote device, the block acknowledgement including at least one of the transmit sequence indicators, indicating receipt of each of the frames associated with the transmitted blocks. 32. Computer readable media operable to perform the following steps: receiving from a remote station:a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames being associated with a frame sequence identifier, each frame sequence identifier being different for each of the plurality of frames; anda block acknowledgement request having at least one transmit sequence indicator associated with a received plurality of blocks, each block comprising two or more of the received plurality of frames;decoding the plurality of frames;determining a positive or negative acknowledgement for each of the plurality of frames;generating a message comprising the determined positive or negative block acknowledgment for each for each of the plurality of frames and the transmit sequence indicator associated with the received plurality of frames; andtransmitting the message to the remote station.