Multiplex communications – Channel assignment techniques – Combining or distributing information via time channels...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-01
2001-06-26
Rao, Scema S. (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Channel assignment techniques
Combining or distributing information via time channels...
C370S348000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252886
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to techniques for implementing electronic networks, and relates more particularly to a method for implementing bandwidth reservation in an electronic network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Implementing an effective method for managing electronic devices within an electronic network is a significant consideration for manufacturers and designers of contemporary electronic systems. An electronic device in a distributed electronic network may advantageously cooperate with other electronic devices in the network to share and substantially increase the resources available to individual devices in the network. For example, an electronic network may be implemented in a user's home to enable flexible and beneficial sharing of resources between various consumer electronic devices, such as personal computers, digital video disk devices, digital set-top boxes for digital broadcasting, television sets, and audio playback systems.
Managing a network of electronic devices may create substantial challenges for designers of electronic networks. For example, enhanced demands for increased functionality and performance may require more system processing power and require additional hardware resources across the network. An increase in processing or hardware requirements may also result in a corresponding detrimental economic impact due to increased production costs and operational inefficiencies.
Network size is also a factor that affects the management of devices in an electronic network. Communications in an electronic network typically become more complex as the number of individual devices or nodes increases. Assume that a particular device on an electronic network is defined as a local device with local software elements, and other devices on the electronic network are defined as remote devices with remote software elements. Accordingly, a local software module on the local device may need to cooperate with various remote software elements on remote devices across the electronic network. However, successfully managing a substantial number of electronic devices across a single network may provide significant benefits to a system user.
Furthermore, enhanced device capability to perform various advanced functions may provide additional benefits to a system user, but may also place increased demands on the control and management of the various devices in the electronic network. For example, an enhanced electronic network that effectively accesses, processes, and displays digital television programming may benefit from efficient network communication techniques because of the large amount and complexity of the digital data involved.
Therefore, for all the foregoing reasons, implementing an efficient method for managing electronic devices in a distributed electronic network remains a significant consideration for designers, manufacturers, and users of contemporary electronic systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a method is disclosed for implementing bandwidth reservation in an electronic network. In one embodiment, the invention preferably comprises a method for bandwidth management on a network and on the connection plugs of all devices to prevent overload of the network and of the devices connected thereto. The present invention to reserve bandwidth for a communication of at least two nodes connected to each other via a network comprising a resource manager includes a node that prepares a new connection starts a request, if each of the nodes that are planned to participate at the new connection has enough resources to participate at said new connection, and requests the needed network bandwidth with the resource manager.
According to the present invention, every plug has to check if the received bandwidth overloads the device or not, and the network bandwidth for the bus is requested. The various transmission speeds on the bus and the various data rates a node connected to the bus is able to sink or send maximal with the transmission speed of the node are respectively handled by a management system that has an easy access to the needed information. So every plug, e.g. node, connected to the bus and planned to participate at a new connection knows its possibilities to sink or send various data rates maximal with its possible transmission speed and knows its remaining capacity.
On the other hand, the resource manager is able to decide if a certain connection on the bus itself is possible or not. With first registering a planned new connection at each plug that is planned to participate, the resource manager is held free of unnecessary registration traffic for the case that the network has enough capacity to allow a new communication, but at least one of the nodes participating is fully loaded, i.e. can not handle the planned new connection any more. On the other hand, when the requests are performed vice versa, registering of the needed bandwidth at each plug can be omitted when the network bandwidth for the new connection requested with the recource manager is not available.
According to the present invention, the plug traffic of every node may be registered so that it can be checked during the preparation of a new connection. In the shown embodiment, every plug stores the information it needs to identify a communication itself. The numbers shown in this example represent the bandwidth that is used by a communication or is free on the bus, e. g. 50 Mbit/s. The following data has to be stored at/for every node: the total ability to sink or/and receive, the outgoing communications, and the incoming communications. Therefore, it is possible for every plug, i.e. node or device, to check whether an additional communication is possible or not.
In one embodiment, the present invention facilitates the setup of a new connection between at least two nodes in a network, while preventing the overload of individual nodes, and the overload of the network bus, or a radio network. The present invention is implemented through the use of a plug traffic list for each node to indicate the total capability to sink and/or receive, the outgoing communications, and the incoming communications. The invention also preferably includes a bus traffic list to indicate the load of the network bus.
According to the present invention, a node that wishes to establish a new communication preferably first determines whether all nodes that are planned to participate in the new connection have enough capacity to handle the additional plug traffic, whereafter the capacity of the network bus is checked. If any involved node or the network bus does not possess enough capacity, it is possible for the node that seeks the new connection to pre-empt other connections. The present invention functions on networks that support various transmission speeds between two communication partners. The present invention thus efficiently and effectively implements bandwidth reservation in an electronic network.
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Gibbs Simon J.
Schwager Andreas
Koerner Gregory J.
Nguyen Brian
Rao Scema S.
Simon & Koerner LLP
Sony Corporation
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