Method and apparatus for acknowledging TCP data packets
US5961605A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 5, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 6, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/326
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A data communication network includes a network access unit for coupling one or more computer devices to the network. The network typically has asymmetric upstream and downstream data transmission rates. The network access device implements a method for acknowledging data packets. When a new packet is received by the network access unit from one of the computer devices, the new packet is placed in an outbound queue in the network access unit. When the new packet contains an acknowledgment, previous acknowledgment packets in the outbound queue that have the same source and destination addresses as the new packet are identified and discarded. Remaining packets are transmitted from the outbound queue in the network access unit. By discarding acknowledgment packets in the network access unit, throughput is increased.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.