Method and system for transmitting and receiving packets

A system comprising:

• a transmitter which transmits a plurality of packets each containing a header;
• a receiver which receives the transmitted plurality of packets;
• and wherein
• the transmitter transmits a current packet to the receiver containing information that the transmitter is prepared to send subsequently transmitted packets in which the headers therein are to be compressed in comparison to the current packet and the receiver transmits an acknowledgment packet that the receiver has received the current packet;
• and wherein
• the header of the current packet is one of a full header or a first order compressed header;
• and
• the compressed header of the subsequently transmitted packets is a second order compressed header.

In a system having a transmitter transmitting a plurality of packets each containing a header to a receiver, a method of synchronizing transmission of first order compressed headers between the transmitter and receiver comprising:

• transmitting a current packet to the receiver containing a first order compression header with a number of the current packet in the plurality of packets being coded by an extended sequence number having I bits;
• in response to reception of the current packet containing the first order header, transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment packet that the receiver has received the current packet containing the first order compressed header;
• and
• in response to reception of the acknowledgment packet, the transmitter transmits subsequent packets each containing a sequence number having non-extended sequence number having K bits with I>k.

A system comprising:

• a transmitter which transmits a plurality of packets each containing a header;
• and
• a receiver which receives the plurality of packets each containing a header;
• and wherein
• a current packet is transmitted by the transmitter to the receiver containing a first order compression header with a number of the plurality of packets being coded by a multiple bit sequence number, in response to reception of the current packet containing the first order header the receiver transmits to the transmitter an acknowledgment packet that the receiver has received the current packet containing the first order compressed header and the transmitter in response to reception of the acknowledgment packet transmits subsequent packets each containing a sequence number in the plurality of packets having a reduced number of bits compared to a number of bits in the sequence number of the current packet.

In a system having a transmitter which transmits a plurality of packets to a receiver, each of the packets containing a header, a method of maintaining sequence synchronization during transmission of packets having compressed headers between the transmitter and the receiver comprising:

• initiating transmission of packets having compressed headers by transmitting from the transmitter to the receiver a packet having a full header;
• transmitting from the transmitter to the receiver, subsequent to transmission of the packet having the full header, packets having compressed headers, each compressed header containing information related to the full header of the packet having a full header;
• and
• periodically transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment packet indicating that the packets having the compressed headers have been received.

A method of reducing a number of bits contained in headers of a sequence of transmitted data packets comprising:

• transmitting at least one sequence of data packets from a transmitter to a receiver with each sequence containing at least one packet containing a full header followed by at least one packet containing a compressed header having fewer bits than the full header;
• in response to one of the data packets received by the receiver containing a full header transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment that the receiver has received the one data packet containing the full header;
• and
• in response to the receiving of the acknowledgment by the transmitter, transmitting at least one subsequent data packet from the transmitter to the receiver with a header which is further compressed beyond the compression of the at least one header in the at least one sequence.

A method of reducing a number of bits contained in headers of a sequence of transmitted packets comprising:

• transmitting at least one sequence of packets from a transmitter to a receiver with each sequence containing at least one packet containing a first header followed by at least one packet containing a second header which is compressed by having fewer bits than the first header;
• in response to one of the packets received by the receiver containing the first header transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment that the receiver has received the one packet containing the first header;
• and
• in response to the receiving of the acknowledgment by the transmitter, transmitting at least one subsequent packet from the transmitter to the receiver with a third header which is further compressed beyond the compression of the second compressed header.

A method of reducing a number of bits contained in headers of a sequence of transmitted packets comprising:

• transmitting at least one sequence of packets from a transmitter to a receiver with each sequence containing at least one packet containing a full header or a first order compressed header followed by at least one packet containing a compressed header having fewer bits than the full header or a first order compressed header;
• and
• in response to one of the packets received by the receiver containing a full header or a first order compressed header transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment that the receiver has received the one packet containing the full header;
• and wherein
• the compressed header of the subsequently transmitted packets is a second order compressed header.

A method of transmitting headers from a compressor to a decompressor comprising:

• transmitting at least one packet from a compressor to a decompressor;
• in response to receiving the at least one packet at the decompressor transmitting at least one feedback to the compressor signalling that the decompressor has received the at least one packet;
• and
• in response to the feedback, the compressor transmits at least one additional packet to the decompressor which has a smaller number of bits in a header of the at least one additional packet than a number of bits of a header in the at least one packet.

A method of transmitting headers from a compressor to a decompressor comprising:

• transmitting a plurality of packets from a compressor to a decompressor;
• in response to receiving at least one packet at the decompressor, transmitting at least one feedback to the compressor signalling that the decompressor has received at least one of the plurality of packets;
• and
• transmitting at least one additional packet from the compressor to the decompressor which has a smaller number of bits in a header of the at least one additional packet than a number of bits of a header in the at least one packet when whichever first occurs of
• (1) a transmission of a predetermined number of packets of the at least one packet, or
• (2) reception of the at least one feedback.

In a system having a transmitter which transmits a plurality of packets to a receiver, each of the packets containing a header, a method of maintaining sequence synchronization during transmission of packets having compressed headers between the transmitter and the receiver comprising:

• initiating transmission of packets having headers by transmitting from the transmitter to the receiver a packet having a header;
• transmitting from the transmitter to the receiver, subsequent to transmission of the packet having the header, packets having compressed headers, each compressed header containing information related to the header of the packet;
• and
• nonperiodically transmitting from the receiver to the transmitter an acknowledgment packet indicating that the packets having the compressed headers have been received.