Scheduling best effort traffic with guaranteed latency traffic in a communications system having a bluetooth-like packet communication protocol

An apparatus for allocating time frames for performance of transactions of a low latency data stream and transactions of a best effort data stream in a communication equipment, wherein each transaction comprises transmission of a packet and receipt of status information indicating whether the transmission of the packet was successful, wherein payload carrying packets of the low latency data stream and of the best effort data stream are of the same size and each occupies a plurality of time frames, and wherein transmission of any packet in the low latency data stream must begin in a frame that has been allocated for use by the low latency data stream but continues into successive time frames as needed to complete the transmission regardless of whether the successive time frames are allocated to the low latency data stream, and wherein transmission of any packet in the best effort data stream must begin in a frame that has been allocated for use by the best effort data stream but continues into successive time frames as needed to complete the transmission regardless of whether the successive time frames are allocated to the best effort data stream, the method comprising:

• circuitry configured to individually allocate every one of a plurality of time frames within a window of successive time frames for use by the low latency data stream or by the best effort data stream;
• and
• circuitry configured to allocate a plurality of time frames immediately following the window of successive time frames for use as a guard space between the window of successive time frames and a next occurring window of successive time frames, wherein the time frames of the guard space are neither allocated for use by the low latency data stream nor by the best effort data stream,
• wherein:
• the window of successive time frames consists of an initial set of time frames first followed by an intermediate set of time frames and then by a final set of time frames,
• wherein:
• the initial set of time frames comprises a plurality of one or more initial groups of time frames that are all allocated for use by the low latency data stream, wherein each initial group of time frames consists of a minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream;
• the intermediate set of time frames consists of a plurality of intermediate groups of time frames, wherein each intermediate group of time frames consists of an initial intermediate time frame allocated for use by the low latency data stream and followed by one or more other intermediate time frames allocated for use by the best effort data stream and numbering one less than the minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream;
• and
• the final set of time frames consists of one time frame allocated for use by the low latency data stream followed by one time frame allocated for use by the best effort data stream;
• and
• the guard space comprises a number of time frames that is one less than the minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream.

A nontransitory processor readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of allocating time frames for performance of transactions of a low latency data stream and transactions of a best effort data stream in a communication equipment, wherein each transaction comprises transmission of a packet and receipt of status information indicating whether the transmission of the packet was successful, wherein payload carrying packets of the low latency data stream and of the best effort data stream are of the same size and each occupies a plurality of time frames, and wherein transmission of any packet in the low latency data stream must begin in a frame that has been allocated for use by the low latency data stream but continues into successive time frames as needed to complete the transmission regardless of whether the successive time frames are allocated to the low latency data stream, and wherein transmission of any packet in the best effort data stream must begin in a frame that has been allocated for use by the best effort data stream but continues into successive time frames as needed to complete the transmission regardless of whether the successive time frames are allocated to the best effort data stream, the method comprising:

• individually allocating every one of a plurality of time frames within a window of successive time frames for use by the low latency data stream or by the best effort data stream;
• and
• allocating a plurality of time frames immediately following the window of successive time frames for use as a guard space between the window of successive time frames and a next occurring window of successive time frames, wherein the time frames of the guard space are neither allocated for use by the low latency data stream nor by the best effort data stream,
• wherein:
• the window of successive time frames consists of an initial set of time frames first followed by an intermediate set of time frames and then by a final set of time frames,
• wherein:
• the initial set of time frames comprises a plurality of one or more initial groups of time frames that are all allocated for use by the low latency data stream, wherein each initial group of time frames consists of a minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream;
• the intermediate set of time frames consists of a plurality of intermediate groups of time frames, wherein each intermediate group of time frames consists of an initial intermediate time frame allocated for use by the low latency data stream and followed by one or more other intermediate time frames allocated for use by the best effort data stream and numbering one less than the minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream;
• and
• the final set of time frames consists of one time frame allocated for use by the low latency data stream followed by one time frame allocated for use by the best effort data stream;
• and
• the guard space comprises a number of time frames that is one less than the minimum number of time frames required to perform one transaction involving a payload carrying packet of the low latency data stream.