US6044406A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Credit-based flow control checking and correction method
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1997-04-08
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Granted: 2000-03-28
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Expires: 2017-04-08
Abstract
Abstract A credit-based flow control checking scheme is presented for controlling data communications in a closed loop system comprising a sender, a receiver and a link coupling the sender and receiver. The credit-based scheme includes automatically periodically transmitting a credit query from the receiver to the sender and upon return receipt of a credit acknowledge containing the available credit count maintained by the sender, determining whether credit gain or credit loss has occurred subsequent to initialization of the closed loop system. Along with automatically determining whether credit gain or credit loss has occurred, a method/system is presented for automatically correcting the loss or gain without requiring resetting of the closed loop system.
Inventors
- 👤 Kathy Sue Barkey
- 👤 Carl Alfred Bender
- 👤 Derrick Leroy Garmire
- 👤 Harold Edgar Roman
- 👤 Daniel Gerard Smyth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 00:25
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5629; H04L2012/5631; H04L2012/5632; H04L2012/5635; H04L2012/5636
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
155 words
A credit-based method for controlling data communications in a closed loop system between a sender and a receiver coupled by a link, said method comprising: (a) allocating a specified number of credits to said sender in an available credit count, a credit manifesting a portion of memory space in said receiver reserved to store a data segment received from said sender; (b) transmitting a data segment across the link from the sender to the receiver and decrementing the available credit count at the sender for the transmitted data segment; (c) returning a credit from the receiver to the available credit count of the sender with each data segment received and consumed at the receiver; and (d) automatically periodically checking the number of credits in the closed loop system to ascertain whether credit loss or credit gain has occurred, said credit loss or credit gain potentially affecting control of data communications within the closed loop system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
155 words
A credit-based method for controlling data communications in a closed loop system between a sender and a receiver coupled by a link, said method comprising: (a) allocating a specified number of credits to said sender in an available credit count, a credit manifesting a portion of memory space in said receiver reserved to store a data segment received from said sender; (b) transmitting a data segment across the link from the sender to the receiver and decrementing the available credit count at the sender for the transmitted data segment; (c) returning a credit from the receiver to the available credit count of the sender with each data segment received and consumed at the receiver; and (d) automatically periodically checking the number of credits in the closed loop system to ascertain whether credit loss or credit gain has occurred, said credit loss or credit gain potentially affecting control of data communications within the closed loop system.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The credit-based method of claim 1, wherein said automatically periodically checking (d) comprises ascertaining a number of credits in the available credit count of the sender and comparing the available credit count of the sender to a credit in sender count maintained at the receiver, any difference comprising said credit loss or credit gain.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The credit-based method of claim 2, wherein said automatically periodically checking (d) includes transmitting the number of credits available in the available credit count of the sender to the receiver for comparison with the credit in sender count maintained at the receiver.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
164 words
The credit-based method of claim 1, wherein said automatically periodically checking (d) comprises: transmitting a credit query from the receiver to the sender and storing a number of credits not accounted for at the receiver in a shadow credit count, said number of credits not accounted for comprising the specified number of credits of said allocating step (a) less a number of credits corresponding to unconsumed data segments in the receiver; sending a credit acknowledge from the sender to the receiver in response to the credit query, said credit acknowledge including a number of credits in the available credit count of the sender at the time of transmission of the credit acknowledge; decrementing the shadow credit count at the receiver with receipt of each data segment subsequent to transmission of the credit query until receipt of the credit acknowledge; and determining whether there is a difference between the shadow credit count and the available credit count of the sender received with the credit acknowledge.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
The credit-based method of claim 4, wherein said sending of the credit acknowledge and number of credits in the available credit count from the sender to the receiver occurs immediately upon receipt of the credit query at the sender.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
The credit-based method of claim 1, wherein said automatically periodically checking (d) further comprises verifying that the number of credits in the closed loop system is within a range defined by a predefined acceptable credit loss from the specified number of credits of said allocating step (a) and a predefined acceptable credit gain from the specified number of credits.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The credit-based method of claim 6, further comprising resetting the closed loop system if the credit loss or credit gain exceed the predefined acceptable credit loss and predefined acceptable credit gain, respectively.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
The credit-based method of claim 6, further comprising automatically correcting for credit gain or credit loss within the closed loop system to bring the number of credits in the system back to the specified number of credits of said preallocating step (a), wherein said automatically correcting is accomplished without resetting the closed loop system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
152 words
The credit-based method of claim 8, further comprising: if credit loss is ascertained by said automatically periodically checking (d), then storing said credit loss in an extra credit count at the receiver, while if credit gain is ascertained by said automatically periodically checking (d), then storing said credit gain in a withhold credit count at the receiver; wherein if the receiver does not consume a data segment in a cycle, then determining whether the extra credit count is greater than zero, and if so, decrementing the extra credit count and sending a credit from the receiver to the sender; and wherein if the receiver does consume a data segment in a cycle, determining whether the withhold credit count is greater than zero, and if so, decrementing the withhold credit count and blocking return of a credit from the receiver to the available credit count of the sender of said returning step (c).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
110 words
The credit-based method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining at the receiver a credit in receiver count and a credit in sender count, said credit in sender count initially containing the specified number of credits of said allocating step (a), and wherein said method further comprises incrementing the credit in receiver count upon receipt of a data segment and decrementing the credit in sender count upon receipt of the data segment, and wherein said method further comprises decrementing the credit in receiver count upon consumption of a data segment from the receiver and incrementing the credit in sender count with return of a credit from the receiver to the sender.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-03-28 | 2003-09-27 | 2004-03-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-03-28 | 2007-09-27 | 2008-03-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-03-28 | 2011-09-27 | 2012-03-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |