Patent ID: 8416685
Filing Date: 2013-04-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for scheduling network communications in a managed network having a Network Coordinator and a plurality of associated network nodes, the method comprising: a) allocating a predetermined amount of bandwidth to parameterized quality of service (PQoS) requests; b) receiving in the Network Coordinator a plurality of PQoS requests from at least one of the plurality of associated network nodes requesting assignment of a transmission slot in a communication window, at least some of the requests including a latency tolerance parameter indicating the amount of delay that can be tolerated before a transmission slot must be assigned; and c) assigning transmission slots in response to each request if there is sufficient bandwidth reserved for PQoS requests to allow all of the received PQoS requests to be assigned a transmission slot and otherwise assigning slots in accordance with a hierarchy in which those PQoS requests that do not include a latency parameter are assigned slots first; wherein at least one of the requests that include a latency tolerance parameter also include a maximum aggregation amount parameter to indicate when the maximum aggregation amount has been reached and assigning transmission slots to the requests that have reached the maximum aggregation amount.