Patent ID: 6578082
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
A distributed flow control method for controlling flow of data between multiple sources and a single destination within a GPRS network, said method comprising the steps of:using a leaky bucket flow control mechanism having a leaky bucket with a maximum bucket size and a bucket leak rate at each respective one of the multiple sources for controlling the flow of the data from the multiple sources to the single destination, estimating a traffic availability for the leaky bucket at each of the multiple sources for a next time interval based on arrival and queuing behaviors of each of the multiple sources, determining a total traffic availability for the next time interval by collecting and totaling a traffic availability from each of the multiple sources, allowing an additional data frame to be sent to the single destination from those of the multiple sources at which the leaky bucket will not overflow based on the estimated traffic availability after sending the additional data frame in the next time interval, prohibiting an additional data frame from being sent to the single destination from those of the multiple sources at which the leaky bucket will overflow based on the estimated traffic availability after sending the additional data frame in the next time interval, and at each of those multiple sources sending an additional data frame, adding a number of bytes of data to the leaky bucket equal to a size of the additional data frame multiplied by a respective leaky bucket multiplier greater than 1, wherein the respective leaky bucket multiplier of each source is calculated based upon said total traffic availability for the next time interval.