US 2,006,251,105 · Filed 2006-02-07

Samsung's Fix for Mobile Networks That Keep Asking 'Did You Get That?'

Imagine sending a text message, but the last character keeps getting lost in transmission, so your phone keeps resending it over and over. This patent solves that problem by forcing the last packet to be sent twice automatically, so the receiver can confirm it got everything and stop asking for retransmits.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a method for reducing retransmission delays in mobile networks by breaking incoming data into smaller packets, marking the final packet with a special 'poll bit' flag that requests a status confirmation, and then automatically sending that last packet at least twice without waiting for a retransmission request. What's protected here is both the technique of marking and the repeated transmission strategy to ensure the receiver acknowledges completion of the full message.

Why it matters

In early 2000s mobile networks, lost packets at the end of a transmission could trigger endless cycles of retransmission requests, slowing down data and wasting bandwidth. By guaranteeing the final packet arrives and is acknowledged, Samsung's method reduces these delays and improves overall network efficiency. This type of optimization became increasingly important as mobile data speeds and volumes grew.

Real-world use

When you download a file on an older mobile network and the connection stutters, this patent's logic helps ensure the final chunk of data arrives and is confirmed without you having to manually retry the entire download.

Original USPTO abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for reducing excessive retransmission delays which may occur due to the loss of the last packet of a transmission buffer in a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of a mobile communication system. The method includes receiving a Service Data Unit (SDU) from a higher layer, dividing the SDU into a plurality of Packet Data Units (PDUs), and storing the PDUs in a buffer, setting a poll bit for a last PDU from among the PDUs stored in the buffer, the poll bit requesting a status report, and repeatedly transmitting the last PDU having the setup poll bit at least twice from a sender to a receiver, regardless of whether there is a request for retransmission of the last PDU.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,006,251,105
Filing date: 2006-02-07
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Inventor(s): KIM SOENG-HUN, LEE KOOK-HEUI, JEONG KYEONG-IN, KWAK NO-JUN
CPC class: A47J37/049

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