Stateless Transport Protocol with Confirmation for IoT

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current protocols for data transmission in the Internet of Things (IoT) face challenges in resource efficiency, with TCP being too resource-intensive and UDP lacking confirmation mechanisms, leading to suboptimal performance in low-powered wireless connectivity scenarios where minimal signaling and reliable message delivery are crucial.

Innovation Solution

A stateless transport protocol with confirmation (SLPwC) that encapsulates data units in datagrams or jumbograms, allowing for timely acknowledgment messages to be sent on the same transport layer, minimizing signaling effort and resource usage by retransmitting only upon timeout, and using a compact protocol header with message ID and checksum for confirmation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If TCP protocol is used for data transmission, then reliable message delivery is achieved, but resource consumption (processor load, memory usage, battery utilization) increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage delivery reliabilityVSAvoidbattery utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential confirmation mechanism from TCP and integrates it into UDP. The acknowledgment message system is separated from the full TCP protocol stack, allowing devices to get reliable delivery confirmation without the overhead of complete TCP handshaking, state management, and flow control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The confirmation mechanism operates autonomously at the transport layer without requiring application layer intervention. The system automatically sends acknowledgment messages when data is received and handles retransmission logic without burdening the application with complex error handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Use of energy by moving object

If UDP protocol is used for data transmission, then resource consumption is minimized, but confirmation of message delivery is not provided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery utilizationVSAvoidmessage delivery confirmation
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the lightweight structure of UDP with the confirmation capability of TCP. The hybrid protocol maintains UDP's simplicity and low overhead while incorporating TCP-style acknowledgment messages to provide delivery confirmation, creating a protocol that exhibits properties of both parent protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If acknowledgment messages are sent on different network layers, then protocol compatibility is maintained, but signaling effort and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol compatibilityVSAvoidsignaling effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent moves the confirmation mechanism from the network layer to the transport layer, creating a new dimension for protocol operation. This allows acknowledgment messages to be handled at a higher layer where they can be processed more efficiently without disrupting lower layer protocols, reducing overall signaling complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3367599B1Method and system for transferring data within a layered architecture of network components
Publication Date: 2020.04.22 DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
  • EP3367599B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3367599B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2b
  • EP3367599B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a method for transferring data within a layered architecture of network components via a stateless transport protocol (12), the method comprising at least the following steps: a) encapsulating data blocks from a source host in at least one data unit specific for the stateless transport protocol (12) and sending the at least one protocol specific data unit via a network infrastructure to a destination host; and in the case that the at least one protocol specific data unit is received at the destination host: b) delivering the at least one protocol specific data unit; c) constructing an acknowledgment message on the basis of protocol header (210, 220) information of the at least one received protocol specific data unit; d) sending the acknowledgment message back to the source host; e) receiving the acknowledgment message at the source host, wherein all method steps are processed within one and the same layer. The present invention further refers to a respective apparatus and a respective system.