Access line bonding and splitting methods and apparatus

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for aggregating communication channels. In one exemplary embodiment an aggregation device is required only on one side of the set of communication channels being aggregated. Advantageously, no modifications to the source and/or destination of data transfers are required for operation of the invention. In one embodiment utilized for data transfers in the downstream direction, object download requests can be fulfilled by sending a sequence of partial download requests through the set of communication channels being aggregated, and forwarding the resulting partial data objects received to the original requestor in the proper order. In another embodiment utilized for upstream data transfers, traffic is bifurcated to travel along a set of communication channels, and the bifurcated traffic is reassembled either at the network layer or the transport layer.

1 .- 32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . An aggregation device comprising:
 a processing apparatus configured to receive a request for data via a first communication interface;   the processing apparatus configured to determine an attribute associated with the requested data in order to determine whether the requested data exceeds a predetermined criterion; and   when the attribute associated with the requested data exceeds the predetermined criterion, the processing apparatus is configured to:
 generate a plurality of data requests for portions of the requested data; 
 send a first subset of the generated data requests over a first network interface; and 
 send a second subset of the generated data requests over a second network interface. 
   
     
     
         34 . The aggregation device of  claim 33 , wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to:
 generate additional subsets of the generated data requests; and   send one or more of the additional subsets over the first network interface or the second network interface, depending upon the completion of the first subset of the generated data requests or the completion of the second subset of the generated data requests over the first network interface or the second network interface, respectively.   
     
     
         35 . The aggregation device of  claim 34 , wherein the first subset of the generated data and the second subset of the generated data comprise identical redundant data requests. 
     
     
         36 . The aggregation device of  claim 33 , wherein the first subset of the generated data and the second subset of the generated data comprise identical redundant data requests. 
     
     
         37 . The aggregation device of  claim 36 , wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to receive the requested redundant data over the first network interface and receive the requested redundant data over the second network interface; and
 wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to discard either the redundant portion received on the first network interface or the redundant portion received on the second network interface depending upon an evaluated criterion.   
     
     
         38 . The aggregation device of  claim 37 , wherein the evaluated criterion comprises a time of arrival for the redundant portion received on the first network interface and a time of arrival for the redundant portion received on the second network interface. 
     
     
         39 . The aggregation device of  claim 38 , wherein the processing apparatus discards a later arriving one of the redundant portion received on the first network interface and the redundant portion received on the second network interface. 
     
     
         40 . The aggregation device of  claim 33 , wherein the first network interface operates according to a cellular communication protocol and the second network interface operates according to a WiFi communication protocol. 
     
     
         41 . The aggregation device of  claim 34 , wherein the first network interface operates according to a cellular communication protocol and the second network interface operates according to a WiFi communication protocol. 
     
     
         42 . The aggregation device of  claim 36 , wherein the first network interface operates according to a cellular communication protocol and the second network interface operates according to a WiFi communication protocol. 
     
     
         43 . A method of aggregating data, comprising:
 receiving a request for data via a first data communication interface;   determining an attribute associated with the requested data;   determining whether the attribute associated with the requested data exceeds a threshold; and   when the attribute associated with the requested data exceeds the threshold:
 generating a plurality of data requests for the requested data; 
 sending a first subset of the generated data requests over a first network interface; and 
 sending a second subset of the generated data requests over a second network interface. 
   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 determining whether the requested data is divisible into a plurality of portions of the requested data; and   when the requested data is divisible, sending individual ones of the plurality of portions of the requested data over either the first or the second network interfaces.   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising receiving a plurality of portions of the requested data via the first and the second network interfaces, the receiving of the requested data comprising balancing a respective load of the requested data received via the first and the second network interfaces. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the balancing of the respective load of the requested data via the first and the second network interfaces comprises:
 determining whether a transmission time associated with a given portion of the plurality of portions of the requested data exceeds a threshold;   when the transmission time exceeds the threshold, sending a request for the given portion to be received over another network interface.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the balancing of the respective load of the requested data received via the first and the second network interfaces comprises discarding a given portion of the plurality of portions of the requested data based on an integrity of data corresponding to the given portion. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein when the attribute associated with the requested data does not exceed the predetermined criterion, sending a data request for the requested data over either the first or the second network interface. 
     
     
         49 . A non-transitory computer-readable apparatus comprising a computer program having a plurality of instructions associated therewith, the plurality of instructions being configured to, when executed by a processor apparatus, cause the processor apparatus to:
 receive a request for data via a first communication interface;   determine an attribute associated with the requested data in order to determine whether the attribute exceeds a predetermined threshold; and   when the attribute exceeds the predetermined threshold:
 generate a request for a first portion of the requested data; 
 generate a request for a second portion of the requested data; 
 send the request for the first portion of the data over a first network interface; 
 send the request for the second portion of the requested data over a second network interface. 
   
     
     
         50 . The non-transitory computer-readable apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processing apparatus, is further configured to:
 receive a first portion and a second portion of the requested data in an out of order sequence;   buffer the received first portion and the received second portion of the requested data in a storage apparatus; and   present the buffered first and second portions of the requested data in an ordered sequence.   
     
     
         51 . The non-transitory computer-readable apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the attribute associated with the requested data comprises a size of the requested data. 
     
     
         52 . The non-transitory computer-readable apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processing apparatus, is further configured to:
 receive the first portion redundantly over both the first and the second network interfaces; and   receive the second portion redundantly over both the first and the second network interfaces.