METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING DATA PACKETS IN A PACKET DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

A packet data communication system (100) employs a method and apparatus for conveying data packets in the packet data communication system. A first communication device (101) transmits, at a first time, a first group of data packets and, at a second time prior to receiving an acknowledgment of receipt of the first group, a second group of data packets to a second communication device (105). Each data packet of the two groups includes a respective packet sequence number and the second group includes at least some data packets of the first group. The first communication device stores in memory the packet sequence numbers of the data packets in each group together with a group identifier for their respective group. Upon receiving the first group, the second group, or both, the second communication device transmits an acknowledgment of receipt of at least one of the groups, wherein the acknowledgment includes at least a receive tracking number. Upon receiving the acknowledgment, the first communication device determines which group of data packets the received acknowledgment corresponds to based at least on the receive tracking number. The first communication device then transmits a third group of data packets to the second communication device based on which group the acknowledgment corresponds to.