Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100165906 | VTS FRAME FORMAT - Methods and apparatus for transmitting a video frame in wireless local area network communications are proposed. In one aspect, a method generates and transmits an IEEE 802.11 media access control (MAC) frame containing a video transport stream (VTS) frame. The VTS frame includes a video frame and a VTS control header that includes control information with respect to the video frame. | 07-01-2010 |
20100165907 | RELIABLE AND DETERMINISTIC COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL - A reliable and deterministic video communication protocol is provided. In one aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network transmits a transmit opportunity information element to reserve a transmit opportunity time interval. The method further transmits the data, audio or video frames to a number of the stations in the basic service set during the reserved transmit opportunity time interval. In another aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network first transmits protection frames to reserve a time interval, then transmits frames during the reserved time interval or during a non-reserved time interval. In yet another aspect, a method of transmitting data, audio or video frames in a basic service set having a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network utilizes acknowledgement frames from the plurality of stations to acknowledge the transmission. A wireless communication device is also provided. | 07-01-2010 |
20100165963 | ROBUST UNICAST/BROADCAST/MULTICAST COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL - Methods and apparatus for implementing a robust unicast/broadcast/multicast protocol are provided. In one aspect, a method of avoiding collision of intra-basic service set unicast, broadcast or multicast transmissions notifies stations in the basic service set of a reserved transmit opportunity for a unicast, broadcast or multicast transmission. Transmissions from at least one station in the basic service set are deferred until after the reserved unicast, broadcast or multicast transmit opportunity. | 07-01-2010 |
20100315980 | UNIFIED CONTENTION BASED PERIOD - A unified contention based protocol is implemented in which a source station within a basic service set selects the protection methodology for data transmission on the communication medium. Utilizing EDCA as a medium access method and maintaining that each transmission opportunity has multiple slots, the source station is provided with the opportunity to select a protection methodology based on the protection environment, which enables transmission opportunity protection without direct PCP involvement. | 12-16-2010 |
20100316032 | Service Period Recovery wIth Source/Destination help - SP recovery between communications of a source and destination apart from the PCP can occur by performing, prior to the initial frame response between a source and a destination, a back-off procedure using back-off parameters for SP recovery when the initiator of a SP cannot receive a responding frame from the destination and detects the communication medium being idle. In alternative embodiments the source and/or destination can send a notification frame to the PCP informing the PCP of transmission failure. When the PCP determines the communication medium to be idle, the PCP truncates and reallocates the remaining portion of the SP. | 12-16-2010 |
20100317388 | Personal Independent Basic Service Set Cluster Resource Sharing - In a PBSS cluster environment, the beacon interval is allocated such that each PBSS in a PBSS cluster possesses its own master sub-beacon interval. Moreover, each member of the PBSS cluster can share unoccupied sub-beacon intervals. When a master PBSS fails to use its own master sub-beacon interval or the beacon intervals which are unoccupied, the available idle time within the beacon interval can be utilized by other member PBSSs in the PBSS cluster. As available or idle beacon interval time is allocated, each master PBSS retains the highest priority to its own master sub-beacon interval thus providing immediate access to a beacon interval when necessary. | 12-16-2010 |
20110274084 | PCP/STA CAPABILITY HANDOVER IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - Handover of the role of a personal basic service set coordination point (PCP) in a personal wireless area network occurs with the issuance of a PCP handover request by the existing PCP station. A response from a PCP handover capable station within the BSS includes attributes of the responding station pertinent to its ability to carry out the role of a PCP. Once a new PCP station has been identified, handover steps are undertaken to modify beacon filtering and beam-forming in other non-PCP stations within the BSS to facilitate interruption free transition from the old PCP to the new PCP. | 11-10-2011 |
20110286375 | WGA STA POWER SAVING - This invention relates to switching power saving modes and rescheduling communication frames for various periods of a beacon interval (BI) defined under WGA Draft Specification 0.8 for the personal basic service set (PBSS) and infrastructure BSS to achieve further power savings and other advantages. Stations can be awake during a contention-based period (CBP) if it is in active state and can schedule frames during a service period (SP) to allow the assigned receiver to transmit to the assigned initiator. Stations in a group can schedule a group address frame to be sent during the CBP and group SP of a specific periodic BI. Stations in peer-to-peer connection may directly notify its peer stations of its power saving mode and wakeup schedule. Stations of an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) can also use the same power saving mechanism as stations of a PBSS noting a difference where each BI will be an access point's (AP's) awake BI. | 11-24-2011 |
20120008603 | CONTENTION BASED PERIOD BEAMFORMING - Contention based period beamforming includes the establishment of synchronized communications between a beamforming initiator and a beamforming responder to precisely define a start time for beamforming training. Synchronization between the beamforming initiator and beamforming responder begins with the sending of control information to the responder so that the start of the beamforming process will be synchronized. With beamforming training synchronized, beamforming is initiated using the sector sweep process. | 01-12-2012 |
20120028573 | DIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE FOR SYSTEMS WITH STATIONS HAVING MULTIPLE ANTENNAS OR MULTIPLE ANTENNA SUBASSEMBLIES - A system includes a plurality of stations capable of communicating with each other. A station of the system may comprise multiple antenna subassemblies and a receiver coupled to the subassemblies. The station is operable to activate one or more of the subassemblies to determine a direction of a first incoming signal, and to then activate another one or more of the subassemblies to receive a second incoming signal from substantially the same direction. Alternatively, the station may comprise multiple antenna subassemblies and a receiver coupled to the subassemblies and operable to activate each of the subassemblies for a respective interval to service at least one respective transmitting station covered by the activated subassembly during the interval. | 02-02-2012 |
20120063446 | MECHANISM TO UPDATE A NAV TIMER - In a 60 Hz WGA wireless network, not all frames with the duration field are received by a STA in a WGA network because of directional antennas. Therefore, a NAV Timer cannot account for the reserved duration of the channel by only updating with the longest duration field received. A STA can receive two frames each with a source and destination addresses and update the NAV Timer by comparing the received addresses to overcome such problem. Further, a STA can receive one frame with a source and destination addresses and update the NAV Timer by comparing the received addresses with the NAVSRC and NAVDST values. | 03-15-2012 |
20120134324 | 80MHZ/160MHZ TRANSMISSION OPPORTUNITY (TXOP) PROTECTION IN 802.11ac TRANSMISSIONS - A method and apparatus for negotiating an idle subchannel set for a wireless data transmission. The method includes transmitting an indication of a first set of idle subchannels to a wireless station. The method also includes receiving an indication of a second set of idle subchannels from the wireless station. The method further includes determining a final set of idle subchannels based on the indication of the first set of idle subchannels and the indication of the second set of idle subchannels. | 05-31-2012 |
20120135776 | Method and apparatus for reducing power comsumption in a wireless communication device - A method and apparatus for conserving power in a wireless communication device. The method includes receiving at least a portion of a PHY protocol data unit (PPDU) frame, where the PPDU frame includes an aggregate MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU) field. The method also includes comparing a receiver address (RA) within the A-MPDU field to a stored address of the wireless communication device and, if the received RA does not match the stored address, causing power to be removed from one or more circuits of the wireless communication device for a calculated period of time. | 05-31-2012 |
20120157151 | TRANSMIT POWER CONTROL IN 160 MHZ BSS - Three alternative methods of controlling transmit power in a basic service set (BSS) including a plurality of stations that have successfully synchronized with an access point include providing each BSS with one transmit power limit that is not more than the lowest one of the transmit power limits of all of its operating channels, providing each BSS with one transmit power limit that is fixed for physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDU) with each channel bandwidth, or providing each BSS with one transmit power limit that is fixed for each 80 MHz channel. | 06-21-2012 |
20120163264 | MULTIPLE MAC ADDRESSES IN A DEVICE - Multiple virtual MAC addresses may be added to WGA devices that may have different traffic streams to another device that requires different services, thus creating distinct MAC and device level implications. Beamforming training can be done at the device level for all virtual MAC addresses. Wakeup, doze, and ATIM power save can be done at the device level depending on the frames received. Authentication, deauthentication, association, and deassociation can be done variously at both levels. Further MSDUs can be aggregated for the multiple MAC addresses. | 06-28-2012 |
20120315943 | SP/CBP SCHEDULE INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION - The distribution of the service period (SP) and contention-based period (CBP) scheduling information in the data transfer time (DTT) of a beacon interval (BI) defined under the WGA Draft Specification 0.8 is selectively scheduled to optimize channel access contention. STAs in a single antenna scope or groups of STAs in multiple antennas scopes is allocated to different CBPs to decrease collisions. Simultaneous CBPs is further allocated to STAs in multiple antennas scopes where STAs have peer-to-peer traffic with other STAs in the same antenna group during part of the CBP when the personal PCP/AP is unavailable to that antenna group resulting in an increase in network throughput. | 12-13-2012 |
20130155930 | SUB-1GHZ GROUP POWER SAVE - Methods and systems are disclosed for reduced power consumption in communication networks, including sensor networks implemented according to IEEE 802.11ah, by organizing stations into groups having long sleep periods. By organizing the stations of the network into groups, the access point can match each group's traffic identification map with its target beacon transmit time. One embodiment organizes the stations sequentially by AID numbers. Other embodiments organize the stations by similar power save requirements and/or nearby geographical location. Forms of an Extended Traffic Identification Map are matched with an awaken Target Beacon Transmit Time of the group. | 06-20-2013 |
20130155952 | SUB-1GHZ MAC FRAME HEADER COMPRESSION - Methods and systems are disclosed specifying the arrangement and content of the fields in data and management frames, which allow for greater payload efficiency in frame-based communication networks. The content of the fields is changed from the standard 802.11 arrangement to meet of the needs of networks such as Sub-1GHz networks, including those of the 802.11 ah standard, and sensor networks with a large number of stations transmitting at low data rates. In some embodiments, MAC header fields are reduced from standard 802.11 header fields by using only two fields for addressing and eliminating standard fields that are not used in sensor networks. | 06-20-2013 |
20130155953 | CHANNEL BANDWIDTH INDICATION AND TXOP PROTECTION - Methods and systems are disclosed for the operation of wireless communication networks, in which communication channels can have possibly overlapping bandwidths of different sizes, including sensor networks operating by the IEEE 802.11ah standard. A first method of signaling to negotiate the channel bandwidth conveys the needed information in the SIG field of the PPDUs of duplicate RTS/CTS frames, and uses the SIG field of PPDUs of duplicated data, control and management frames to perform transmit opportunity protection. A second method of signaling to negotiate the channel bandwidth conveys the needed information in the scrambling sequence field of PPDUs of duplicate RTS, and uses the scrambling sequence field of PPDUs of duplicated data, control and management frames to perform transmit opportunity protection. | 06-20-2013 |
20130176921 | VHT TXOP POWER SAVE - A wireless, specifically VHT, system that includes APs and STAs can power save during the TXOP. The AP in the system announces whether STAs in the system do SU or MU TXOP power save in a Beacon/Probe Response, and the STAs in the system transmit to the AP whether the STA is capable and willing to save power during a SU, MU, or SU+MU TXOP. For the AP, the process further involves buffering data frames for STAs that have entered doze mode until the end of TXOP. The AP further transmits to STAs a duration of TXOP in the Duration field of a RTS frame. The STA can inform the AP to enter TXOP PM mode in a bit in the HT Control field. | 07-11-2013 |
20130188522 | HIGH THROUGHPUT FEATURES IN 11S MESH NETWORKS - The addition of high throughput capability elements to beacon frames and peer link action frames in wireless mesh networks enable the utilization of desirable features without further modifications to the network. Rules can be established for high throughput mesh point protection in a mesh network, Space-time Block Code (STBC) operations and 20/40 MHz operation selections. However, features such as PSMP (power save multi-poll) and PCO (phased coexistence operations) are barred from implementation to prevent collisions. | 07-25-2013 |
20130194920 | VHT TDLS - TDLS support in VHT devices is enabled through the use of added VHT fields in the TDLS frames. A VHT TDLS direct link can be setup through a respective TDLS Setup Request/Response with added field announcing VHT Capabilities of the VHT device and the peer device. Added VHT Operation field in the TDLS Setup Confirm frame adds supports between VHT peer devices for non-VHT BSS and VHT BSS. Two VHT STAs can establish wider TDLS channel than BSS operating channel through TDLS establishment. VHT off channel support is enabled by adding Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch field in the TDLS Channel Switch Request frame and no changes to TDLS Channel Switch Response. A VHT Capabilities field is also added to TDLS Discovery Response frame to inform peer devices of device capabilities. | 08-01-2013 |
20130266136 | METHOD, SYSTEM, AND DEVICES FOR FAST SESSION TRANSFER OF WIRELESS DEVICES FROM ONE FREQUENCY BAND TO ANOTHER - Embodiments are directed to switching of stations STA, access points APs and PCPs that are communicating through a wireless link from one frequency band to another. One embodiment is directed to switching of stations STA that are communicating through a tunneled direct link setup (TDLS) link from one frequency band to another. A multiband element may be added to a TDLS discovery request and TDLS discovery response frames to allow each of the stations communications through a TDLS to determine if the other station has multiband capability. In one embodiment, a pairwise transient key (PTK) is created for both a current band in which the stations STA are communicating and a new band over which the stations may communicate in the future. In this way there is no need to calculate a new pairwise transient key PTK for the new frequency band. | 10-10-2013 |
20140029499 | SLOT-BASED POWER SAVE IMPROVEMENT - An access point (AP) associated with a several mobile stations (STAs) implements a slot-based power save poll (PS-Poll) method. The AP divides a slot-based access period into multiple time slots and allocates each time slot to either a STA determined to have slot-based PS-Poll capabilities or a STA determined to have buffered data present at the AP. The AP creates a traffic indication map (TIM) having a number of bits equal to the number of stations associated with the AP, and then transmits a beacon including the TIM. The TIM indicates to a slot-based PS-Poll capable STA which time slots are assigned to a selected set of associated stations. After receiving the beacon from the AP, the STA refrains from attempting to communicate with the AP outside the time slot assigned to the STA, yet transmits information to the AP during the time slot assigned to the STA. | 01-30-2014 |
20140029512 | SINGLE-SSID AND DUAL-SSID ENHANCEMENTS - A wireless local area network system establishes a PASSPOINT™ connection between a mobile station and a hotspot using an enhanced single SSID method or an enhanced dual SSID method. In the dual SSID method, an access point associates and authenticates a mobile device to a secondary SSID of the access point during enrollment and provisioning. After enrollment, the access point authenticates the mobile station to a primary SSID of the access point using the credential that the mobile station received from an online sign-up (“OSU”) server in connection with the secondary SSID. In the single SSID method, an access point performs two levels of authentication. During authentication, communications are limited to an 802.1x controlled port running on the mobile station and access point. After a first authentication, communications between the OSU server and the mobile station are unblocked. After the second authentication, all traffic from the mobile station is unblocked. | 01-30-2014 |
20140029597 | POWER EFFICIENT PS-POLL - A IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system of an access point (AP) and one or more stations (STAB) reduces power consumption and increases battery life of power efficient low power STAB by decreasing the amount of time that a power efficient low power STA remains in an awake state. After indicating power efficient low power operation during association with an AP supporting such operation, the power efficient low power STA may enter the doze state from the time that the power efficient low power STA sends a PS-Poll until the power efficient low power STA receives the buffered DATA frame from the AP. While implementing the power efficient PS-Poll method, the AP can send the buffered DATA frame to the STA SIFS after the AP sends an ACK to the received PS-Poll from the STA. | 01-30-2014 |
20140078949 | EARLY ENDING OF FRAME RECEPTION - An additional cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is inserted in IEEE 802.11 beacon or data frames prior to the end of the frame, at a location following information sufficient for the receiving station to determine whether the frame is from an overlapping basic service set or intended for a different station and to extract other necessary or useful information such as a time of the next full beacon. Upon detecting the CRC, the receiving STA can terminate reception of the frame early to conserve power, and then enter a low power operational mode to further conserve power. | 03-20-2014 |
20140092797 | ENHANCEMENT OF LOW POWER MEDIUM ACCESS STAs - Enhanced low power medium access (LPMA) processes involve the enhanced LPMA STA indicating low power capabilities during association and being allocated an AID. The AID(s) for one or a group of enhanced LPMA STA(s) are included in one TIM sent during a different BEACON interval than the AID(s) for another or another group of enhanced LPMA STA(s). In addition, or alternatively, the AID(s) for enhanced LPMA STA(s) are located at an edge of the AID set within a TIM, a portion of the TIM that may be easily truncated and therefore not sent. The enhanced LPMA STAs and associated access point negotiate unique offset and sleepinterval periods for polling or data uplink by the enhanced LPMA STAs. | 04-03-2014 |
20140105098 | FRAME SPECIFICATION FOR A WIRELESS NETWORK COMMUNICATION - A compressed header format is used for messages transmitted in a wireless network. The compressed header includes a first address field and a frame control field including at least one bit specifying whether the first address is for an access point of the wireless communications network. The frame control field may further include at least one additional bit identifying whether the frame is being relayed by a relay node positioned between the access point and a wireless station. The frame control field may further include at least one further bit identifying whether AID is used for the first address field. | 04-17-2014 |
20140105131 | FAST INITIAL LINK SETUP (FILS) FRAME CONTENT FOR A WIRELESS NETWORK - A wireless network access point generates a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frame for broadcast to one or more wireless stations. The wireless network access point supports many operating channels including a primary channel. The FILS discovery frame includes a data field populated with an identification of a channel number for that primary channel of the wireless network access point. The FILS discovery frame includes another data field populated with a primary channel operating class identification. The broadcast FILS discovery frame further includes data indicating whether indicating whether multiple BSSIDs are supported. An FD capability field of the FILS discovery frame includes sub-fields indicating one or more of operation channel width, PHY type of the wireless access point, number of spatial streams supported by the wireless access point and multiple BSSIDs support provided by the wireless access point. | 04-17-2014 |
20140119268 | ROBUST UNICAST/BROADCAST/MULTICAST COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL - Methods and apparatus for implementing a robust unicast/broadcast/multicast protocol are provided. In one aspect, a method of avoiding collision of intra-basic service set unicast, broadcast or multicast transmissions notifies stations in the basic service set of a reserved transmit opportunity for a unicast, broadcast or multicast transmission. Transmissions from at least one station in the basic service set are deferred until after the reserved unicast, broadcast or multicast transmit opportunity. | 05-01-2014 |
20140185510 | WGA STA POWER SAVING - This invention relates to switching power saving modes and rescheduling communication frames for various periods of a beacon interval (BI) defined under WGA Draft Specification 0.8 for the personal basic service set (PBSS) and infrastructure BSS to achieve further power savings and other advantages. Stations can be awake during a contention-based period (CBP) if it is in active state and can schedule frames during a service period (SP) to allow the assigned receiver to transmit to the assigned initiator. Stations in a group can schedule a group address frame to be sent during the CBP and group SP of a specific periodic BI. Stations in peer-to-peer connection may directly notify its peer stations of its power saving mode and wakeup schedule. Stations of an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) can also use the same power saving mechanism as stations of a PBSS noting a difference where each BI will be an access point's (AP's) awake BI. | 07-03-2014 |
20150036543 | HIGH THROUGHPUT FEATURES IN 11S MESH NETWORKS - The addition of high throughput capability elements to beacon frames and peer link action frames in wireless mesh networks enable the utilization of desirable features without further modifications to the network. Rules can be established for high throughput mesh point protection in a mesh network, Space-time Block Code (STBC) operations and 20/40 MHz operation selections. However, features such as PSMP (power save multi-poll) and PCO (phased coexistence operations) are barred from implementation to prevent collisions. | 02-05-2015 |