IP Library › Patent Application 14162249
Patent Application
App. No. 14/162,249

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION MEDIUM

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
14/162,249
Abstract

A method and apparatus may be used to broadcast a first beacon and a second beacon in a beacon interval. The first beacon may include an indicator that indicates whether a second beacon will be transmitted within the beacon interval. The first beacon may be a legacy beacon and the second beacon may be a non-legacy beacon. A legacy beacon may be decodable by any station (STA) and a non-legacy beacon may be decodable only by non-legacy STAs.

Claims (57)

1 . A method for use in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11n access point (AP), the method comprising:

broadcasting, by the IEEE 802.11n AP, an IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon in a beacon interval, wherein the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon is decodable by legacy IEEE 802.11 stations (STA)s and IEEE 802.11n STAs and includes an indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval; and

broadcasting, by the IEEE 802.11n AP, the second beacon in the beacon interval, wherein the second beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon that is decodable only by IEEE 802.11n STAs.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval indicates when the IEEE 802.11n beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes information included in the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon is identical to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes an identification of the IEEE 802.11n beacon.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the beacon interval is a time period between successive broadcasts of the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon by the AP.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element (IE) that indicates a plurality of supported rates.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element (IE) that indicates an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) parameter set.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element that indicates channel information.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval includes one of a periodicity, frequency band, or subchannel information of the second beacon.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon has a greater transmission range compared to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes an indication that the IEEE 802.11n beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon.

13 . An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11n access point (AP) comprising:

a transmitter configured to:

broadcast an IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon in a beacon interval, wherein the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon is decodable by legacy IEEE 802.11 stations (STA)s and IEEE 802.11n STAs and includes an indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval; and

broadcast the second beacon in the beacon interval, wherein the second beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon that is decodable only by IEEE 802.11n STAs, and wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes an indication that the IEEE 802.11n beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon.

14 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the indication indicates when the IEEE 802.11n beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval.

15 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that includes information included in the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

16 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that is identical to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

17 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that includes an identification of the IEEE 802.11n beacon.

18 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the beacon interval is a time period between successive broadcasts of the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

19 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates a plurality of supported rates.

20 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) parameter set.

21 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates channel information.

22 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast an IEEE 802.11n beacon that has a greater transmission range compared to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

23 . The IEEE 802.11n AP of claim 13 , wherein the indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval includes one of a periodicity, frequency band, or subchannel information of the second beacon.

24 . A method for use in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11n high throughput (HT) station (STA), the method comprising:

receiving, from an IEEE 802.11n access point (AP), an IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon in a beacon interval, wherein the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon is decodable by legacy IEEE 802.11 STAs and IEEE 802.11n STAs and includes an indication of whether a second beacon will be received from the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval; and

receiving, from the IEEE 802.11n AP, an IEEE 802.11n beacon in the beacon interval, wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon is decodable only by IEEE 802.11n STAs.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the indication of whether the second beacon will be received from the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval indicates when the IEEE 802.11n beacon will be received within the beacon interval.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes information included in the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon is identical to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes an identification of the IEEE 802.11n beacon.

29 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the beacon interval is a time period between successive broadcasts of the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon from the IEEE 802.11n AP.

30 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element (IE) that indicates a plurality of supported rates.

31 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element (IE) that indicates an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) parameter set.

32 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon comprises an information element (IE) that indicates channel information.

33 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon has a greater transmission range compared to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

34 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the IEEE 802.11n beacon includes an indication that the IEEE 802.11n beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon.

35 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval includes one of a periodicity, frequency band, or subchannel information of the second beacon.

36 . An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11n high throughput (HT) station (STA) comprising:

a receiver configured to:

receive, from an IEEE 802.11n access point (AP), an IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon in a beacon interval, wherein the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon is decodable by legacy IEEE 802.11 STAs and IEEE 802.11n STAs and includes an indication of whether a second beacon will be received from the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval; and

receive, from the IEEE 802.11n AP, the second beacon in the beacon interval, wherein the second beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon that is decodable only by IEEE 802.11n STAs.

37 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive an indication that includes when the IEEE 802.11n beacon will be received from the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval.

38 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that includes information included in the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

39 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that is identical to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

40 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that includes an identification of the IEEE 802.11n beacon.

41 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the beacon interval is a time period between successive broadcasts of the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon from the IEEE 802.11n AP.

42 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates a plurality of supported rates.

43 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) parameter set.

44 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that comprises an information element (IE) that indicates channel information.

45 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that has a greater transmission range compared to the IEEE 802.11 legacy beacon.

46 . The IEEE 802.11n HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive an IEEE 802.11n beacon that includes an indication that the IEEE 802.11n beacon is an IEEE 802.11n beacon.

47 . The IEEE 802.11 HT STA of claim 36 , wherein the indication of whether a second beacon will be broadcasted by the IEEE 802.11n AP within the beacon interval includes one of a periodicity, frequency band, or subchannel information of the second beacon.