IP Library Granted Patent US 11,343,769
Granted Patent B2
US 11,343,769 · App. 16/930,147 · Granted May 24, 2022

Method and system for wirelessly transmitting data

Inventor: Ian R. Knowles (Burnham, GB)
Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
H04W52/0225G08B25/007G08B25/10H04W52/0229H04W52/0277Y02D30/70
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,343,769
App. No.
16/930,147
Granted
May 24, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and systems for wirelessly transmitting data between Wi-Fi stations without requiring the Wi-Fi stations to be fully connected to the Wi-Fi network. A first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted. The data comprises status data and/or wake-up data. The first Wi-Fi station then inserts the data in a vendor-specific information element of a probe request frame and wirelessly transmits the probe request frame. The probe request frame is then received by a second Wi-Fi station. If the probe request frame contains wake-up data and the second Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode when it receives the probe request frame, the second Wi-Fi station will wake-up from the low-power mode. If the probe request frame contains status data then the second Wi-Fi station may process the probe request frame and/or forward at least a portion of the received probe request frame to another device.

Claims (28)

1. A method to wirelessly transmit data, the method comprising:

generating at a first Wi-Fi station data to be transmitted to another Wi-Fi station, the data comprising at least one of status data and wake-up data;

inserting at the first Wi-Fi station the generated data in a vendor-specific information element of a Wi-Fi probe request frame; and

wirelessly transmitting at the first Wi-Fi station the Wi-Fi probe request frame; wherein at least one of the first Wi-Fi station and the other Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode in which at least one module in the Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wake-up data is arranged to cause the other Wi-Fi station to wake-up from a low-power mode.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: determining at the first Wi-Fi station whether one or more predetermined conditions are met; and wherein the first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted if at least one predetermined condition is met.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame is a broadcast probe request frame.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the wake-up data and the status data.

6. A system to wirelessly transmit data, the system comprising a first Wi-Fi station and the first Wi-Fi station comprising:

a processor configured to:

operate the first Wi-Fi station in a low-power mode in which at least one module in the first Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power;

generate data to be transmitted to another Wi-Fi station, the data comprising at least one of status data and wake-up data, and insert the generated data in a vendor-specific information element of a Wi-Fi probe request frame; and

a Wi-Fi module configured to wirelessly transmit the Wi-Fi probe request frame.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the wake-up data is arranged to cause the other Wi-Fi station to wake-up from a low-power mode.

8. The system according to claim 6 , further comprising the other Wi-Fi station configured to: receive the Wi-Fi probe request frame; and in response to receiving the Wi-Fi probe request frame, execute one or more actions.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the other Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode when it receives the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprising the wake-up data and the one or more actions executed by the other Wi-Fi station comprises waking up the other Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode.

10. The system according to claim 6 , further comprising a non-Wi-Fi device configured to: determine whether one or more predetermined conditions are met; and if at least one predetermined condition is met, transmit a notification from the non-Wi-Fi device to the first Wi-Fi station that at least one predetermined condition is met; wherein the first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted in response to receiving the notification from the non-Wi-Fi device that at least one predetermined condition is met.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the notification is transmitted using a protocol other than Wi-Fi.

12. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame is a broadcast probe request frame.

13. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the wake-up data and the status data.

14. A Wi-Fi station comprising:

a Wi-Fi module configured to wirelessly receive a Wi-Fi probe request frame from another Wi-Fi station while the Wi-Fi station is operating in a low power-mode in which at least one module in the Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power, the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprising at least one of status data and wake-up data in a vendor-specific information element of the Wi-Fi probe request frame; and

a processor configured to: execute one or more actions in response to receiving the Wi-Fi probe request frame.

15. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 14 , wherein the one or more actions executed by the processor comprises: determining whether the received Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises a vendor-specific information element comprising wake-up data; and if the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the vendor specific information element comprising wake-up data, waking-up the Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode.

16. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 15 , wherein operating the Wi-Fi station in the low-power mode comprises suspending at least a portion of the Wi-Fi station and waking-up the Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode comprises enabling the at least a portion of the Wi-Fi station.

17. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine if one or more predetermined conditions are met and if at least one predetermined condition is met, operate the Wi-Fi device in the low-power mode.

18. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 14 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the status data and the one or more actions executed by the processor comprises forwarding at least a portion of the Wi-Fi probe request frame to another device.

19. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 14 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the status data and the one or more actions executed by the processor comprises processing the Wi-Fi probe request frame.

Assignments (1)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 31, 2024
From: IMAGINATION TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
To: FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP (UK) LTD
Reel/Frame 068221/0001 →