IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,628,185
Granted Patent B2
US 12,628,185 · App. 18/192,476 · Granted May 12, 2026

Preemption scheduling for raw deterministic traffic

Inventors: Pascal Thubert (Roquefort les Pins, FR); Jerome Henry (Pittsboro, NC); Juan Carlos Zuniga (Montreal, CA); Matthew A. Silverman (Shaker Heights, OH); Domenico Ficara (Essertines-sur-Yverdon, CH); Amine Choukir (Ecublens, CH); Robert E. Barton (Richmond, CA)
Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
H04W72/27H04L5/0055H04W72/0453H04W72/56
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,628,185
App. No.
18/192,476
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for managing communications between access points (APs) and stations (STAs) are described herein. In one embodiment, an AP broadcasts a trigger message to a plurality of STAs, the trigger message including a matrix defining a plurality of resource units (RUs) that the plurality of STAs are assigned to transmit or receive data, and a fragment flag. The presence of the fragment flag, within the scheduling matrix, informs the AP that the data transmission that the fragment flag is appended to is a partial transmission that will be completed in a subsequent transmission opportunity.

Claims (33)

1 . An access point (AP) comprising:

a transmitter configured to:

transmit a first message to a station (STA) indicating a first fixed duration in a first resource unit (RU) that the STA can use to transmit data to the AP;

receive, after transmitting the first message to the STA, traffic in the first RU from the STA having a fragment flag, the fragment flag indicating the STA sent an incomplete packet during the first fixed duration, wherein the fragment flag is transmitted at an end of the first RU; and

transmit a second message to the STA indicating a second fixed duration in a second RU that the STA can use to transmit a remaining portion of the packet to the AP.

2 . The AP of claim 1 , wherein the first and second RUs are a same frequency band.

3 . The AP of claim 1 , wherein the first and second RUs are different frequency bands.

4 . The AP of claim 1 , wherein the first RU comprises the first fixed duration for the STA and a third fixed duration for a second STA to use to transmit data to the AP.

5 . The AP of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to:

before receiving the fragment flag, receive a preemption flag from the STA indicating the STA is switching between transmitting different priority traffic within the first fixed duration of the first RU.

6 . The AP of claim 5 , wherein the traffic is prioritized based on classification of the data as one of express, non-express, or deterministic.

7 . The AP of claim 6 , wherein the first message comprises a trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a first transmission opportunity of the first fixed duration and the second message comprises an echo trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a second transmission opportunity of the second fixed duration that is shorter than the first fixed duration.

8 . A method of data transmission, executed by an AP comprising:

transmitting a first message to a station (STA) indicating a first fixed duration in a first resource unit (RU) that the STA can use to transmit data to the AP;

receiving, after transmitting the first message to the STA, traffic in the first RU from the STA having a fragment flag, the fragment flag indicating the STA sent an incomplete packet during the first fixed duration, wherein the fragment flag is transmitted at an end of the first RU; and

transmitting a second message to the STA indicating a second fixed duration in a second RU that the STA can use to transmit a remaining portion of the packet to the AP.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first and second RUs are a same frequency band.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first and second RUs are different frequency bands.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first RU comprises the first fixed duration for the STA and a third fixed duration for a second STA to use to transmit data to the AP.

12 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising, before receiving the fragment flag:

receiving a preemption flag from the STA indicating the STA is switching between transmitting different priority traffic within the first fixed duration of the first RU.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the traffic is prioritized based on classification of the data as one of express, non-express, or deterministic.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the first message comprises a trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a first transmission opportunity of the first fixed duration and the second message comprises an echo trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a second transmission opportunity of the second fixed duration that is shorter than the first fixed duration.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising:

transmitting a first message to a station (STA) indicating a first fixed duration in a first resource unit (RU) that the STA can use to transmit data to an AP;

receiving, after transmitting the first message to the STA, traffic in the first RU from the STA having a fragment flag, the fragment flag indicating the STA sent an incomplete packet during the first fixed duration, wherein the fragment flag is transmitted at an end of the first RU; and

transmitting a second message to the STA indicating a second fixed duration in a second RU that the STA can use to transmit a remaining portion of the packet to the AP.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the first and second RUs are a same frequency band.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the first and second RUs are different frequency bands.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the first RU comprises the first fixed duration for the STA and a third fixed duration for a second STA to use to transmit data to the AP.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the operation further comprises, before receiving the fragment flag:

receiving a preemption flag from the STA indicating the STA is switching between transmitting different priority traffic within the first fixed duration of the first RU.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the first message comprises a trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a first transmission opportunity of the first fixed duration and the second message comprises an echo trigger frame scheduling transmission of data for a second transmission opportunity of the second fixed duration that is shorter than the first fixed duration.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 29, 2023
From: THUBERT, PASCAL; HENRY, JEROME; ZUNIGA, JUAN CARLOS; SILVERMAN, MATTHEW A.; FICARA, DOMENICO; CHOUKIR, AMINE; BARTON, ROBERT E.
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 063156/0697 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63367978 · Jul 8, 2022
Related Publication 20240015768A1 · Jan 11, 2024
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