Granted Patent B2

US 9,020,547 · App. 11/717,401 · Granted Apr 28, 2015

Inventors: Keith R. Amann (Westminster, CO); Mark A. Hamilton (Superior, CO); Oliver J. Krahn (Superior, CO)

H04W74/0891H04W56/00H04W52/0216

Abstract

Claims (53)

1. A method for synchronizing the transmission of trigger messages through a wireless medium from a plurality of wireless communications devices associated with an access point, the method comprising:

transitioning, by a first wireless communications device, to a higher powered state and detecting an ending time of a first unscheduled service period between a second wireless communication device and the access point;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending time of the first unscheduled service period in non-transitory memory in communication with the first wireless communication device;

when the wireless medium to the access point is idle for a predetermined minimum period of time after storing the detected ending time:

initiating, by the first wireless communication device, a back off timer from a randomly selected value;

after waiting a specified interframe time, determining, by the first wireless communication device, whether the back off timer is equal to zero;

when the back off timer is not equal to zero, decrementing, by the first wireless communication device, the back off timer until the back off timer is equal to zero;

when the back off timer is equal to zero, transmitting a first trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point;

receiving one or more buffered frames from the access point; and

transitioning, by the first wireless communication device, to a lower powered state after transmitting the first trigger message and receiving any buffered frames in response;

at the time of a desired next service period, transitioning, by the first wireless communications device, to the higher powered state and detecting an ending time of a next unscheduled service period between the second wireless communication device and the access point;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending time of the next unscheduled service period in the non-transitory memory;

comparing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending times of the first and next unscheduled service periods of the second wireless communication device; and

when the ending times of the first and next unscheduled service periods are the same with respect to a predetermined interval, transmitting a second trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point without sensing if the wireless medium to the access point is free for the predetermined minimum period of time after detecting the ending time of the next unscheduled service period, without re-initiating the back off timer, without waiting the specified interframe time and in less than a specified minimum time from when the ending time of the next unscheduled service period is detected, the specified minimum time corresponding to a time for any other wireless communication device to access the access point through the wireless medium.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one buffered frame is one of a null frame and a data frame.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communications device is a mobile phone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specified interframe time is determined by an enhanced distributed coordination access backoff procedure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specified minimum time is a short interframe space time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined minimum period is a period of time selected to determine that the medium is free long enough for another wireless device to successfully contend for the medium without having to change its backoff timer setting.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ending time of the first unscheduled service period is detected by sensing the wireless medium for both the transmission of a frame of information from the access point to the second wireless communications device followed by the second wireless communications device transmitting an acknowledgement to the access point.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger message is a trigger frame.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second wireless communications device is a mobile phone.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each subsequent unscheduled service period:

transitioning, by the first wireless communications device, to the higher powered state and detecting an ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period between the second wireless communication device and the access point;

comparing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending times of the first and corresponding subsequent unscheduled service periods of the second wireless communication device;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period in the non-transitory memory; and

when the ending times of the first and corresponding subsequent unscheduled service periods are the same with respect to the predetermined interval, transmitting a corresponding subsequent trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point without sensing if the wireless medium to the access point is free for the predetermined minimum period of time after detecting the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period, without re-initiating the back off timer, without waiting the specified interframe time and in less than the specified minimum time from when the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period is detected.

11. A method for synchronizing a transmission of trigger messages through a wireless medium from a plurality of wireless communication devices associated with an access point, the method comprising:

transitioning, by a first wireless communications device, to a higher powered state at a first transition time and storing the first transition time in non-transitory memory in communication with the first wireless communication device;

detecting, by the first wireless communication time, an ending time of a first unscheduled service period between a second wireless communication device and the access point;

when the wireless medium to the access point is idle for a predetermined minimum period of time after storing the detected ending time:

initiating, by the first wireless communication device, a back off timer from a randomly selected value;

after waiting a specified interframe time, determining, by the first wireless communication device, whether or not the back off timer is equal to zero;

when the back off timer is equal to zero, transmitting a first trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point;

receiving one or more buffered frames from the access point; and

transitioning, by the first wireless communication device, to a lower powered state after transmitting the first trigger message and receiving any buffered frames in response;

determining, by the first wireless communication device, a next transition time by decrementing the stored first transition time by a pre-selected period of time;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the next transition time in the non-transitory memory;

at the time of a desired next service period, transitioning, by the first wireless communications device, to the higher powered state at the next transition time and detecting an ending time of a next unscheduled service period between the second wireless communication device and the access point;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending time of the next unscheduled service period in the non-transitory memory;

comparing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending times of the first and next unscheduled service periods of the second wireless communication device; and

when the ending times of the first and next unscheduled service periods are the same with respect to a predetermined interval, transmitting a second trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point without sensing if the wireless medium to the access point is free for the predetermined minimum period of time after detecting the ending time of the next unscheduled service period, without re-initiating the back off timer, without waiting the specified interframe time and in less than a specified minimum time from when the ending time of the next unscheduled service period is detected, the specified minimum time corresponding to a time for any other wireless communication device to access the access point through the wireless medium.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, for each subsequent unscheduled service period:

transitioning, by the first wireless communications device, to the higher powered state at the next transition time and detecting an ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period between the second wireless communication device and the access point;

comparing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending times of the first and corresponding subsequent unscheduled service periods of the second wireless communication device;

storing, by the first wireless communication device, the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period in the non-transitory memory; and

when the ending times of the first and corresponding subsequent unscheduled service periods are the same with respect to the predetermined interval, transmitting a corresponding subsequent trigger message from the first wireless communication device to the access point without sensing if the wireless medium to the access point is free for the predetermined minimum period of time after detecting the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period, without re-initiating the back off timer, without waiting the specified interframe time and in less than the specified minimum time from when the ending time of the corresponding subsequent unscheduled service period is detected.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one buffered frame of information is one of a null frame and a data frame.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined period of time comprises one quarter of the duration of an unscheduled service period.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first wireless communications device is a mobile phone.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the specified minimum time is a short interframe space time.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ending time of the first unscheduled service period is detected by sensing the wireless medium for both the transmission of a frame of information from the access point to the second wireless communications device followed by the second wireless communications device transmitting an acknowledgement to the access point.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the trigger message is a trigger frame.

Assignments (8)

Continuity (1)