Mesh relay

• US 10,055,570 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tyson, Hugo Mark, Graube, Nicolas Guy Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Raj
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDREWS, LEON T
• Application Number:
  US14/270,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 : Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 : using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device capable of communicating over a network on behalf of a consumer device, the network being configured such transport of packets through the network is provided by each communication device in the network listening for and relaying packets, the communication device comprising a relay unit configured to listen for packets and relay them over the network, a mode unit configured to identify whether the consumer device is active or non-active with respect to the network, and a timing unit configured to control the time that the relay unit listens for packets in dependence on that identification.

Claims

1. A communication device for communicating over a mesh network on behalf of a consumer device, the communication device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communications device to;

determine a first time interval that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as an active device configured to respond to commands received from the mesh network; and

determine a second time interval, less than the first time interval, that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as a non-active device not configured to respond to commands received from the mesh network.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to adjust a length of a window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to adjust a time interval between windows during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to determine a power status of the communication device, wherein the second time interval is based on the power status of the communication device.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the mesh network operates according to an asynchronous protocol, and the communication device listens for packets asynchronously from one or more other communication devices in the mesh network.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to insert a time interval of random duration between each window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communications device identifies whether the consumer device is an active device or a non-active device based on information received from the consumer device.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the consumer device is identified as an active device or a non-active device based on whether the consumer device is configured to receive a packet that will cause the consumer device to perform an operation.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communication device to adjust a length of a window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets based on whether one or more other communication devices in the mesh network are listening for packets.

10. A method of communication over a mesh network, the method performed by a communications device on behalf of a consumer device and comprising:

determining a first time interval that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as an active device configured to respond to commands received from the mesh network; and

determining a second time interval, less than the first time interval, that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as a non-active device not configured to respond to commands from the mesh network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second time interval comprises adjusting a length of a window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second time interval comprises adjusting a time interval between windows during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second time interval comprises determining a power status of the communication device, wherein the second time interval is based on the power status of the communication device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the mesh network operates according to an asynchronous protocol, and the communication device listens for packets asynchronously from one or more other communication devices in the mesh network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second time interval comprises inserting a time interval of random duration between each window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second time interval comprises adjusting a length of a window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets based on whether one or more other communication devices in the mesh network are listening for packets.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a communication device associated with a consumer device in a mesh network, causes the communication device to:

determine a first time interval that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as an active device configured to respond to commands received from the mesh network; and

determine a second time interval, less than the first time interval, that the communication device spends listening for packets when the consumer device is identified as a non-active device not configured to respond to commands received from the mesh network.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to adjust a length of a window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to adjust a time interval between windows during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein execution of the instructions to determine the second time interval causes the communications device to insert a time interval of random duration between each window during which the communication device listens continuously for packets.