Beacon packet having traffic indicator flag

• US 20040246983A1
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaatz, Gary F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,934,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, computer program products and computer data signals for broadcasting a beacon packet to one or more client stations and for processing a beacon packet. The beacon packet includes a preamble, a header and a data portion. In one broadcasting method, it is determined if there is any data buffered for any of the client stations. If there is data buffered, a traffic indicator flag located before the data portion of the beacon packet is set to a first logic value. If there is not any data buffered, the traffic indicator flag is set to a second logic value. The beacon packet is broadcast to the client stations.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting a beacon packet to one or more client stations, the beacon packet including a preamble, a header and a data portion, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if there is any data buffered for any of the client stations;

if there is data buffered, setting a traffic indicator flag to a first logic value, the traffic indicator flag being located before the data portion of the beacon packet;

if there is not any data buffered, setting the traffic indicator flag to a second logic value, which is different than the first logic value; and

broadcasting the beacon packet to the client stations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in the header of the beacon packet.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the header includes a service portion in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard, and

the traffic indicator flag is located in the service portion of the header.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in one bit of the service portion of the header that is reserved under the IEEE 802.11 communications standard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in the broadcasting step, the beacon packet is broadcast in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard.

6. A method for processing a beacon packet, the beacon packet including a preamble, a header and a data portion, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the beacon packet;

processing a first portion of the beacon packet so as to determine a value of a traffic indicator flag in the beacon packet, the traffic indicator flag being located before the data portion of the beacon packet;

if the traffic indicator flag has a first logic value, entering a sleep mode; and

if the traffic indicator flag has a second logic value, remaining in normal operating mode and processing all or substantially all of the remaining portion of the beacon packet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in the header of the beacon packet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the header includes a service portion in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard, and

the traffic indicator flag is located in the service portion of the header.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in one bit of the service portion of the header that is reserved under the IEEE 802.11 communications standard.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of:

after entering the sleep mode, remaining in the sleep mode for a predetermined period.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein in the receiving step, the beacon packet is received in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard.

12. The method of claim 6,

wherein the beacon packet is in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard, and

the first portion that is processed consists of the preamble, the header, and a frame control field of the data portion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of remaining in normal operating mode and processing all or substantially all of the remaining portion of the beacon packet, the data portion is processed through at least part of a TIM field of the data portion if the traffic indicator flag has the second logic value.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein in the step of remaining in normal operating mode and processing all or substantially all of the remaining portion of the beacon packet, the data portion is processed through at least part of a TIM field of the data portion if the traffic indicator flag has the second logic value.

15. A computer data signal embodied in a beacon packet, the beacon packet including a preamble, a header and a data portion, the computer data signal comprising:

a first data segment including a traffic indicator flag that is located before the data portion of the beacon packet, the traffic indicator flag being set to a first logic value to indicate that there is data buffered for one or more client stations, or being set to a second logic value to indicate that there is not any data buffered; and

a second data segment including a plurality of client-specific traffic indicator flags being located within the data portion of the beacon packet, each of the client-specific traffic indicator flags indicating whether or not there is any data buffered for a corresponding one of the client stations.

16. The computer data signal of claim 15, wherein the beacon packet complies with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard.

17. The computer data signal of claim 15, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in the header of the beacon packet.

18. The computer data signal of claim 17,

wherein the header includes a service portion in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 communications standard, and

the traffic indicator flag is located in the service portion of the header of the beacon packet.

19. The computer data signal of claim 18, wherein the traffic indicator flag is located in one bit of the service portion of the header that is reserved under the IEEE 802.11 communications standard.