Battery-efficient generic advertising service for wireless mobile devices

• US 20070242645A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stephenson, David Sheldon, O'Hara, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,535,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for acquiring service provider information includes querying a wireless network for service provider information, receiving an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information, and configuring a power conservation mode responsive to the advertising service scheduling information.

Claims

1. Logic for acquiring information from a wireless network, the logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed operable to:

query a wireless network for information;

receive an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information; and

configure a power conservation mode responsive to the advertising service scheduling information.

2. The logic of claim 1 wherein the information comprises service provider information.

3. The logic of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to exit, responsive to the advertising scheduling information, the power conservation mode at regular intervals to monitor for an advertising service beacon transmitted by the wireless network.

4. The logic of claim 2 wherein the advertising service beacon comprises an indication of available service provider information;

and wherein the logic is operable to responsive to the indication, remain in a powered state to receive one or more messages including service provider information.

5. The logic of claim 4 wherein the logic is operable to responsive to the received service provider information, conditionally associate with the wireless network.

6. The logic of claim 1 wherein the logic is operable to:

de-power a radio of a wireless network interface; and

re-power the radio to receive an advertising service beacon transmitted by the wireless network.

7. The logic of claim 2 wherein, to query the wireless network, the logic is operable to transmit a probe request including a service provider query.

8. The logic of claim 7 wherein the service provider query identifies a particular service provider.

9. The logic of claim 7 wherein the service provider query identifies a class of service providers.

10. The logic of claim 7 wherein the service provider query contains a regular expression string.

11. The logic of claim 7 wherein the probe request has a non-globally unique source address.

12. A method for acquiring information from a wireless network, the method comprising:

querying a wireless network for information;

receiving an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information; and

configuring a power conservation mode responsive to the advertising service scheduling information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the information comprises service provider information.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising exiting, responsive to the advertising scheduling information, the power conservation mode at regular intervals to monitor for an advertising service beacon transmitted by the wireless network.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the advertising service beacon comprises an indication of available service provider information;

and wherein the method further comprises responsive to the indication, remaining in a powered state to receive one or more messages including service provider information.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising responsive to the received service provider information, conditionally associating with the wireless network.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

de-powering a radio of a wireless network interface; and

re-powering the radio to receive an advertising service beacon transmitted by the wireless network.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising transmitting a probe request including a service provider query.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the service provider query identifies a particular service provider.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the service provider query identifies a class of service providers.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the service provider query contains a regular expression string.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the probe request has a non-globally unique source address.

23. Logic for providing service provider information, the logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed operable to:

access a service provider query transmitted by a wireless client;

transmit an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information to the wireless client;

obtain service provider information responsive to the query; and

transmit the service provider information according to the advertising service scheduling information.

24. The logic of claim 23 wherein the logic is operable to transmit beacon frames at periodic intervals, wherein select beacon frames are advertising service beacon comprising an indication of whether service provider information is available.

25. The logic of claim 23 wherein the logic is operable to transmit, following transmission of an advertising service beacon, one or more advertising frames comprising service provider information.

26. The logic of claim 23 wherein the logic is operable to apply one or more policies to the service provider query.

27. The logic of claim 23 wherein the logic is operable to indicate an advertising service capability to one or more wireless clients.

28. A method for providing service provider information to one or more wireless clients, the method comprising:

accessing a service provider query transmitted by a wireless client;

transmitting an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information to the wireless client;

obtaining service provider information responsive to the query; and

transmitting the service provider information according to the advertising service scheduling information.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising transmitting beacon frames at periodic intervals, wherein select beacon frames are advertising service beacon comprising an indication of whether service provider information is available.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising transmitting, following transmission of an advertising service beacon, one or more advertising frames comprising service provider information.

31. The method of claim 28 further comprising applying one or more policies to the service provider query.

32. The method of claim 28 further comprising indicating an advertising service capability to one or more wireless clients.

33. A system for providing service provider information, the system comprising:

an endpoint operable to query a wireless network for information, receive an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information, and configure a power conservation mode responsive to the advertising service scheduling information; and

an access point operable to access a query transmitted by the endpoint, transmit an advertisement response containing advertising service scheduling information to the endpoint, obtain information responsive to the query, and transmit the information according to the advertising service scheduling information.

34. The logic of claim 33 wherein the endpoint is further operable to exit, responsive to the advertising scheduling information, the power conservation mode at regular intervals to monitor for an advertising service beacon transmitted by the wireless network.

35. The logic of claim 33 wherein the access point is further operable to transmit beacon frames at periodic intervals, wherein select beacon frames are advertising service beacon comprising an indication of whether service provider information is available.

36. The logic of claim 33 wherein the access point is further operable to transmit, following transmission of an advertising service beacon, one or more advertising frames comprising requested information.