METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN WLAN
First Claim
1. A method for transmitting data in a wireless local area network, the method comprising:
- buffering, at an access point, frames including data to be transmitted to stations capable of operating in a power-saving state;
prior to sending a beacon frame, the access point dividing an interval between beacon frames into a number of time slices; and
transmitting, by the access point, the beacon frame including information about a time slice included within the number of time slices when buffered frames destined for particular stations will be sent.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for improving power performance of a wireless adapter which adopts a time slicing scheme by dividing a beacon interval into multiple slices, and assigning these slices to the stations through the beacon frame. The stations wakeup at the appointed slices to receive their buffered frames from an access point, and may enter into sleep state once the transactions conclude. A further embodiment including formatting data into a control frame for use in a wireless local area network, the frame including an indication, for each station associated with the wireless local area network, whether frames are buffered awaiting transmission to each respective station, a number of time intervals between control frames, and at which time interval the transmission of the buffered frames will begin for each station having buffered frames awaiting transmission.
97 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for transmitting data in a wireless local area network, the method comprising:
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buffering, at an access point, frames including data to be transmitted to stations capable of operating in a power-saving state; prior to sending a beacon frame, the access point dividing an interval between beacon frames into a number of time slices; and transmitting, by the access point, the beacon frame including information about a time slice included within the number of time slices when buffered frames destined for particular stations will be sent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for use in a node in a 802.11 wireless local area network including an access point and at least one station, the method including:
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formatting data into a control frame for use in the wireless local area network, the frame including an indication, for each station associated with the wireless local area network, whether frames are buffered awaiting transmission to each respective station, a number of time intervals between control frames, and at which time interval the transmission of the buffered frames will begin for each station having buffered frames awaiting transmission; and transmitting the frame. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. An access point in a wireless local area network, which periodically transmits a beacon frame, the access point comprising:
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a transmitter for transmitting data, including the beacon frame, through the wireless local area network to plural stations; a memory to buffer frames awaiting transmission to the plural stations, which are capable of operating in a power-saving state; and a processor dividing an interval between beacon frames into a number of time slices, and transmitting information about a time slice included within the number of time slices when buffered frames for a respective station will be sent. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of receiving data in a wireless local area network, comprising:
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receiving a beacon frame having information regarding time slices indicating when data associated with a particular station will be transmitted; and determining whether an interval between a current beacon frame and a subsequent beacon frame includes data to be received by the particular station, if so, determining a time slice within the interval that includes the data to be received. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A station in a wireless local area network, comprising:
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a receiver receiving a beacon frame having information regarding time slices indicating when data associated with the station will be transmitted; and a processor determining whether an interval between a current beacon frame and a subsequent beacon frame includes data to be received by the station, if so, determining a time slice within the interval that includes the data to be received. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification