METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISCOVERABILITY OF POWER SAVING P2P DEVICES

• US 20110161697A1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kaidar, Oren, QI, Emily H., Meylemans, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a method and system, a first wireless device may be periodically cycled between an available state and a power saving state. While in the available state, the first wireless device may receive a probe request sent from a second wireless device operating in a discovery state. The first wireless device may transmit a probe response to the second wireless device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

periodically cycling a first wireless device between an available state and a power saving state;

receiving at the first wireless device a probe request sent from a second wireless device operating in a discovery state while the first wireless device is in the available state; and

transmitting from the first wireless device a probe response to the second wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless device is in a find phase while in the discovery state and wherein a minimum duration of the available state for the first wireless device is a minimum duration of the find phase.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices operate in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second devices are peer-to-peer (P2P) wireless devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the find phase for the second wireless device comprises a search state and a listen state.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first wireless device is a P2P group owner and the first wireless device'"'"'s periodically operating in the listen state is synchronized to a timing cycle of the group owner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power saving state of the first wireless device comprises a power saving state of a transceiver of the first wireless device and the available state of the first wireless device comprises an available state of the transceiver of the first wireless device.

8. In a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking group that includes at least a P2P group owner and at least one P2P group client, a method comprising:

transmitting from the P2P group owner, a first group timing beacon having a first period;

transmitting from the P2P group owner, a second group timing beacon having a second period, wherein the second timing beacon is synchronized to the first group timing beacon and the duration of the second period is a multiple of the duration of the first period;

periodically cycling the P2P group client between a P2P group client available state and a P2P group client power saving state, wherein the cycling of the P2P group client between the P2P group client available state and the P2P group client power saving state is synchronized to the second group timing beacon; and

receiving at the P2P group client a P2P invitation request from the P2P group owner while the P2P group client is in the available state; and

starting communications with a P2P device originating the P2P invitation request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first group timing beacon is synchronized to a target beacon transmission time and the second group timing beacon is synchronized to a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) time, and comprising:

periodically operating the P2P group client in the available state to receive a traffic indication message and pending traffic at the DTIM time.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the P2P group owner and the P2P group client operate in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the P2P group owner receiving the P2P invitation request from a P2P device not associated with the networked P2P group.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

periodically cycling the P2P group owner between a P2P group owner available state and a P2P group owner power saving state; and

the P2P group owner receiving the P2P invitation request from the P2P device not associated with the networked P2P group, the P2P group owner operating in the P2P group owner available state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the periodic cycling of the P2P group owner is synchronized to the first group timing beacon.

14. A system comprising:

a first wireless device to transmit a probe request while operating in a discovery state; and

a second wireless device to cycle periodically between an available state and a power saving state;

to receive, while in the available state, the probe request transmitted by the first wireless device; and

to transmit a probe response to the first wireless device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and second wireless devices are peer-to-peer (P2P) wireless devices and operate in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first wireless device is in a find phase while in the discovery state and wherein a minimum duration of the available state for the second wireless device is a minimum duration of the find phase.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first wireless device is a P2P device unassociated with the second wireless device and the second wireless device is a P2P group owner, and wherein the periodic cycling of the second wireless device is synchronized to a P2P group timing function.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first wireless device is adapted to transmit a P2P invitation request, the second wireless device is adapted to receive the P2P invitation request, and to forward the P2P invitation request, and further comprising:

a third wireless device, the third wireless device being a group client adapted to cycle periodically between a group client available state and a group client power saving state;

to receive, while in the available state, the P2P invitation request forwarded by the second wireless device; and

to start communicating with the first wireless device after receiving the P2P invitation request.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the periodic cycling of the third wireless device is synchronized to a multiple of the P2P group timing function.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first wireless device is a first P2P device unassociated with the second wireless device and the second wireless device is a second P2P device, wherein the first wireless device is in a find phase while in the discovery state, and wherein a minimum duration of the available state for the second wireless device is a minimum duration of the find phase.