REMOTE DEVICE WAKING USING A MULTICAST PACKET

• US 20160187954A1
• Filed: 03/05/2016
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Garg, Sumit, Sridharan, Murari
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Sleeping device(s) may be changed from a sleeping state to an awake state using a multicast packet that sent to a multicast address of a multicast wake-up group. The packet may include an identifier for one or more particular device(s) in the multicast group, which, when received by the device(s), causes the device(s) to wake up.

Claims

8. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

memory coupled to the at least one computing device;

a network address;

a network communication module;

the computing device configured to determine to wake devices that are asleep;

the computing device further configured to form, in response to the determining, a multicast packet that is directed to a multicast group and that comprises a plurality of network addresses of the devices that are asleep; and

the network communication module configured to send, via a multicast protocol, the formed multicast packet over a network that is coupled to devices joined to the multicast group that include at least some of the devices that are asleep.

10. The computing device of claim 8 where at least one of the plurality of network addresses of the devices to be woken in the received multicast packet is an media access control (“

MAC”

) address.

11. The computing device of claim 8 where the formed multicast packet comprises authentication information that corresponds to at least one of the devices to be woken.

12. The computing device of claim 8 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via a network.

13. The computing device of claim 8 further configured to perform a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain at least one of the plurality of network addresses.

14. The computing device of claim 8 further configured to join, prior to sending the formed multicast packet, the multicast group.

9-1. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15, the actions further comprising performing a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain at least one of the plurality of network addresses.

15. At least one computer readable storage apparatus storing computer executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device that includes at least one processor, memory, a network address, and a network communication module, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising:

determining, by the computing device, to wake devices that are asleep;

forming, by the computing device in response to the determining, a multicast packet that is directed to a multicast group and that comprises a plurality of network addresses of the devices that are asleep; and

sending, by the computing device using a multicast protocol, the formed multicast packet over a network that is coupled to devices joined to the multicast group that include at least some of the devices that are asleep.

1. A method performed on a computing device that includes at least one processor and memory, the method comprising:

determining, by the computing device, to wake devices that are asleep;

forming, by the computing device in response to the determining, a multicast packet that is directed to a multicast group and that comprises a plurality of network addresses of the devices that are asleep; and

sending, by the computing device using a multicast protocol, the formed multicast packet over a network that is coupled to devices joined to the multicast group that include at least some of the devices that are asleep.

2. The method of claim 1 where at least one of the plurality of network addresses of the devices to be woken in the formed multicast packet is an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address.

3. The method of claim 1 where at least one of the plurality of network addresses of the devices to be woken in the received multicast packet is an media access control (“

MAC”

) address.

4. The method of claim 1 where the formed multicast packet comprises authentication information that corresponds to at least one of the devices to be woken.

5. The method of claim 1 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via a network.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain at least one of the plurality of network addresses.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising joining, by the computing device prior to the sending, the multicast group.

9. The computing device of claim 8 where at least one of the plurality of network addresses of the devices to be woken in the formed multicast packet is an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address.

16. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15 where at least one of the plurality of network addresses of the devices to be woken in the formed multicast packet is an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address or a media access control (“

MAC”

) address.

17. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15 where the formed multicast packet comprises authentication information that corresponds to at least one of the devices to be woken.

18. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via a network.

20. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 15, the actions further comprising joining, by the computing device prior to the sending, the multicast group.