SIMULTANEOUS WIRELESS CONNECTIONS WITH IMPROVED EFFICIENCY
First Claim
1. A computing device, comprising:
- an antenna;
an interface circuit, coupled to the antenna, which, during operation, communicates with user-interface devices via a link using a communication protocol, wherein, during operation, the interface circuit;
transmits outgoing messages to the user-interface devices at a first predefined time during sequential time intervals when the user-interface devices transition from a sleep mode to a normal mode, wherein a given outgoing message at the first predefined time during a given sequential time interval is addressed to a given user-interface device;
receives incoming messages from the user-interface devices at a second predefined time following the first predefined time during the sequential time intervals, wherein a given incoming message is received at the second predefined time during the given sequential time interval from the given user-interface device;
transmits, when the given incoming message excludes information specifying a user-interface event, multicast messages to the user-interface devices at a third predefined time following the second predefined time during each of the sequential time intervals; and
transmits, when the given incoming message includes the information specifying the user-interface event, a reply message to the given user-interface device at the third predefined time during the given sequential time interval, wherein the given user-interface device waits in the normal mode for the reply message until at most a subsequent sequential time interval.
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Abstract
An interface circuit in a computing device may communicate with user-interface devices using shared slots during time intervals. In particular, the computing device may transmit outgoing messages to the user-interface devices at a first predefined time during sequential time intervals when the user-interface devices transition from a sleep mode to a normal mode. In response, the computing device may receive incoming messages from one or more of the user-interface devices at a second predefined time following the first predefined time during the sequential time intervals. Then, the computing device may transmit a multicast message to the user-interface devices at a third predefined time during the sequential time intervals. In response to the given multicast message, one of the user-interface devices may communicate data to the computing device. Note that, in some instances, a multicast time slot may instead be used to communicate data to one of the user-interface devices.
27 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computing device, comprising:
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an antenna; an interface circuit, coupled to the antenna, which, during operation, communicates with user-interface devices via a link using a communication protocol, wherein, during operation, the interface circuit; transmits outgoing messages to the user-interface devices at a first predefined time during sequential time intervals when the user-interface devices transition from a sleep mode to a normal mode, wherein a given outgoing message at the first predefined time during a given sequential time interval is addressed to a given user-interface device; receives incoming messages from the user-interface devices at a second predefined time following the first predefined time during the sequential time intervals, wherein a given incoming message is received at the second predefined time during the given sequential time interval from the given user-interface device; transmits, when the given incoming message excludes information specifying a user-interface event, multicast messages to the user-interface devices at a third predefined time following the second predefined time during each of the sequential time intervals; and transmits, when the given incoming message includes the information specifying the user-interface event, a reply message to the given user-interface device at the third predefined time during the given sequential time interval, wherein the given user-interface device waits in the normal mode for the reply message until at most a subsequent sequential time interval. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein to communicate with user-interface devices via a link using a communication protocol, the computer-program mechanism including:
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instructions for transmitting, via an interface circuit, outgoing messages to the user-interface devices at a first predefined time during sequential time intervals when the user-interface devices transition from a sleep mode to a normal mode, wherein a given outgoing message at the first predefined time during a given sequential time interval is addressed to a specific user-interface device; instructions for receiving incoming messages from the user-interface devices at a second predefined time following the first predefined time during the sequential time intervals, wherein a given incoming message is received at the second predefined time during the given sequential time interval from the specific user-interface device; and instructions for transmitting, when the given incoming message excludes information specifying a user-interface event, a multicast message to the user-interface devices at a third predefined time following the second predefined time during the sequential time intervals.
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16. An interface-circuit-based method for communicating with user-interface devices via a link using a communication protocol, wherein the method comprises:
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using the interface circuit, transmitting outgoing messages to the user-interface devices at a first predefined time during sequential time intervals when the user-interface devices transition from a sleep mode to a normal mode, wherein a given outgoing message at the first predefined time during a given sequential time interval is addressed to a specific user-interface device; receiving incoming messages from the user-interface devices at a second predefined time following the first predefined time during the sequential time intervals, wherein a given incoming message is received at the second predefined time during the given sequential time interval from the specific user-interface device; and transmitting, when the given incoming message excludes information specifying a user-interface event, a multicast message to the user-interface devices at a third predefined time following the second predefined time. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification