Wireless access point software system

• US 6,633,769 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2000
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Shoobridge, Richard Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/727,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20020068618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 455/234.1, 455/572, 455/310, 455/574, 455/575, 455/522, 455/552, 455/296, 455/343, 455/573, 455/343--34, 375/222
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method is provided that provides a mobile communication device with the ability to quickly reestablish a communication session with another after the communication device is awaken from a sleep or idle mode. The mobile communication device is provided with a first power system for powering a central operating system and a second power system for powering a communication system. A mobile communication device establishes a communication session with another communication device by establishing a connection and establishing a communication session. During an idle period, the communication session in a stack will be stored in memory. The first power system and the central operating system will then enter a low power or sleep mode, while second power system and the communication system can maintain a communication connection with the other device. Upon reestablishing communications, the mobile communication device will wake up the first power supply and the central operating system. The central operating system will then copy the previous communication session from the memory into the stack and reestablish the communication session with the other device.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a central processing system coupled to a first power system; and

a radio device coupled to a second power system and the central operating system, the mobile communication device having an enhanced mode wherein during a communication session and after an idle period, the first power system and the central processing system are operable to enter a sleep mode, while the second power system and the radio device continue normal operation for maintaining a communication connection with another communication device.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, the central processing system comprising a processor, a communication session stack and a memory wherein when in the enhanced mode, the processor copies the contents of the communication session stack into the memory prior to entering the sleep mode.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein a communication from another device directed to the mobile communication device while the central processing system is in a sleep mode causes a wake up signal to be provided to the central processing system wherein when in the enhanced mode, the central processing copies the communication session from the memory to the stack and reestablishes the communication session.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 2, the processor prior to entering the sleep mode also copies the contents of a configuration setting into the memory when in the enhanced mode.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein a communication from another device directed to the mobile communication device, while the central processing system is in a sleep mode causes a wake up signal to be provided to the central processing system wherein when in the enhanced mode, the central processing system copies the configuration setting from the memory overriding a default configuration setting.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising an operating system running on the central processing system, the operating system initiating a suspend event prior to the central processing system entering the sleep mode wherein an application program interface wrapper catches the suspend event directed to a radio device driver, such that the radio device driver continues normal communications to continue a communication session during the sleep mode.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein a communication from another device directed to the mobile communication device, while the central processing system is in a sleep mode causes a wake up signal to be provided to the central processing system wherein the operating system running on the central processing system initiates a resume event that, when in the enhanced mode, the application program interface wrapper catches and causes a default configuration setting to be overridden by a stored configuration setting.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising an input device operable to allow a user to select between a normal mode and the enhanced mode.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, the radio device being at least one PCMCIA card.

10. A method for reestablishing communications between a mobile communication device and another communication device, comprising:

providing a mobile communication device with central processing system with a first power supply system and a communication system with a second power supply system;

establishing a communication session between the communication device and another device;

determining if an idle period has occurred where no communications have been directed to the mobile communication device;

copying the communication session from a stack to a memory in the central processing system if an idle period has occurred;

entering a sleep mode for the first power supply system and the central processing system, while maintaining the second power supply and the communication system in normal operating conditions for maintaining a communication connection with the other device;

transmitting a wake up signal to the central processing system upon receiving a communication from the other device directed to the mobile communication device causing the central processing system to begin normal operations; and

copying the communication session from the memory back to the stack and reestablishing the communication session.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising copying the contents of the configuration settings into the memory prior to the step of entering a sleep mode.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising copying the configuration settings from the memory overriding a default configuration setting after the step of transmitting a wake up signal to the central processing system.

13. The method of claim 11, the communication system being a PCMCIA card.

14. The method claim 11, further comprising providing an operating system running on the central processing system, the operating system being operable to initiate a suspend event prior to the step of entering the sleep mode and a resume event after the step of transmitting a wake up signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of providing an application program interface wrapper that catches the suspend event and resume event directed to a radio device driver when the device is in a first mode and does not catch the suspend event and resume event to the radio device driver in a second mode.

16. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a central processing system; and

a radio device coupled the central processing system, the mobile communication device having an enhanced mode and a normal mode wherein after an idle period the central processing system is operable to enter a sleep mode while the radio device continues operation for maintaining a communication connection with another communication device in the enhanced mode and both the central processing system and the radio device are operable to enter a sleep mode in the normal mode.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 16, the central processing system being operable in the enhanced mode to copy the contents of the communication session stack into a memory prior to entering a sleep mode.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 17, the central processing system being operable in the enhanced mode to awake when a communication directed to the communication device is received, copy the communication session from the memory to the stack and reestablish the communication session with the other device.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 17, the central processing system being operable in the enhanced mode to awake when a communication directed to the communication device is received, copy the configuration settings over a default configurations setting and reestablish the communication session with the other device.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 16, the central processing system being operable in the enhanced mode to copy the current configuration settings into a memory prior to entering the sleep mode.