Method and apparatus for dormant mode support with paging
First Claim
1. A wireless station, having established a paging channel with a first access point and having associated with the first access point prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode, comprising:
- a location manager to store information of one or more access points that are in a group of access points with the first access point, the group of access points define a paging area, and the information of each of the one or more access points includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and one or more of the following;
target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio;
a paging message processor to receive a beacon having a paging area identifier, wherein the paging message processor is configured to determine that paging area has not changed when the received beacon is from the first access point, wherein the wireless station performs scanning based on the stored information to receive a beacon or a probe response of a second access point when the beacon from the first access point is not received, wherein the paging message processor is configured to determine that the paging area has not changed when the beacon or the probe response from the one or more access points that are in the group of access points with the first access point is received based on the scanning, and to determine the paging area has changed when the beacon or the probe response from the first access point and the one or more access points in the group of access points is not received based on the scanning, where the wireless station uses the one or more of the TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio when determining the new time for the beacon, and where the wireless station uses BSSID when sending a directed probe reciuest to solicit a probe response; and
a paging controller coupled to the paging message processor,wherein the paging controller is configured to establish a paging channel with the second access point through a handoff procedure when the paging area has changed, wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the handoff procedure by;
synchronizing to the second access point;
authenticating the wireless station with the second access point; and
associating the wireless station and the second access point; and
wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point without performing the handoff procedure when the paging area has not changed, wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point bysynchronizing to the second access point without authenticating the wireless station with the second access point, and without associating the wireless station and the second access point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and communication system for supporting dormant mode are described. In one embodiment, the communication system comprises a wireless station operable in a power savings mode and group of access points. Each group of access points comprises one or more access points with at least one group of access points having at least two access points. Ranges for the one or more access points in each of the groups define a paging area for each group, wherein one access point uses a paging channel for paging the wireless station when the wireless station is in the power savings mode and is in the paging area associated with the one access point. The wireless station performs a handoff procedure when the one access point is not in the same group of access points as the access point associated with the wireless station prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode and does not perform a handoff procedure when the one access point is in the same group of access points as the access point associated with the wireless station prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode.
82 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A wireless station, having established a paging channel with a first access point and having associated with the first access point prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode, comprising:
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a location manager to store information of one or more access points that are in a group of access points with the first access point, the group of access points define a paging area, and the information of each of the one or more access points includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and one or more of the following;
target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio;a paging message processor to receive a beacon having a paging area identifier, wherein the paging message processor is configured to determine that paging area has not changed when the received beacon is from the first access point, wherein the wireless station performs scanning based on the stored information to receive a beacon or a probe response of a second access point when the beacon from the first access point is not received, wherein the paging message processor is configured to determine that the paging area has not changed when the beacon or the probe response from the one or more access points that are in the group of access points with the first access point is received based on the scanning, and to determine the paging area has changed when the beacon or the probe response from the first access point and the one or more access points in the group of access points is not received based on the scanning, where the wireless station uses the one or more of the TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio when determining the new time for the beacon, and where the wireless station uses BSSID when sending a directed probe reciuest to solicit a probe response; and a paging controller coupled to the paging message processor, wherein the paging controller is configured to establish a paging channel with the second access point through a handoff procedure when the paging area has changed, wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the handoff procedure by; synchronizing to the second access point; authenticating the wireless station with the second access point; and associating the wireless station and the second access point; and wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point without performing the handoff procedure when the paging area has not changed, wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point by synchronizing to the second access point without authenticating the wireless station with the second access point, and without associating the wireless station and the second access point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An access point comprising:
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a paging message generator to generate a paging message for a wireless station, the wireless station having a location manager to store a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and one or more of the following;
target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, beacon interval ratio, and access point identifiers for all access points in a group of access points that includes the access point, the group of access points define a paging area, wherein the location manager allows the wireless station to perform scanning based on the stored information to receive a beacon or a probe response of a second access point; anda paging controller to send a signal to the wireless station having the BSSID and the one or more of the following;
TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, beacon interval ratio, and access point identifiers for the group of access points to be stored in the location manager of the wireless station, wherein the wireless station is configured to determine that the paging area has changed when the beacon or the probe response is not received from the one or more access points that are in the group of access points with the access point using the stored information, to perform a handoff procedure to establish a paging channel with a second access point when the second access point is not in the same group of access points, and to not perform the handoff procedure to establish the paging channel with the second access point when the second access point is in the same group of access points,wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point with the handoff procedure by; synchronizing to the second access point, authenticating the wireless station with the second access point, and associating the wireless station and the second access point, and wherein the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the second access point without the handoff procedure by synchronizing to the second access point without authenticating the wireless station with the second access point, and without associating the wireless station and the second access point. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method comprising:
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establishing a paging channel with a first access point; associating with the first access point prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode; storing at the wireless station information of one or more access points that are in the same group of access points with the first access point, the group of access points define a paging area, and the information of each of the one or more access points includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and one or more of the following;
target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratioreceiving a beacon having a paging area identifier; determining whether the paging area identifier has changed, comprising; determining that the paging area has not changed when the received beacon is from the first access point; performing scanning based on the stored information to receive a beacon or a probe response of a second access point based on the stored information when the beacon from the first access point is not received; determining that the paging area has not changed when the beacon or the probe response from the one or more access points that are in the group of access points with the first access point is received based on the scanning; determining that the paging area has changed when the beacon is or the probe response from the first access point and the one or more access points in the group of access points is not received based on the scanning, wherein the wireless station uses the one or more of the TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio when determining the new time for the beacon, and where the wireless station uses BSSID when sending a directed probe request to solicit a probe response; establishing a paging channel with the second access point through a handoff procedure when the paging area has changed; and establishing the paging channel with the second access point without performing the handoff procedure when the paging area has not changed, wherein establishing the paging channel with the handoff procedure comprises; synchronizing the wireless station to the second access point; authenticating the wireless station with the second access point; and associating the wireless station and the second access point, and wherein establishing the paging channel without performing the handoff procedure comprises synchronizing the wireless station to the second access point without authenticating the wireless station with the second access point, and without associating the wireless station and the second access point. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A communication system comprising:
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a wireless station operable in a power savings mode, having a location manager to store information including identifiers, traffic identification maps, and one or more of the following;
target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio; anda plurality of groups of access points, wherein each group of access points comprises one or more access points with at least one group of access points having at least two access points, wherein ranges for the one or more access points in each of the plurality of groups define a paging area for said each group, and wherein access points in each group of access points exchange identifiers, traffic identification maps, and the one or more of the following;
TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio for the access points with the access points in their group,wherein at least one access point of the at least one group of access points sends a signal to the wireless station having the TIMs, the access point identifiers, and the one or more of the following;
TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio for all access points in the at least one group of access points to be stored in the location manager of the wireless station to allow the wireless station to perform scanning based on the stored information to receive a beacon or a probe response from a new access point,wherein a first access point uses a paging channel for paging the wireless station when the wireless station is in the power savings mode and is in the paging area associated with the first access point, the wireless station performing a handoff procedure when the first access point is not in the same group of access points as a second access point having an established paging channel with the wireless station prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode and not performing a handoff procedure when the first access point is in the same group of access points as the second access point having the established paging channel with the wireless station prior to the wireless station entering the power savings mode, wherein when the first access point is not in the same group of access points as the second access point, the paging controller is configured to establish the paging channel with the first access point by synchronizing to the first access point, authenticating the wireless station with the first access point, and associating the wireless station and the first access point, and wherein when the first access point is in the same group of access point as the second access point, the paging controller configured to establish the paging channel with the first access point by synchronizing to the first access point without authenticating the wireless station with the first access point, and without associating the wireless station and the first access point. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A communication system comprising
a plurality of groups of access points, wherein each group of access points comprises one or more access points with at least one group of access points having at least two access points, each access point in each group uses a paging area identifier to define a paging area of the group, the paging area identifier being unique to the group when broadcasting in the paging area for each group as part of paging by access points in each group, wherein access points in each group of access points exchange identifiers, traffic indication maps (TIMs), and one or more of the following: - target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio for the access points with the access points in their group, wherein at least one access point of the at least one group of access points sends a signal to a wireless station having the TIMs, access point identifiers and the one or more of the following;
TBTT, TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio for all access points in the at least one group of access points to be stored in a location manager of the wireless station, wherein the wireless station is configured to perform scanning to receive a beacon or a probe response of a new access point for establishing a paging channel with the new access point without performing a complete handoff procedure when the new access point is one of the access points in the same group. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- target beacon transmission time (TBTT), TBTT offset, beacon interval, and beacon interval ratio for the access points with the access points in their group, wherein at least one access point of the at least one group of access points sends a signal to a wireless station having the TIMs, access point identifiers and the one or more of the following;
Specification