Method and apparatus for varying times/channels of broadcast beacons
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for a node to schedule transmission of a beacon message comprising:
- selecting random times for transmitting the beacon message,selecting random channels for transmitting the beacon-message;
generating a beacon transmission schedule for the node based on the selected times and channels; and
generating the beacon message, wherein the beacon message includes the beacon transmission schedule for the node transmitting the beacon message and additional beacon transmission schedules indicating when a plurality of other nodes will transmit beacons.
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for varying the times and channels of broadcast beacons. The method and apparatus make it more difficult to monitor and/or disrupt such beacon transmissions. In one embodiment, pseudo-random times and pseudo-random channels are selected for transmitting the beacon messages. Preferably these times and channels are included in a beacon schedule which is transmitted with the beacon messages. In select embodiments, the beacon messages include schedules for both the transmitting node and other nodes, so that all of the nodes in the network may quickly learn the beacon schedules of the other nodes.
164 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for a node to schedule transmission of a beacon message comprising:
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selecting random times for transmitting the beacon message, selecting random channels for transmitting the beacon-message; generating a beacon transmission schedule for the node based on the selected times and channels; and generating the beacon message, wherein the beacon message includes the beacon transmission schedule for the node transmitting the beacon message and additional beacon transmission schedules indicating when a plurality of other nodes will transmit beacons. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for a network node to schedule transmission of a beacon message comprising:
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a random number generator for generating random times for transmitting the beacon message and for generating random channels for transmitting the beacon message; and a message generator for generating the beacon message, wherein the beacon message includes a beacon transmission schedule for the node based on the random times and the random channels and additional beacon transmission schedules indicating when a plurality of other network nodes will transmit beacons. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of generating a beacon message comprising:
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providing identifications of at least three nodes and random beacon transmission schedules for the at least three nodes, wherein each of the random beacon transmission schedules includes a time and a channel selected using a random selection process, and the random beacon transmission schedules indicate when the at least three nodes will transmit beacons; and incorporating the identifications and schedules in the beacon message.
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19. A method of receiving a beacon message comprising:
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extracting a random beacon transmission schedule for a node from the message, wherein the random beacon transmission schedule includes a time and a channel selected using a random selection process; extracting, from the beacon message, a plurality of additional random beacon transmission schedules indicating when a plurality of additional nodes will transmit beacons; and listening at a receiver for another beacon message at a time and channel specified by one of the random beacon transmission schedules. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. An apparatus for generating a beacon message comprising:
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a node having a node identifier; a random number generator for generating a node beacon transmission schedule; and a processor for generating a beacon message including the node identifier, the beacon transmission schedule, a plurality of additional node identifiers, and beacon transmission schedules indicating when a plurality of nodes identified by the plurality of additional node identifiers will transmit beacons.
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22. An apparatus for transmitting beacons in a wireless ad hoc network comprising:
- at least one node, said node
selecting random times and random channels for transmission of beacons, storing the selected times and channels in at least one of at least three beacon transmission schedules, wherein the at least three beacon transmission schedules indicate when a plurality of nodes in the network will transmit beacons, and transmitting beacons containing the at least three beacon transmission schedules. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
- at least one node, said node
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25. Computer-executable software code stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer-executable code being for facilitating the transmission of beacons in a wireless network, the computer-executable code comprising:
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computer-executable code for selecting random times and random channels for transmission of beacons; computer-executable code for storing the selected times and channels in at least one of at least three beacon transmission schedules, wherein the at least three beacon transmission schedules indicate when a plurality of nodes in the network will transmit beacons; and computer-executable code for transmitting beacons containing the at least three beacon transmission schedules.
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26. A network communications apparatus comprising:
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means for selecting random times and random channels for transmission of beacons; means for storing the selected times and channels in at least one of at least three beacon transmission schedules, wherein the at least three beacon transmission schedules indicate when a plurality of nodes in the network will transmit beacons; and means for transmitting beacons containing the at least three beacon transmission schedules.
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Specification