Efficient resolution of relinquishment requests in a wireless communications network

• US 7,756,101 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Salokannel, Juha, Tervonen, Janne, Marin, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US11/322,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 370/348, 370/347, 370/338, 370/310, 455/454, 455/509, 455/507, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A first device receives a request from a remote device to relinquish at least a portion of an existing reservation in a wireless communications network (e.g., a WiMedia network). The existing reservation is between the first device and a second device. Also, the existing reservation was initiated by the second device and includes a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network. The first device forwards the request from the first device to the second device, and sends to the second device information indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network. This view is from a perspective of the first device. Also, first device may receive a request from the second device for a second allocation of resources of the wireless communications network between the first device and the second device. Such a request may be based on the resource utilization information provided by the first device. Further, the first device may also send, to the second device, an acceptance of the request for the second allocation of resources. Based on this acceptance, the first and second device may communicate according to the second allocation of resources.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving at a first device, a request from a remote device to relinquish at least a portion of an existing reservation between the first device and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network;

(b) forwarding the request from the first device to the second device; and

(c) sending from the first device to the second device information accompanying the request indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the first device, wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the first device, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) receiving at the first device a second request from the second device indicating a second allocation of resources of the wireless communications network between the first device and the second device, wherein the second allocation of resources is based on the information provided by the first device in step (c); and

(e) sending from the first device to the second device an acceptance of the request received in step (d).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein steps (a) through (e) are performed when the first device has an allocation of resources that exceeds one or more predetermined limits for the wireless communications network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more predetermined limits includes at least one of a total allocation of resources limit and a total consecutive time slot allocation limit for the reservation.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating with the second device across the reservation according to the second allocation of resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote device is unable to communicate with the second device across the wireless communications network directly.

7. The method of claim 2:

wherein the resources of the wireless communications network include a plurality of time slots occurring in a repeating time interval;

wherein step (a) is performed in a first occurrence of the repeating time interval, steps (b) and (c) are performed in a second occurrence of the repeating time interval, step (d) is performed in a third occurrence of the repeating time interval, and step (e) is performed in a fourth occurrence of the repeating time interval; and

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth occurrences happen consecutively.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time intervals are WiMedia superframes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) and (c) are performed through a single transmission.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network is a WiMedia network, and the reservation between the first and second devices is a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP) reservation.

11. The method of claim 10:

wherein step (b) comprises sending a Relinquish Request Information Element (IE), and step (c) comprises sending a DRP Availability IE; and

wherein the Relinquish Request IE and the DRP Availability IE are sent in a single beacon transmission.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (a) comprises receiving the Relinquish Request IE.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, upon performance of step (a), the first device has an allocation of resources that exceeds one or more predetermined limits for the wireless communications network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request received in step (a) indicates the first device having an allocation of resources that exceeds one or more predetermined limits for the wireless communications network.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver for communicating with devices across a wireless communications network;

a memory;

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory for;

(a) receiving, through the transceiver, a request from a remote device to relinquish at least a portion of an existing reservation between the apparatus and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network;

(b) forwarding, through the transceiver, the request to the second device; and

(c) sending, through the transceiver, information accompanying the request to the second device, the information indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the apparatus;

wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the apparatus, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor executes further instructions stored in the memory for:

(d) receiving, through the transceiver, a second request from the second device indicating a second allocation of resources of the wireless communications network between the first device and the second device, the second allocation of resources different from the first allocation of resources; and

(e) sending, through the transceiver, an acceptance of the request received in step (d) to the second device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the request from the remote device to relinquish the at least a portion of the reservation indicates the apparatus has a total allocation of network resources that exceeds a predetermined limit for the wireless communications network.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless communications network is a WiMedia network, and the reservation between the apparatus and the second device is a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP) reservation.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the resources of the wireless communications network include a plurality of time slots occurring in a repeating time interval.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the repeating time interval is a WiMedia superframe.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the remote device is unable to communicate with the second device across the wireless communications network directly.

22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a device, the computer program logic comprising:

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to receive a request from a remote device to relinquish at least a portion of an existing reservation between the device and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network;

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to forward the request to the second device; and

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to send to the second device information accompanying the request indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the device;

wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the device, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to receive a request from the second device for a second allocation of resources of the wireless communications network between the device and the second device, wherein the second allocation of resources is based on the information indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network;

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to send to the second device an acceptance of the request received from the second device.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the wireless communications network is a WiMedia network.

25. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving at a first device, a Relinquish Request Information Element (IE) from a remote device indicating a request for relinquishing at least a portion of an existing reservation between the first device and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network made according to a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP);

(b) forwarding the Relinquish Request IE from the first device to the second device; and

(c) sending from the first device to the second device a DRP Availability IE accompanying the request indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the first device;

wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the first device, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver in a first device for communicating with devices across a wireless communications network;

a memory;

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory for;

(a) receiving at the first device, a Relinquish Request Information Element (IQ from a remote device indicating a request for relinquishing at least a portion of an existing reservation between the first device and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network made according to a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP);

(b) forwarding the Relinquish Request IE from the first device to the second device; and

(c) sending from the first device to the second device a DRP Availability IE accompanying the request indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the first device;

wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the first device, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a communications device, the computer program logic comprising:

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to receive, a Relinquish Request Information Element (IE) from a remote device indicating a request for relinquishing at least a portion of an existing reservation between the device and a second device in a wireless communications network, the reservation initiated by the second device and comprising a first allocation of resources of the wireless communications network using to a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP);

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to forward the Relinquish Request IE from the device to the second device; and

program code for enabling the processor to cause the device to send to the second device a DRP Availability IE accompanying the request indicating a current view of resource utilization in the wireless communications network, the current view from a perspective of the device;

wherein devices belonging to the wireless communications network including the device, second device and the remote device have a shared responsibility for maintaining configuration of the network by transmitting and receiving beacon transmissions within the wireless communications network.