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Power-saving mechanism for periodic traffic streams in wireless local-area networks

  • US 7,881,322 B1
  • Filed: 07/28/2005
  • Issued: 02/01/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2002
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of saving power in a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) including an Access Point (AP) and at least one station, the method comprising:

  • receiving, at an AP, a Power Save (PS) Poll from a station;

    retrieving a frame from a highest priority buffer having frames for said station;

    receiving a frame control field of a frame transmitted uplink to the AP, the frame control field having a Power Management (PM) bit reset, wherein after said frame having a PM bit reset is received, said AP fills a transmit buffer with copies of frames ordered by priority;

    transmitting frames from said transmit buffer to said station in accordance with an order of priority; and

    removing said frames from said transmit buffer as the copies of frames are transmitted, wherein said removing is done when the PM bit for said station is set in a frame control field of a frame transmitted uplink to the AP;

    transmitting fewer than all frames in the transmit buffer to the station during a period in which the station is awake; and

    while there is still at least a portion of traffic buffered in the transmit buffer at the access point for transmission to the station, transmitting an end-of-wake period indication to the station to notify the station that the station can go to sleep.

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