Method and system for discoverability of power saving P2P devices

• US 8,335,937 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Qi, Emily H., Kaidar, Oren, Meylemans, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choudhury, Zahid
• Application Number:
  US12/647,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/310, 707/622
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a method and system, a first wireless device may be periodically cycled between an available state and a power saving state. While in the available state, the first wireless device may receive a probe request sent from a second wireless device operating in a discovery state. The first wireless device may transmit a probe response to the second wireless device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

periodically cycling a peer-to-peer (P2P) group client device between an available state and a power saving state during a discovery interval synchronized to a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) interval of a DTIM period, the DTIM period including a period in which the P2P group client device is to receive a traffic indication message and pending traffic from a P2P group owner, wherein the DTIM interval is longer than a target beacon transmission time interval utilized for communication by the P2P group owner;

receiving at the P2P group client device a P2P invitation request from the P2P group owner while the P2P group client device is in the available state, the P2P invitation including an invitation from an other P2P device to communicate with the P2P group client device; and

communicating between the P2P group client and the other P2P device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the available state is synchronized with the DTIM period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the P2P group client device operates in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the DTIM interval is an integer multiple of the target beacon transmission time interval.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the other P2P device is not part of a P2P networking group including the P2P group client device and the P2P group owner.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

periodically cycling the P2P group owner between a P2P group owner available state and a P2P group owner power saving state; and

receiving at the P2P group owner the P2P invitation request from the other P2P device, when the P2P group owner is operating in the P2P group owner available state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power saving state of the P2P group client device comprises a power saving state of a transceiver of the P2P group client device and the available state of the P2P group client device comprises an available state of the transceiver of the P2P group client device.

8. In a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking group that includes at least a P2P group owner and at least one P2P group client, a method comprising:

transmitting from the P2P group owner, a first group timing beacon having a first period, the first group timing beacon is synchronized to a target beacon transmission time;

transmitting from the P2P group owner, a second group timing beacon having a second period synchronized to a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) time, wherein the second timing beacon is synchronized to the first group timing beacon and the duration of the second period is a multiple of the duration of the first period;

periodically cycling the P2P group client between a P2P group client available state and a P2P group client power saving state, wherein the cycling of the P2P group client between the P2P group client available state and the P2P group client power saving state is synchronized to the second group timing beacon, wherein when operating in the available state the P2P group client is to receive a traffic indication message and pending traffic at the DTIM time;

receiving at the P2P group client a P2P invitation request from the P2P group owner while the P2P group client is in the available state; and

starting communications with a P2P device originating the P2P invitation request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the P2P group owner and the P2P group client operate in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving at the P2P group owner the P2P invitation request from a P2P device not associated with the networked P2P group.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

periodically cycling the P2P group owner between a P2P group owner available state and a P2P group owner power saving state; and

receiving at the P2P group owner the P2P invitation request from the P2P device, when the P2P group owner is operating in the P2P group owner available state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the periodic cycling of the P2P group owner is synchronized to the first group timing beacon.

13. A system comprising:

a peer-to-peer (P2P) group client device to periodically cycle between an available state and a power saving state during a discovery interval synchronized to a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) interval of a DTIM period, the DTIM period including a period in which the P2P group client device is to receive a traffic indication message and pending traffic from a P2P group owner, wherein the DTIM interval is longer than a target beacon transmission time interval utilized for communication by the P2P group owner;

wherein the P2P group client device is to receive a P2P invitation request from the P2P group owner while the P2P group client device is in the available state, the P2P invitation including an invitation from an other P2P device to communicate with the P2P group client device, and based on the P2P invitation to communicate with the other P2P device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the P2P group client device operates in accordance with one or more WiFi Alliance Specifications.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the available state is synchronized with the DTIM period.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the DTIM interval is an integer multiple of the target beacon transmission time interval.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the other P2P device is not part of a P2P networking group including the P2P group client device and the P2P group owner.

18. The system of claim 13 including the P2P group owner configured to periodically cycle between a P2P group owner available state and a P2P group owner power saving state, and to receive the P2P invitation request from the other P2P device, when the P2P group owner is operating in the P2P group owner available state.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the periodic cycling of the P2P group owner is synchronized to the target beacon transmission time interval.