Techniques for management of shared resources in wireless multi-communication devices

• US 8,396,014 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sharaga, Avishay, Shlomo, Avital, Noah, Moshe, Ghanadry, Jubran
• Primary Examiner(s): LEVITAN, DMITRY
• Application Number:
  US12/215,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/339, 370345-350, 370431-437, 370/462, 455/502
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0067 with one or more circuit blocks in common for different bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a network adapter configured for wireless communication using more than one technology, wherein the network adapter is configured to share a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components by generating a notification when a shared HW resource becomes available to a requesting device that needs the HW resource, and registering the requesting device so that it will receive the notifications when generated; and wherein upon receiving the notifications, the requesting device will wake up and perform a pending action.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a network adapter configured for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components,

wherein said network adapter, in operation, shares at least one of the plurality of shared HW components by generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has become available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource;

configuring said requesting device to an unmask state such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action; and

configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when said HW resource is no longer needed, or when the pending action is completed, or both, said requesting device is configured to the mask state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said notification is generated by an owner of said HW resource or by said HW resource itself based on an implementation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, if there are only two owners of said HW resource, than one of the two owners always sends said notification to the other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a HW resource manager and wherein, if there are more than two owners of said HW resource, than said notification is generated by said HW resource manager when said HW resource becomes free.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, where said HW resource manager manages a list of all devices that need said HW resource, and sends said notification only to one device at a time according to a predetermined algorithm.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said predetermined algorithm is implemented based on one or more techniques including first asked, most important, round robin, and any combination thereof.

8. A method, comprising:

configuring a network adapter for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components; and

configuring said network adapter to share at least one of the plurality of HW components by generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has become available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource, configuring said requesting device to an unmask state, such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action, and configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring said requesting device to the mask state, when said HW resource is no longer needed, or when the pending action is completed, or both.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating said notification by an owner of said HW resource or by said HW resource itself based on an implementation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, if there are only two owners of said HW resource, than one of the two owners always sends said notification to the other.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising using a HW resource manager, that if there are more than two owners of said HW resource, is configured to generate said notification, when said HW resource becomes free.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising managing, by said HW resource manager, a list of all devices that need said HW resource, and sending said notification only to one device at a time according to a predetermined algorithm.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said predetermined algorithm is implemented based on one or more techniques including first asked, most important, round robin, and any combination thereof.

15. An article comprising a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a computing platform, result in:

configuring a network adapter for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components; and

configuring said network adapter to share at least one of the plurality of HW components by generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has become available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource, configuring said requesting device to an unmask state, such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action, and configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.

16. The article of claim 15, comprising further instructions that when executed further result in configuring said requesting device to the mask state, when said HW resource is no longer needed, or the pending action is completed, or both.

17. The article of claim 16, comprising further instructions that when executed further result in generating said notification by an owner of said HW resource or by said HW resource itself based on an implementation.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein, if there are only two owners of said HW resource, than one of the two owners always sends said notification to the other.

19. The article of claim 15, comprising further instructions that when executed further result in using a HW resource manager, that if there are more than two owners of said HW resource, is configured to generate said notification, when said HW resource becomes free.

20. The article of claim 19, comprising further instructions that when executed further result in managing, by said HW resource manager, a list of all devices that need said HW resource, and sending said notification only to one device at a time according to a predetermined algorithm.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a network adapter configured for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components,

wherein said network adapter is configured to share at least one of the plurality of HW components by;

generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has become available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource,

based on a result of a network scan performed by said requesting device or a determination that time elapsed since the network scan is greater than a threshold, or both, configuring said requesting device to an unmask state, such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action, and

configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.

22. A method, comprising:

configuring a network adapter for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components; and

configuring said network adapter to share at least one of the plurality of HW components by;

generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has become available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource,

based on a result of a network scan performed by said requesting device or a determination that time elapsed since the network scan is greater than a threshold, or both, configuring said requesting device to an unmask state, such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action, and

configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.

23. An article comprising a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a computing platform, result in:

configuring a network adapter for wireless communication using a plurality of wireless technologies that share at least one of a plurality of shared hardware (HW) components; and

configuring said network adapter to share at least one of the plurality of HW components by;

generating a notification indicating that a shared HW resource has becomes available to a requesting device that needs said HW resource,

based on a result of a network scan performed by said requesting device or a determination that time elapsed since the network scan is greater than a threshold, or both, configuring said requesting device to an unmask state, such that said requesting device receives said generated notification, and upon receiving said notification in the unmask state, wakes up and performs a pending action, and

configuring said requesting device to a mask state in which said requesting device ignores said generated notification.