System and method for transmitting high throughput data between multiple devices

• US 8,493,590 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fischer, Matthew, Palm, Stephen Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Hilina S
• Application Number:
  US11/528,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20070226351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,491 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for transmitting data directly between a plurality of client network devices in a network is disclosed. The system may include a first client network device having a first client (“STA”) module and a second client network device of the plurality of client network devices where the second client network device includes a Dual Access Point and Station enabled device (“DAS-enabled device”).

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data directly between a plurality of Dual Access Point and Station (“

DAS”

)-enabled devices in a wireless network, in which the plurality of DAS-enabled devices also communicate with each other by transferring data via an Access Point (“

AP”

) device in the wireless network, the method comprising;

receiving a broadcast message wirelessly in a management action frame directly from a first DAS-enabled device of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices at a second DAS-enabled device of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices, wherein the first DAS-enabled device operates as a station when communicating with the AP device and as a subsidiary AP (“

SAP”

) to the AP device when communicating directly with other DAS-enabled devices and wherein the broadcast message includes information indicating a basic transmission bit rate that is not supported by the wireless network for communicating via the AP device, in order to prevent non-DAS-enabled devices from directly connecting to the first DAS-enabled device when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, and in which the management action frame is not a beacon frame that would cause the AP device to change to a different channel;

identifying in the second DAS-enabled device that the basic transmission bit rate that is not supported by the wireless network is an indication that the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP to attempt to communicate directly with the second DAS-enabled device without accessing the AP device and in which the basic transmission bit rate that is not supported by the wireless network prevents non-DAS-enabled devices from accessing the wireless network by connecting to the first DAS-enabled device, when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP;

determining minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device in the broadcast message;

determining in the second DAS-enabled device, if the second DAS-enabled device meets the minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device to establish a direct communication path in the wireless network between the first DAS-enabled device and the second DAS-enabled device for direct data transfer without communicating via the AP device; and

establishing the direct communication path between the first DAS-enabled device and the second DAS-enabled device for direct data transfer, without utilizing the AP device to establish the direct communication path, when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP and when the second DAS-enabled device meets the minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device.

2. The method of claim 1 further including establishing a second direct communication path with at least a third DAS-enabled device of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further including utilizing an Association Configuration Protocol (“

ACP”

) to convey the minimum requirements in the broadcast message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an ACP type-length-value (“

TLV”

) of the broadcast message is used to convey the minimum requirements.

5. The method of claim 4, further including entering into an ACP Active state in response to determining the minimum requirements of the first DAS-enabled device.

6. The method of claim 5, further including entering into an ACP Window state at the first DAS-enabled device after transmitting the broadcast message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein entering into an ACP Window state is responsive to an external input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the direct data transfer is a quality of service (QOS) transfer.

9. A system for transmitting data directly between a plurality of Dual Access Point and Station (“

DAS”

)-enabled devices in a wireless network, in which the plurality of DAS-enabled devices also communicate with each other by transferring data via an Access Point (“

AP”

) device in the wireless network, the system comprising;

a first DAS-enabled device of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices, wherein the first DAS-enabled device operates as a station when communicating with the AP device and as a subsidiary AP (“

SAP”

) to the AP device when communicating directly with other DAS-enabled devices and wherein the first DAS-enabled device wirelessly transmits a broadcast message in a management action frame directly to other DAS-enabled devices of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices, in which the broadcast message includes information indicating a basic transmission rate that is not supported by the wireless network for communicating via the AP device when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, and in which the basic transmission bit rate that is not supported by the wireless network prevents non-DAS-enabled devices from accessing the wireless network by connecting to the first DAS-enabled device, when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, and the broadcast message also includes minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device to communicate directly with another DAS-enabled device without communicating via the AP device, and in which the management action frame is not a beacon frame that would cause the AP device to change to a different channel; and

a second DAS-enabled device of the plurality of DAS-enabled devices to receive the management action frame, wherein the second DAS-enabled device includes a module to determine if the second DAS-enabled device meets the minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device to establish a direct communication path between the first DAS-enabled device and the second DAS-enabled device for direct data transfer without communicating via the AP device, and to respond to the first DAS-enabled device to establish the direct communication path between the first DAS-enabled device and the second DAS-enabled device for the direct data transfer, without utilizing the AP device to establish the direct communication path in the wireless network, when the first DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP and when the second DAS-enabled device meets the minimum requirements imposed by the first DAS-enabled device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second DAS-enabled device utilizes an Association Configuration Protocol (“

ACP”

) to convey the minimum requirements in the broadcast message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first DAS-enabled device includes an ACP Configurator.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first DAS-enabled device is an IEEE 802.11 enabled device and the second DAS-enabled device is an IEEE 802.11 enabled device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first DAS-enabled device is a device configured as a network master device and the second DAS-enabled device is a device configured as a network slave device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein both the first DAS-enabled device and second DAS-enabled device are wireless devices.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the direct data transfer is a quality of service (QOS) transfer.

16. A Dual Access Point and Station enabled device (“

DAS-enabled device”

) on a wireless network for transmitting data directly between the DAS-enabled device and a second device, which is also DAS-enabled, on the network, in which the wireless network has an Access Point (“

AP”

) device for transfer of data between the DAS-enabled device and the second device via the AP device, the DAS-enabled device comprising;

a station module to selectively communicate with the AP device when communicating on the wireless network via the AP device, in which the station module establishes an indirect communication path to the second device via the AP device; and

a Subsidiary Access Point module (“

SAP-module”

) to operate as a subsidiary access point (“

SAP”

) for directly communicating with the second device without accessing the AP device when the DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, the SAP-module to wirelessly transmit a broadcast message in a management action frame directly to other DAS-enabled devices in the wireless network, in which the broadcast message includes information indicating a basic transmission rate that is not supported by the wireless network for communicating via the AP device when the DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP and in which the basic transmission bit rate that is not supported by the wireless network prevents non-DAS-enabled devices from accessing the wireless network by connecting to the SAP-module when the DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, and the broadcast message also includes minimum requirements imposed by the DAS-enabled device to communicate directly with the second device without communicating via the AP device and when the second device identifies the basic transmission rate and responds to the broadcast message that the second device meets the minimum requirements for direct communication with the DAS-enabled device, the DAS-enabled device and the second device to establish a direct communication path in the wireless network between the DAS-enabled device and the second device, when the DAS-enabled device is operating as the SAP, for direct data transfer without utilizing the AP device, and in which the management action frame is not a beacon frame that would cause the AP device to change to a different channel.

17. The DAS-enabled device of claim 16, wherein the DAS-enabled device utilizes an Association Configuration Protocol (“

ACP”

) to convey the minimum requirements in the broadcast message.

18. The DAS-enabled device of claim 17, wherein the SAP-module includes an ACP Configurator.

19. The DAS-enabled device of claim 16, wherein the DAS-enabled device is an IEEE 802.11 enabled device.

20. The DAS-enabled device of claim 16, wherein the direct data transfer is a quality of service (QOS) transfer.