Multihop paging of a peer in a peer-to-peer communication network

• US 8,706,145 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Laroia, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US11/775,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20090017844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,478 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458, 455/422.1, 455/445, 455/7, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/16, 455/502, 455/515, 455/517, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/574, 370/350, 370/252, 370/254, 370/278, 370/330
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate indirectly paging a peer in a peer-to-peer communication network via a series of direct peer-to-peer pages. Paging messages may be communicated directly between peers. Moreover, a paging message communicated from a first peer to a second peer may be further routed to a third peer. For example, the paging message may include information (e.g., an identifier associated with an ultimate destination) utilized to effectuate multihop paging; thus, upon obtaining the paging message, a peer may forward the paging message based upon such information.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first wireless terminal for communicating paging messages directly with a second wireless terminal and a third wireless terminal in a peer-to-peer environment, comprising:

receiving a first paging message from the second wireless terminal, wherein the first paging message includes an identifier identifying the first wireless terminal as a destination of the first paging message and identifiers identifying the second wireless terminal as a source terminal and the third wireless terminal as a destination terminal, the first paging message further including explicit instructions to the first wireless terminal to forward the first paging message to the third wireless terminal;

determining that the first paging message is designated to be routed to the third wireless terminal based on the explicit instructions and the identifier of the third wireless terminal, the third wireless terminal being different from the first wireless terminal; and

transmitting a second paging message to the third wireless terminal, the second paging message being related to the first paging message, wherein the second paging message includes the identifiers identifying the second wireless terminal as the source terminal and the third wireless terminal as the destination terminal,

wherein the first, second, and third wireless terminals are peers in the peer-to-peer environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first paging message during a first subset of times of a first paging interval monitored by the first wireless terminal, the first subset of times being a function of an identifier of the first wireless terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting the second paging message during a second subset of times of a second paging interval, the second subset being a function of the identifier of the third wireless terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second paging interval is different from the first paging interval.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first paging message is designated to be routed to the third wireless terminal further comprises assessing whether to forward the second paging message to the third wireless terminal based upon inclusion of the identifier associated with the third wireless terminal in the first paging message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically routing traffic related to the first and second paging messages during a corresponding traffic interval.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third paging message that designates a fourth wireless terminal as an intended recipient; and

directly transmitting the third paging message to the third wireless terminal for routing to the fourth wireless terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting the third paging message during a third subset of times of a third paging interval, the third subset being a function of the identifier of the third wireless terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first paging message and the second paging message include respective information pertaining to a MAC identifier, a quality of service level, or a type of traffic.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless terminal and the third wireless terminal directly communicate traffic corresponding to the first and second paging messages during a corresponding traffic interval.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing a paging interval during which the first paging message is received and the second paging message is transmitted with the second wireless terminal and the third wireless terminal based upon an obtained signal.

12. A first wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory that retains instructions related to;

generating a first paging message that designates a second wireless communications apparatus as an intended recipient, wherein the first paging message includes identifiers identifying the first wireless communications apparatus as a source apparatus and the second wireless communications apparatus as a destination apparatus, the first paging message further including information explicitly instructing a third wireless communications apparatus to forward the first paging message to the second wireless communications apparatus, and

directly transmitting the first paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus for routing to the second wireless communications apparatus, wherein the first paging message includes an identifier identifying the third wireless communications apparatus as a destination of the first paging message; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to execute the instructions retained in the memory,

wherein the first, second, and third wireless communications apparatus are peer nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

13. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory further retains instructions for transmitting the first paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus during a subset of times of a paging interval, the subset being a function of an identifier of the third wireless communications apparatus.

14. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first paging message further includes information pertaining to an identifier of the third wireless communications apparatus, a MAC identifier, a quality of service level, or a type of traffic.

15. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory further retains instructions for directly communicating traffic with the second wireless communications apparatus during a corresponding traffic interval.

16. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory further retains instructions for indirectly communicating traffic with the second wireless communications apparatus via the third wireless communications apparatus during a corresponding traffic interval.

17. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory further retains instructions for indirectly communicating traffic with the second wireless communications apparatus via a disparate fourth wireless communications apparatus during a corresponding traffic interval.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory further retains instructions for obtaining a second paging message from a fourth wireless communications apparatus, determining that the second paging message is designated to be forwarded to a fifth wireless communications apparatus, and sending a third paging message related to the second paging message to the fifth wireless communications apparatus.

19. A first wireless communications apparatus that enables routing paging messages in a peer-to-peer network, comprising:

means for obtaining a first paging message from a second wireless communications apparatus, wherein the first paging message includes an identifier identifying the first wireless communications apparatus as a destination of the first paging message and identifiers identifying the second wireless communications apparatus as a source apparatus and a third wireless communications apparatus as a destination apparatus, the first paging message further including explicit instructions to the first wireless communications apparatus to forward the first paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus;

means for determining that the first paging message is designated to be routed to the third wireless communications apparatus based on the explicit instructions and the identifier of the third wireless communications apparatus; and

means for sending a second paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus based on the identifier of the third wireless apparatus, the second paging message being related to the first paging message, wherein the second paging message includes the identifiers identifying the second wireless apparatus as the source apparatus and the third wireless apparatus as the destination apparatus,

wherein the first, second, and third wireless communication apparatus are peer nodes in the peer-to-peer network.

20. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for monitoring for the first paging message from the second wireless communications apparatus during a first subset of times of a paging interval, the first subset of times being a function of an identifier of the first wireless communications apparatus.

21. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for sending the second paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus transmits the second paging message during a second subset of times of a paging interval, the second subset being a function of the identifier of the third wireless communications apparatus.

22. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for dynamically routing traffic related to the first and second paging messages during a corresponding traffic interval.

23. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for generating a third paging message that designates a fourth wireless communications apparatus as an ultimate destination; and

means for directly transmitting the third paging message to the third wireless communications apparatus for routing to the fourth wireless communications apparatus.

24. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first paging message and the second paging message include respective information pertaining to a MAC identifier, a quality of service level, or a type of traffic.

25. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for synchronizing a paging interval during which the first paging message is obtained and the second paging message is sent with the second wireless communications apparatus and the third wireless communications apparatus based upon an obtained signal.

26. A non-transitory machine-readable medium of a first wireless terminal having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

receiving a first paging message from a second wireless terminal, wherein the first paging message includes an identifier identifying the first wireless terminal as a destination of the first paging message and identifiers identifying the second wireless terminal as a source terminal and a third wireless terminal as a destination terminal, the first paging message further including explicit instructions to the first wireless terminal to forward the first paging message to the third wireless terminal;

assessing that the first paging message is to be forwarded to the third wireless terminal based upon at least the explicit instructions and a portion of the identifier pertaining to the third wireless terminal included with the first paging message; and

transmitting a second paging message to the third wireless terminal, the second paging message being related to the first paging message, wherein the second paging message includes the identifiers identifying the second wireless terminal as the source terminal and the third wireless terminal as the destination terminal,

wherein the first, second, and third wireless terminals are peer nodes in a peer-to-peer network.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, the machine-executable instructions further comprise monitoring for the first paging message from the second wireless terminal during a first subset of times of a paging interval, the first subset of times being a function of an identifier of the first wireless terminal.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, the machine-executable instructions further comprise transmitting the second paging message to the third wireless terminal during a second subset of times of a paging interval, the second subset being a function of the identifier of the third wireless terminal.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, the machine-executable instructions further comprise dynamically routing traffic related to the first and second paging messages during a corresponding traffic interval.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, the machine-executable instructions further comprise:

generating a third paging message that designates a fourth wireless terminal as an ultimate destination; and

directly transmitting the third paging message to the third wireless terminal for routing to the fourth wireless terminal.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, the machine-executable instructions further comprise synchronizing a paging interval during which the first paging message is received and the second paging message is transmitted with the second wireless terminal and the third wireless terminal based upon an obtained signal.

32. In a wireless communication system, a first wireless apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

obtain a first paging message from a second wireless apparatus, wherein the first paging message includes an identifier identifying the first wireless apparatus as a destination of the first paging message and identifiers identifying the second wireless apparatus as a source terminal and a third wireless apparatus as a destination apparatus, the first paging message further including explicit instructions to the first wireless apparatus to forward the first paging message to the third wireless apparatus;

assess that the first paging message is designated to be routed to the third wireless apparatus based on the explicit instructions and the identifier of the third wireless apparatus; and

transfer a second paging message to the third wireless apparatus, the second paging message being related to the first paging message, wherein the second paging message includes the identifiers identifying the second wireless terminal as the source apparatus and the third wireless terminal as the destination apparatus,

wherein the first, second, and third wireless apparatus are peers in a peer-to-peer environment.