Communication methods and apparatus related to wireless terminal monitoring for and use of beacon signals
First Claim
1. A method of operating a wireless communications device, comprising:
- monitoring during a first period of time to detect at least a portion of a beacon signal including at least one beacon symbol in a first communications band;
decoding information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion, said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; and
based on information included in the decoded information deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal being based on device identification information included in the decoded information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Wireless devices, e.g., in a cognitive radio network, discover and use locally available usable spectrum for communication. Beacon signaling facilitates available spectrum discovery and spectrum usage coordination. A wireless terminal, which may have entered a new area and powered up, monitors to detect for the presence of beacon signals in a first communications band. The wireless terminal makes a decision as to whether or not to transmit based on the monitoring result. In addition, when beacon signals are detected, decoded information recovered by the wireless terminal from the received beacon signals is used in making the transmission decision. The decoded information includes, e.g., type information indicating that a second band is allowed to be used for peer-peer communications and/or identification information identifying at least one of a wireless communications device which transmitted the beacon signal and a current user of the wireless communications device which transmitted the beacon signal.
327 Citations
65 Claims
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1. A method of operating a wireless communications device, comprising:
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monitoring during a first period of time to detect at least a portion of a beacon signal including at least one beacon symbol in a first communications band; decoding information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion, said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; and based on information included in the decoded information deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal being based on device identification information included in the decoded information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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17. A wireless communications device, comprising:
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a beacon detection module for detecting receipt of at least one beacon symbol communicated in a first communications band; a beacon signal decoding module for decoding information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion, said detected beacon symbol being part of said detected beacon signal portion and said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; and a beacon based decision module for determining whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, based on an output of said beacon signal decoding module, said output being a function of whether or not a beacon symbol was detected during a time period, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said beacon based decision module making said decision whether or not to transmit a first signal based on device identification information included in the decoded information. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 58, 59)
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35. A wireless communications device, comprising:
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means for detecting receipt of at least one beacon symbol communicated in a first communications band; means for decoding information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion, said detected beacon symbol being part of said detected beacon signal portion; and
said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; andmeans for determining whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, based on an output of said means for decoding information by a detected beacon signal, said output being a function of whether or not a beacon symbol was detected during a time period, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said means for making a decision, make said decision whether or not to transmit a first signal, based on device identification information included in the decoded information. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 60, 61)
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42. A non transitory computer readable medium embodying machine executable instruction for controlling a wireless communications device to implement a method, the method comprising:
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monitoring during a first period of time to detect at least a portion of a beacon signal including at least one beacon symbol in a first communications band; decoding information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; based on information included in the decoded information deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal being based on device identification information included in the decoded information. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 62, 63)
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48. An apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to; monitor during a first period of time to detect at least a portion of a beacon signal including at least one beacon symbol in a first communications band; decode information communicated by a detected beacon signal portion said information including information about a second communication band usable for peer to peer communications; and based on information included in the decoded information decide whether or not to transmit a first signal in the second communications band, which is different from said first communications band, said first signal including at least one of a beacon symbol and user data, said first and second communications bands being different frequency bands, said deciding whether or not to transmit a first signal being based on device identification information included in the decoded information. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 64, 65)
Specification