Method and apparatus for protecting high throughput stations

• US 8,750,932 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zeira, Eldad M., Terry, Stephen E., Levy, Joseph S., Grandhi, Sudheer A., Chandra, Arty
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US11/531,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20070076752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,828 Days
• Field of Search: 370/231, 370/320, 370335-337, 370342-349, 370/389, 370/395, 370/468, 370/522, 370/203, 370/338, 370/328, 370/311, 370/312, 370/334, 370/252, 375/130, 375/141, 375/150, 375/260, 375/295, 455/450, 455/517, 455/296, 455/101, 455/562.1, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0079 Formats for control data H04L1/16 takes precedence; training sequences H04L25/00 and H04L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for protecting high throughput (HT) stations (STAs) are disclosed. In one embodiment, a physical layer (PHY) legacy preamble transmitted by one STA is decoded by another STA that does not use a legacy preamble. In another embodiment, one STA is identified by another STA by using bits in the preamble of a packet to indicate which PHY type will be used in the remaining portion of the packet. In yet another embodiment, one STA sends ready-to-send (RTS)/clear-to-send (CTS) or CTS-to-self messages for reserving a medium in the presence of another STA of a different type than the one STA. In yet another embodiment, an access point (AP) transmits a beacon or an association message including a capability information element (IE) that indicates operation or support for a legacy preamble, HT STA preambles and a medium access control (MAC) packet transmission with HT protection mechanisms.

Claims

1. An access point (AP) comprising:

a processor configured to generate an association message, wherein the association message includes a high throughput (HT) capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection;

an antenna; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the association message via the antenna.

14. The AP of claim 1, wherein the association message is an association request message.

2. An access point (AP) comprising:

a processor configured to generate a beacon, wherein the beacon includes a high throughput (HT) capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection;

an antenna; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the beacon via the antenna.

3. A high throughput (HT) station (STA) comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first association message; and

a receiver configured to receive a second association message that includes a high throughput (HT) capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection.

4. The STA of claim 3, wherein the first association message is an association request message.

5. The STA of claim 3, wherein the first association message is an association response message.

6. A method for use in an access point (AP), the method comprising:

generating an association message that includes a high throughput (HT) capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection; and

transmitting the association message to a station (STA).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the association message is an association response message.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving an association request message.

9. A method for use in an access point (AP), the method comprising:

generating a beacon that includes a high throughput (HT) capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection; and

transmitting the beacon to a station (STA).

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving an association response message in response to the beacon.

11. A method for use in a high throughput (HT) station (STA), the method comprising:

transmitting a first association message; and

receiving a second association message that includes an HT capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first association message is an association request message.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second association message is an association response message.

15. A method for use in a high throughput (HT) station (STA), the method comprising:

receiving a beacon, from an access point (AP), that includes an HT capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

transmitting an association message in response to the beacon.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the association message is an association request message.

18. A high throughput (HT) station (STA) comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a beacon, from an access point (AP), that includes an HT capability information element (IE) that indicates support for a legacy signal (L-SIG) transmit opportunity (TXOP) protection mechanism and support for a space-time block code (STBC) modulated transmission, wherein the L-SIG TXOP protection mechanism includes setting a length field and a rate field associated with an L-SIG field to indicate a desired duration for protection.

19. The STA of claim 18 further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit an association message in response to the beacon.

20. The STA of claim 19, wherein the association message is an association request message.