Wireless access point supporting control by multiple applications

• US 8,855,087 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Banerjee, Anirban, Roberts, David A., Shen, Hui, Jiang, Shawn, Mahajan, Saurabh, Gual, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): TOWFIGHI, AFSHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US12/338,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20100157960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/312, 370327-329, 370/338, 4553431-3436, 340 732- 738
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A computing device configurable as a wireless network access point that can be controlled from multiple applications. The computing device provides an interface through which applications may input commands to change the state of the access point. The interface responds to these commands and other events, such as association or disassociation of a wireless client, in a manner that does not disrupt the applications or devices using the access point. To determine an appropriate response to any event, the interface may maintain state information, including a count of the number of applications and/or wireless devices that have taken action indicating an operating state of the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless network access point (WAP) that maintains operating state information that controls switching of the WAP between first, second, and third operating states, the WAP comprising a radio, the operating state information controlling whether the WAP enters the first operating state in which the WAP listens with the radio but does not transmit beacons with the radio, the operating state information controlling whether the WAP enters the second operating state in which the WAP transmits beacons with the radio but does not listen with the radio, and the operating state information controlling whether the WAP enters the third operating state in which the WAP both listens and transmits beacons with the radio, the method comprising:

monitoring for and detecting events indicative of uses of the WAP by applications running on the WAP and/or by wireless client devices, wherein detected events are responded to by updating the operating state information accordingly;

in response to detecting an event, selecting one of the operating states for the WAP based on the event and based on the operating state information which has been updated according to one or more detected events, wherein the operating state information indicates either or both a number of applications or a number of wireless clients in at least one state of use of the wireless network access point; and

configuring the WAP to operate in the selected operating state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when in the third operating state, the WAP is beaconing and listening for connection requests from wireless devices;

a fourth operating state comprises an operating state in which the WAP is neither beaconing nor listening for connection requests from wireless devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

when the WAP is in the fourth operating state and the event comprises a command from an application to start the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the first operating state; and

updating the operating state information comprises storing an indication that one application requested silent operation of the WAP.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

when the WAP is in the fourth operating state and the event comprises a command from an application to start the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the first operating state; and

updating the operating state information comprises increasing an indication of the number of applications requesting silent operation of the WAP.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

when the WAP is in the first operating state and the event comprises a command from an application to stop the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the first operating state when the indication of the number of applications requesting silent state operation is greater than one;

updating the operating state information comprises decreasing the indication of the number of applications requesting silent state operation of the WAP; and

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the fourth operating state when the updated indication of the number of applications requesting silent state operation indicates no applications.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

when the WAP is in the first operating state and the event comprises a command from an application to advertise the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the third operating state; and

updating the state information comprises storing an indication that one application has requested beaconing by the WAP.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

when the WAP is in the third operating state and the event comprises a command from an application to advertise the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the third operating state; and

updating the state information comprises increasing an indication of the number of applications that have requested beaconing by the WAP.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

when the WAP is in the active state and the event comprises a command from an application to hide the WAP;

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the third operating state when the indication of the number of applications that have requested beaconing by the WAP indicates that more than one application has requested beaconing;

updating the state information comprises decreasing the indication of the number of applications that have requested beaconing by the WAP; and

selecting the operating state comprises selecting the first operating state when the updated indication of the number of applications that have requested beaconing by the WAP indicates that no application has requested beaconing.

9. A computer storage device comprising computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

an interface for an access point, the interface adapted to, when executing;

control which of the following operating states the access point enters and exits;

an operating state for transmitting beacons with an antenna thereof and not listening with the antenna, an operating state for listening with the antenna and not sending beacons, and an operating state for both transmitting beacons and listening with the antenna;

receive a command from an application;

responsive to receiving the command, determine which of the operating states the access point is to enter based on the command and based on stored state information relating to operation of the access point, wherein the stored state information comprises either or both a count of a number of applications using the access point or a count of a number of wireless client devices associated with the access point, wherein the stored state information is dynamically updated by counting either or both interactions with the access point by the applications or by the wireless client devices; and

generate a command to the access point to place the access point in the determined operating state.

10. The computer storage device of claim 9, wherein the interface is further adapted to, when executing:

receive from the access point an indication of a successful association with a wireless device; and

update the stored state information to indicate correspond to the wireless device being associated with the access point.

11. The computer storage device of claim 10, wherein the interface is further adapted to, when executing:

receive from the access point an indication of disassociation of a previously associated wireless device;

determine an operating state of the access point based on the disassociation of a previously associated wireless device and stored state information; and

update the stored state information to correspond to the wireless device being disassociated from the access point.

12. The computer storage device of claim 11, wherein the interface is adapted such that when executing the interface updates the stored state information to correspond to the wireless device being associated with the access point by increasing a count representative of beaconing requests.

13. The computer storage device of claim 12, wherein the interface is adapted to, when executing, in response to receiving the indication of disassociation of a previously associated wireless device:

decrease the count of beaconing requests by one; and

when the decrease causes the count of beaconing requests to be zero, determine the operating state of the access point based on the disassociation of the previously associated wireless device and the stored state information by determining the operating state to be a state in which the access point does not actively beacon.

14. The computer storage device of claim 13, wherein the interface is adapted to, when executing:

in response to receiving a command from an application to actively beacon, increase the count representative of beaconing requests by one; and

in response to receiving a command from an application to hide the access point, decrease the count representative of beaconing requests by one.

15. A computing device comprising:

an access point configurable to operate in a plurality of states, the plurality of states comprising an active state, an inactive state and a silent state; and

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions comprising;

a plurality of applications; and

an interface for the access point, the interface adapted to;

receive a command from an application of the plurality of applications;

receive from the access point an indication of a successful association with a wireless device;

receive from the access point an indication of disassociation from the access point of a previously associated wireless device;

determine an operating state of the access point based on stored state information relating to operation of the access point and one or more of the command, the indication of a successful association and the indication of the disassociation; and

generate a command to the access point to place the access point in the determined operating state, wherein the determined operating state comprises the silent state based on at least one of;

the stored state information comprising the inactive state and the command comprising a command requesting the access point to start a communication with at least one wireless device,

the stored state information comprising the active state and the command comprising a command from a last application operating in the active state requesting the access point to hide the access point, or

the stored state information comprising the active state and the indication of the disassociation comprising an indication that a last wireless device operating in the active state has disassociated from the access point.

16. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

a plurality of counters, wherein the stored state information comprises the values in the plurality of counters.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein:

a first counter of the plurality of counters stores a count of a number of associated wireless devices; and

the interface is adapted to, in response to receiving an indication of disassociation of a previously associated wireless device, decrease the first counter by one.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein:

a second counter of the plurality of counters stores a count of a number of commands received to start the access point; and

the interface is adapted to, in response to receiving a command to stop the access point, decrease the second counter by one.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of applications comprises at least one application adapted to synchronize data with a wireless device.