Systems and methods for paging message enhancement

• US 9,247,526 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jafarian, Amin, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Asterjadhi, Alfred, Merlin, Simone
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/800,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices for paging message enhancement, for example, by allowing packets to accumulate in an access point before sending them to a station. In some implementations, a station may not have an immediate use for a packet waiting in an access point'"'"'s buffer. The station may save energy and reduce medium occupancy by allowing packets to accumulate at the access point and then receiving the accumulated packets in accordance with certain criteria. Such criteria for accumulation may be based on a Quality of Service (QoS) category, the station address, or the station type. The station may set accumulation parameters, such as a maximum occupied buffer size or a maximum time for which a station'"'"'s packets are delayed for accumulation.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications comprising:

transmitting, by a wireless device to an access point of a wireless access network, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria and parameters indicating a buffer threshold requirement; and

receiving, at the wireless device from the access point, a first paging message based on the buffer threshold requirement, wherein the first paging message indicates a first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available at the access point for transmission to the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating, by the wireless device, in a first state in response to receiving the first paging message, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive the first set of data when operating in the first state; and

receiving, by the wireless device, the first set of data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

operating, by the wireless device, in a second state, wherein the wireless device is configured to not receive the first set of data when operating in the second state;

transitioning, by the wireless device, from the second state to the first state in response to receiving a second paging message indicating a second set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available for transmission to the wireless device; and

receiving, by the wireless device, the second set of data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise an amount of time the wireless device is in the second state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first paging message in response to the buffer threshold requirement being satisfied.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the buffer threshold requirement is a maximum occupied buffer size.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the buffer threshold requirement is a maximum time limit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise one or more categories of data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more categories of data include quality of service access categories.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frame comprises a management frame.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frame is transmitted when the wireless device is associated with an access point of a wireless network.

12. A wireless device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit to an access point of a wireless access network a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria and parameters indicating a buffer threshold requirement; and

a receiver configured to receive from the access point a first paging message based on the buffer threshold requirement, wherein the first paging message indicates a first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available at the access point for transmission to the wireless device.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising a processor configured to operate the wireless device in a first state in response to receiving the first paging message, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first set of data when operating in the first state.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, further comprising a processor configured to operate the wireless device in a second state, wherein the receiver is configured to not receive the first set of data when operating in the second state.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise an amount of time the wireless device is in the second state.

16. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the first paging message in response to the buffer threshold requirement being satisfied.

17. An apparatus for wireless communications comprising:

means for transmitting, by a wireless device to an access point of a wireless access network, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria and parameters indicating a buffer threshold requirement;

means for receiving from the access point a first paging message based on the buffer threshold requirement, wherein the first paging message indicates a first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available at the access point for transmission to the apparatus;

means for operating in a first state in response to receiving the first paging message, wherein the means for receiving is further configured to receive the first set of data when operating in the first state; and

means for operating in a second state, wherein the receiver is configured to not receive the first set of data while operating in the second state.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to:

transmit, by a wireless device to an access point of a wireless access network, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria and parameters indicating a buffer threshold requirement;

receive from the access point a first paging message based on the buffer threshold requirement, wherein the first paging message indicates a first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available at the access point for transmission to the; and

operate in a first state in response to receiving the first paging message, wherein the first set of data is received while operating in the first state.

19. The medium of claim 18, further comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the apparatus to operate in a second state wherein the apparatus is configured to not receive the first set of data when operating in the second state, transition from the second state to the first state in response to receiving a second paging message indicating a second set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available for transmission to the apparatus, and receive the second set of data.

20. A method implemented in an access point of a wireless access network for wireless communications comprising:

receiving, at the access point from a wireless device, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria;

determining, at the access point, that a first set of data buffered for the wireless device satisfies the one or more paging message transmission criteria;

determining a buffer threshold requirement based on the first frame;

including the wireless device in a paging message based on the one or more paging message transmission criteria and the buffer threshold requirement being met; and

transmitting the paging message to the wireless device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging message indicates to the wireless device that the first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available for transmission to the wireless device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising transmitting the first set of data to the wireless device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise an amount of time the wireless device is operating in a second state, wherein the wireless device is configured to not receive the first set of data while operating in the second state.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising buffering a second set of data available for transmission to the wireless device, wherein the second set of data does not satisfy the one or more paging message transmission criteria.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising transmitting the second set of data to the wireless device in response to the buffer threshold requirement being met.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the buffer threshold requirement is a maximum occupied buffer size.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the buffer threshold requirement is a maximum time limit.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise one or more categories of data.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more categories of data include quality of service access categories.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising adding a quality of service access category to the paging message.

31. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining an order of paged wireless devices according to one or more quality of service access categories.

32. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining a grouping of wireless devices according to one or more quality of service access categories.

33. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

dividing the paging message into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks corresponds to a group of wireless devices; and

appending a quality of service access category to each block of the plurality of blocks.

34. An access point of a wireless access network comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a wireless device, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria;

a processor configured to determine, at the access point, that a first set of data buffered for the wireless device satisfies the one or more paging message transmission criteria, to determine a buffer threshold requirement based on the first frame and to include the wireless device in a paging message based on the one or more paging message transmission criteria and the buffer threshold requirement being met; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the paging message to the wireless device.

35. The access point of claim 34, wherein the paging message indicates to the wireless device that the first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available for transmission to the wireless device, and the transmitter is further configured to transmit the first set of data to the wireless device.

36. The access point of claim 35, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise an amount of time the wireless device is operating in a second state, wherein the wireless device is configured to not receive the first set of data when operating in the second state.

37. The access point of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to buffer a second set of data available for transmission to the wireless device,

wherein the second set of data does not satisfy the one or more paging message transmission criteria.

38. The access point of claim 37, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the second set of data to the wireless device in response to the buffer threshold requirement being met.

39. The access point of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to add a quality of service access category to the paging message.

40. The access point of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an order of paged wireless devices according to one or more quality of service access categories.

41. The access point of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a grouping of wireless devices according to one or more quality of service access categories.

42. The access point of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to:

divide the paging message into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks corresponds to a group of wireless devices; and

append a quality of service access category to each block of the plurality of blocks.

43. An apparatus for wireless communications comprising:

means for receiving, at an access point of a wireless access network from a wireless device, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria;

means for determining, at the access point, that a first set of data buffered for the wireless device satisfies the one or more paging message transmission criteria;

means for including the wireless device in a paging message in accordance with the one or more paging message transmission criteria;

means for transmitting the paging message from the access point to the wireless device;

means for buffering at the access point a second set of data available for transmission to the wireless device, wherein the second set of data does not satisfy the one or more paging message transmission criteria; and

means for determining at the access point a buffer threshold requirement based on the first frame, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to transmit the paging message to the wireless device based on the buffer threshold requirement being met.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the paging message indicates to the wireless device that a first set of data satisfying the one or more paging message transmission criteria is available for transmission to the wireless device.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the one or more paging message transmission criteria comprise an amount of time the wireless device is operating in a second state, wherein the wireless device is configured to not receive the first set of data while operating in the second state.

46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors in an access point of a wireless access network, causes an apparatus to:

receive, from a wireless device, a first frame including at least one field indicating one or more paging message transmission criteria;

determine, at the access point, that a first set of data buffered for the wireless device satisfies the one or more paging message transmission criteria;

include the wireless device in a paging message in accordance with the one or more paging message transmission criteria;

transmit the paging message to the wireless device;

determine a buffer threshold requirement based on the first frame;

transmit the paging message to the wireless device based on the buffer threshold requirement being met; and

transmit a set of data to the wireless device in response to the buffer threshold requirement being met.

47. The medium of claim 46, further comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the apparatus to:

divide the paging message into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks corresponds to a group of wireless devices; and

append a quality of service access category to each block of the plurality of blocks.