Persistent network negotiation for peer to peer devices

• US 9,301,127 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McCann, Stephen, Montemurro, Michael Peter, Lepp, James Randolph Winter, Hole, David Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/836,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20140223019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709223-229, 709/250
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A device may communicate with a peer-to-peer (P2P) network prior to associating with that network. The communications prior to association may include information about whether the P2P network is persistent or non-persistent. The information may include a persistent group intent field that identifies whether a device would prefer to join a persistent P2P network and allows a P2P network to advertise whether it is persistent.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, prior to determining whether to join a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, persistence information for the P2P group, wherein the persistent information comprises a persistent group intent (PGI) bit indicating a persistency of the P2P group; and

determining whether to join the P2P group based on the persistent information for the P2P group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the PGI bit is set to zero when the P2P group is not persistent and set to one when the P2P group is persistent.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the persistence information is advertised by the P2P group.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

joining the P2P group based on the persistent information advertised by the P2P group.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the wireless device desires to join a non-persistent group, further wherein the P2P group advertises that it is not persistent.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the wireless device desires to join a persistent group, further wherein the P2P group advertises that it is persistent.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the wireless device utilizes previously saved group information for the P2P group when joining the P2P group.

8. A wireless device, the device comprising:

a processor configured to;

establish whether a persistent connection is desired for a connection between the wireless device and a peer-to-peer (P2P) group; and

receive, prior to joining the P2P group, an advertisement from the P2P group, wherein the advertisement comprises a persistent group intent (PGI) bit indicating whether the P2P group provides the persistent connection.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the wireless device does not join the P2P group when the advertisement of the persistent connection from the P2P group does not match the persistent connection for the wireless device.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to:

discover, prior to joining a P2P group, available P2P groups that match the persistent connection.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to:

associate with one of the available P2P groups that match the desired persistent connection.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein the wireless device either desires the persistent connection or a non-persistent connection, and the advertisement from the P2P group indicates either the persistent connection or a non-persistent connection.

13. A method for a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, the method comprising:

establishing a persistent group intent value for the P2P network, wherein the persistent group intent value comprises a persistent group intent (PGI) bit that signifies whether the P2P network is persistent; and

advertising to a candidate device, prior to the candidate device joining the network, the persistent group intent value.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the PGI bit indicates either a persistent group or a non-persistent group.

15. A method in a wireless device, the method comprising:

sending, prior to formation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, a first persistent group intent (PGI) bit corresponding to a first intent to form a persistent P2P group;

receiving, prior to formation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, a second persistent group intent (PGI) bit corresponding to a second intent to form the persistent P2P group from one or more peers; and

forming the persistent P2P group.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining based on the first PGI bit and the second PGI bit whether the group formed is persistent or not.

17. A wireless device, the device comprising:

a processor configured to;

communicate, prior to forming a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, an indication of desired persistency for a group, wherein the indication comprises a persistent group intent (PGI) bit associated with the desired persistency for the group; and

form the P2P group.

18. The wireless device of claim 17 wherein the communication comprises:

sending the indication of the desired persistency to a peer device; and

receiving, from the peer device, a second indication of the desired persistency from the peer device.