Methods, systems and apparatuses to mitigate communication collisions

• US 9,397,817 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Minyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Sai-Ming
• Application Number:
  US13/977,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20140334458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 370/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1221 based on age of data to be sent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments may comprise logic such as hardware and/or code to mitigate or attenuate collisions of communications between wireless communications devices and access points by defining time slots for stations to communicate with the access point. Some embodiments may define time slots for stations to respond to an indication that the access point is buffering data for the station. Further embodiments may define time slots for stations to communicate with the access point whether there is data buffered for the station or not. And many embodiments may determine stations associated with communications collisions or likely to be associated with communications collisions and defines different time slots for the stations to communicate with the access point.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a beacon to multiple wireless communication devices, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM to indicate multiple slot assignments, each slot assignment to indicate when a separate one of the multiple wireless communication devices is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

receiving a communication from a particular one of the multiple wireless communication devices, the communication to occur during the slot assigned to the particular one of the wireless communication devices, wherein the communication from the particular one of the multiple communication devices is a power save poll.

2. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

at least one processor and medium access control logic, configured to

generate a beacon for wireless transmission to multiple wireless communication devices, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM to indicate multiple slot assignments, each slot assignment to indicate when a separate one of the multiple wireless communication devices is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

receive a communication from a particular one of the multiple wireless communication devices, the communication to occur during the slot assigned to the particular one of the wireless communication devices, wherein the communication from the particular one of the multiple communication devices is a power save poll.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a transceiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an antenna.

5. At least one non-transitory computer useable medium having a computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code configured to perform operations comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a beacon to multiple wireless communication devices, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM to indicate multiple slot assignments, each slot assignment to indicate when a separate one of the multiple wireless communication devices is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

receiving a communication from a particular one of the multiple wireless communication devices, the communication to occur during the slot assigned to the particular one of the wireless communication devices, wherein the communication from the particular one of the multiple communication devices is a power save poll.

6. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a beacon generated by a wireless communication device, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM indicating multiple slot assignments, a particular one of the slot assignments indicating when the apparatus is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

transmitting a communication to the wireless communication device during the particular slot assignment, wherein the communication to the wireless communication device is a power save poll.

7. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

at least one processor and medium access control logic, configured to

receive a beacon generated by a wireless communication device, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM indicating multiple slot assignments, a particular one of the slot assignments indicating when the apparatus is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

transmit a communication to the wireless communication device during the particular slot assignment, wherein the communication to the wireless communication device is a power save poll.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a transceiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising an antenna.

10. At least one non-transitory computer useable medium having a computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a beacon generated by a wireless communication device, the beacon containing a traffic indication map (TIM), the TIM indicating multiple slot assignments, a particular one of the slot assignments indicating when the apparatus is permitted to transmit during a beacon interval subsequent to the beacon and

transmitting a communication to the wireless communication device during the particular slot assignment, wherein the communication to the wireless communication device is a power save poll.