Persistent network negotiation for peer to peer devices

• US 9,942,316 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• 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:
  US15/048,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• 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 group formation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, persistent information for the P2P group, wherein the persistent information comprises a Persistent Group Information field providing information about a persistency of the P2P group; and

forming the P2P group based on credentials subsequent to receiving the persistent information, wherein the wireless device enables persistency in the P2P group if the Persistent Group Information field indicates support of persistency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the credentials are stored and used for subsequent P2P groups with the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is configured to send a second persistent Group Information field subsequent to enabling persistency in the P2P group, and wherein the second Persistent Group Information field is sent to another wireless device that has not previously connected to the P2P group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the credentials are not stored by the wireless device if the wireless device has no intent to create a persistent group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the Persistent Group Information field is part of a service-specific indication.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the service-specific indication is a Wi-Fi Direct Services (WFDS) service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein group persistence is governed by a group persistent policy based on an Application Programming Interface (API).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the Persistent Group Information field indicates non-support of persistency, deleting the credentials after a connection has closed, and wherein, if the Persistent Group Information field indicates support of persistency, advertising, to non-members of the P2P group, information indicating that persistency in the P2P group is enabled.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting, by the wireless device, an advertisement bit to a value indicating that persistency in the P2P group is enabled, wherein the advertisement bit is advertised to a candidate device prior to the candidate device joining the P2P group.

9. A wireless device, the device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured by instructions stored in the memory to;

receive, prior to group formation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, persistent information for the P2P group, wherein the persistent information comprises a Persistent Group Information field providing information about a persistency of the P2P group; and

form the P2P group based on credentials subsequent to receiving the persistent information, wherein the wireless device enables persistency in the P2P group if the Persistent Group Information field indicates support of persistency.

10. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the credentials are stored and used for subsequent P2P groups with the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is configured to send a second Persistent Group Information field subsequent to enabling persistency in the P2P group, and wherein the second Persistent Group Information field is sent to another wireless device that has not previously connected to the P2P group.

11. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the credentials are not stored by the wireless device if the wireless device has no intent to create a persistent group.

12. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the Persistent Group Information field is part of a service-specific indication.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the service-specific indication is a Wi-Fi Direct Services (WFDS) service.

14. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein group persistence is governed by a group persistent policy based on an Application Programming Interface (API).

15. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein, if the Persistent Group Information field indicates non-support of persistency, the wireless device delete the credentials after a connection has closed, wherein the credentials are authentication credentials, and wherein, if the Persistent Group Information field indicates support of persistency, the wireless device advertises, to non-members of the P2P group, information indicating that persistency in the P2P group is enabled.

16. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the persistent information is advertised, by the P2P group owner in an existing persistent P2P group, to a candidate device prior to the candidate device joining the existing persistent P2P group.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, prior to group formation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, persistent information for the P2P group, wherein the persistent information comprises a Persistent Group Information field providing information about a persistency of the P2P group; and

forming the P2P group based on credentials subsequent to receiving the persistent information, wherein persistency in the P2P group is enabled if the Persistent Group Information field indicates support of persistency.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the credentials are stored and used for subsequent P2P groups, wherein a second Persistent Group Information field is sent subsequent to enabling persistency in the P2P group, and wherein the second Persistent Group Information field is sent to a wireless device that has not previously connected to the P2P group.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the credentials are not stored by a wireless device if the wireless device has no intent to create a persistent group.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the Persistent Group Information field is part of a service-specific indication, wherein the service-specific indication is a Wi-Fi Direct Services (WFDS) service.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein group persistence is governed by a group persistent policy based on an Application Programming Interface (API).

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein, if the Persistent Group Information field indicates non-support of persistency, deleting the credentials after a connection has closed, wherein the credentials are used for authentication with the P2P group.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the executable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations further comprise a member of the P2P group sending, subsequent to enabling persistency in the P2P group, a second Persistent Group Information field to a peer wireless device prior to the peer wireless device joining the P2P group, wherein the second Persistent Group Information field indicates that the P2P group is a persistent group.