Method and signaling procedure for transmission opportunity usage in a wireless mesh network

• US 8,081,658 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zuniga, Juan Carlos, Grandhi, Sudheer A., Rudolf, Marian, Levy, Joseph S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferris, Derrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEUNG, MANG HANG
• Application Number:
  US11/739,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20070248117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/346, 370/464, 370/449, 370/477
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for using the remaining TxOP time by the peer node to forward traffic to a different destination, a method for using the remaining TxOP time by the original node to send traffic to a different destination, a method for using the remaining TxOP time by a neighbor to send traffic to the original node, a method for using the remaining TxOP time by a neighbor to send traffic to another node, a method to signal the reuse rules of the remaining TxOP time, and a method to efficiently relinquish/truncate a TxOP to reset the NAV for the neighborhood.

Claims

1. A method for communicating in a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first node, a first packet including a remaining portion of a transmit opportunity (TxOP) with a predefined duration time, wherein the first packet is associated with a time to live field;

wherein the time to live field is not used to indicate the predefined duration time of the remaining portion of the TxOP; and

transmitting the first packet directly to a second non-access point (non-AP) node using the remaining portion of the TxOP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first packet includes an enhanced forwarding control header.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first packet comprises a control field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control field further comprises a reverse direction grant (RDG)/More-Physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) bit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the control field is a high throughput (HT) control field.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the RDG/More-PPDU bit is zero.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is an originating node;

and the first packet is received at a non-AP node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising on a condition that the duration time has not expired, receiving control of the remaining portion of the TxOP from the first node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first packet includes an indication that control of the remaining portion of the TxOP has been passed on to a plurality of non-AP nodes.

10. A node for communicating in a wireless network, the node comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a first node, a first packet including a remaining portion of a transmit opportunity (TxOP) with a predefined duration time, wherein the first packet is associated with a time to live field;

wherein the time to live field is not used to indicate the predefined duration time of the remaining portion of the TxOP; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the first packet directly to a second non-access point (non-AP) node using the remaining portion of the TxOP.

11. The node of claim 10, wherein the first packet includes an enhanced forwarding control header.

12. The node of claim 11, wherein the first packet comprises a control field.

13. The node of claim 12, wherein the control field further comprises a reverse direction grant (RDG)/More-Physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) bit.

14. The node of claim 13, wherein the control field is a high throughput (HT) control field.

15. The node of claim 13, wherein the RDG/More-PPDU bit is zero.

16. The node of claim 10, wherein the first node is an originating node, and the first packet is received at a non-AP node.

17. The node of claim 10, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive control of the remaining portion of the TxOP from the first node on a condition that the duration time has not expired.

18. The node of claim 17, wherein the first packet includes an indication that control of the remaining portion of the TxOP has been passed on to a plurality of non-AP nodes.