# US 10,873,906 B2 · Apparatus and method for integrating short-range wireless personal area networks for a wireless local area network infrastructure

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- Number: US 10,873,906 B2
- Document ID: US10873906B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/912,262
- Filed: 2020-06-25
- Published: 2020-10-15
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2005-03-14
- Assignees: Ozmo Licensing LLC
- Applicants: Ozmo Licensing LLC
- Inventors: Katelijn Vleugels; Roel Peeters
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873906B2

## CPC

- H04W 52/0212: {managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is leader and terminal is follower}
- H04W 28/06: Optimizing {the usage of the radio link}, e.g. header compression, information sizing {, discarding information (system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365)}
- H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame}
- H04W 52/0219: {where the power saving management affects multiple terminals}
- H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup
- H04W 80/04: Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
- H04W 84/10: Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04W 88/08: Access point devices
- H04W 88/085: {Access point devices with remote components}
- H04L 9/40: Network security protocols
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46)
- H04W 88/06: adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A network system comprises a first logic block providing a link to a first network via an access point of a WLAN and a second logic block communicating with a node of a second network (such as a WPAN) and configured to provide a link between the node and the first network via the access point. The network system is configured to maintain continuous connections to both the access point and the node while receiving power. The second logic block can communicate with the node using a modified communication protocol that is only partially compliant with an 802.11x communications protocol. A wireless hub can integrate a WPAN with a WLAN including, in part, a wireless circuit compliant with the WLAN standard (such as an 802.11x standard), a processor, and a memory. The wireless circuit can connect to the WPAN without losing connectivity (such as association and synchronization) to the WLAN.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A first wireless device for coordinating a wireless personal area network (WPAN), comprising:
a wireless radio circuit configured to communicate over a physical medium of a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a WLAN protocol;
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the wireless radio circuit and the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
discover, via the wireless radio circuit, a second wireless device using a WPAN protocol;
establish, via the wireless radio circuit, an association with the second wireless device to establish a wireless connection, the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol, wherein upon establishment of the association, the first and second wireless devices are each a member of a WPAN network; and
maintain, via the wireless radio circuit, the association with the second wireless device over the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol;
wherein the WPAN protocol is an overlay protocol that is partially compliant with respect to the WLAN protocol such that the WPAN protocol uses a WLAN protocol frame adapted to support a WPAN power-saving protocol that is different as compared to a power-saving protocol supported by the WLAN protocol;
wherein the wireless radio circuit is configured to operate in at least one of a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band;
wherein the WLAN protocol is an 802.11x protocol that uses a frame defined by the 802.11x protocol, and the WPAN protocol uses a WPAN-adapted frame in which at least one field of the frame defined by the 802.11x protocol is adapted to support the WPAN power-saving protocol;
wherein the WPAN-adapted frame is adapted from a WLAN protocol management frame;
wherein the WPAN protocol provides for an inactivity time during which the first and second wireless devices can agree to at least partially disable the wireless connection;
wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are configured to agree on the inactivity time in accordance with the WPAN protocol; and
wherein the first wireless device is configured to disable at least a part of a coordination function of the first wireless device following a start of the inactivity time, wherein the disabling is such that less power per unit time is consumed by the wireless radio circuit relative to a power per unit time consumed by the wireless radio circuit when the at least part of said coordination function is not disabled.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to pre-calculate an expected time for communication with the second wireless device based at least in part on a scheduled traffic size, and wherein the inactivity time is based on the expected time for communication.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the WPAN protocol further provides for transmitting, via the wireless radio circuit, a wake-up request to power-up the second wireless device.

### Claim 4

A first wireless device for connecting to a wireless personal area network (WPAN), comprising:
a wireless radio circuit configured to communicate over a physical medium of a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a WLAN protocol;
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the wireless radio circuit and the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
discover, via the wireless radio circuit, a second wireless device using a WPAN protocol;
associate, via the wireless radio circuit, with the second wireless device to establish a wireless connection, the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol, wherein, upon associating, the first wireless device is configured to become a member of a WPAN network; and
maintain, via the wireless radio circuit, the association with the second wireless device over the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol;
wherein the WPAN protocol is an overlay protocol that is partially compliant with respect to the WLAN protocol such that the WPAN protocol uses a WLAN protocol frame adapted to support a WPAN power-saving protocol that is different as compared to a power-saving protocol supported by the WLAN protocol;
wherein the wireless radio circuit is configured to operate in at least one of a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band;
wherein the WLAN protocol is an 802.11x protocol that uses a frame defined by the 802.11x protocol, and the WPAN protocol uses a WPAN-adapted frame in which at least one field of the frame defined by the 802.11x protocol is adapted to support the WPAN power-saving protocol;
wherein the WPAN-adapted frame is adapted from a WLAN protocol management frame;
wherein the WPAN protocol provides for an inactivity time during which the first and second wireless devices can agree to at least partially disable the wireless connection;
wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are configured to agree on the inactivity time in accordance with the WPAN protocol; and
wherein the first wireless device is configured to disable data exchanges with the second wireless device via the wireless connection following a start of the inactivity time, wherein the disabling is such that less power per unit time is consumed by the wireless radio circuit relative to a power per unit time consumed by the wireless radio circuit when the data exchanges are not disabled.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The first wireless device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to pre-calculate an expected time for communication with the second wireless device based at least in part on a scheduled traffic size, and wherein the inactivity time is based on the expected time for communication.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The first wireless device of claim 4, wherein the WPAN protocol further provides for transmitting, via the wireless radio circuit, a wake-up request to power-up the second wireless device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a time period for communication with the second wireless device over the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The first wireless device of claim 7, wherein the time period for communication occurs following an end of the inactivity time and prior to a start of a subsequent inactivity time.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The first wireless device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to maintain, via the wireless radio circuit, a synchronization of the WPAN network using the WPAN protocol.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The first wireless device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a time period for communication with the second wireless device over the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The first wireless device of claim 10, wherein the time period for communication occurs following an end of the inactivity time and prior to a start of a subsequent inactivity time.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The first wireless device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to maintain, via the wireless radio circuit, a synchronization with the WPAN network using the WPAN protocol.