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US 11,109,310 B1Granted
Infrastructure-based access point load balancing
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsEdgar Aaron Crespi, Sean P. Crandall, Randall Darche
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An access point to the Internet or another network is programmed with a set of rules for establishing or limiting a number or type of client device with which the access point may associate itself. The set of rules may be subjectively defined for a single access point in a network, or objectively defined for each of the access points in the network. The set of rules may further include static rules such as overall limits on numbers of clients, types of clients, or amounts or rates of data transfer, or dynamic rules that change over time, and may be modified to account for loading on one or more of the access points, thereby enabling each of the access points to be placed in an optimal configuration.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a plurality of access points provided within a vicinity of a working area, wherein the plurality of access points comprises a first access point and a second access point,
- wherein each access point in the plurality of access points is in communication with at least one infrastructure component over at least one network,
- wherein the first access point comprises:
- a first computer processor;
- a first memory component having at least a first set of instructions and a first set of rules stored thereon, wherein the first set of rules comprises a first rule regarding a number of client devices that may be associated with the first access point and a second rule regarding a first data transfer rate limit;
- and
- a first transceiver,
- wherein the second access point comprises:
- a second computer processor;
- a second memory component having at least a second set of instructions and a second set of rules stored thereon, wherein the second set of rules comprises a third rule regarding a second number of client devices that may be associated with the second access point and a fourth rule regarding a second data transfer rate limit;
- and
- a second transceiver, and
- wherein the first set of instructions, when executed by the first computer processor, cause the first access point to at least:
- receive a probe request from a client device;
- and
- in response to receiving the probe request from the client device,
- determine a first number of client devices associated with the first access point at a first time;
- determine a first data transfer rate of the first access point at the first time;
- determine that the first number does not comply with the first rule or that the first data transfer rate does not comply with the second rule;
- and
- in response to determining that the first number does not comply with the first rule or that the first data transfer rate does not comply with the second rule,
- decline to transmit a first probe response to the client device.
19 more elements
A method comprising:
- programming at least a first access point with a first set of rules, wherein the first access point is in communication with at least one infrastructure component over a network, and wherein the first set of rules comprises:
- a rule regarding a maximum number of client devices that may associate with the first access point;
- and
- receiving, by the first access point, a request for information regarding a state of at least one access point from a client device at a first time, wherein the request for information comprises:
- an identifier of a wireless communications protocol by which the client device is configured to communicate;
- and
- a data transfer rate associated with the client device;
- and
- in response to receiving the request for information,
- determining, by the first access point, a first state of the first access point at the first time, wherein the first state is determined with respect to the first set of rules, and wherein the first state of the first access point is that the first access point does not satisfy at least one of the first set of rules;
- and
- determining, by the first access point, not to transmit a first response to the request for information based at least in part on the first state.
9 more elements
A first access point comprising:
- at least a first computer processor;
- at least a first memory component, wherein the first memory component has at least a first set of instructions and a first rules set stored thereon, and wherein the first rules set comprises:
- a first rule defining a maximum number of client devices that may associate with the first access point;
- a second rule defining a maximum data transfer rate for client devices associated with the first access point;
- and
- a third rule defining a type of data that may not be transmitted to or received from client devices associated with the first access point;
- and
- at least a first transceiver,
- wherein at least the first set of instructions, when executed by the first computer processor, cause the first access point to at least:
- receive, by the first transceiver over a network, a probe request from a client device over the network, wherein the probe request identifies the client device, a data transfer rate of the client device and at least one protocol by which the client device is configured to communicate wirelessly with one or more access points;
- determine, by at least the first computer processor, that the probe request complies with each of the rules of the first rule set;
- and
- in response to determining that the probe request complies with each of the rules of the first rule set,
- transmit a probe response to the client device over the network, wherein the probe response comprises:
- a first identifier of the first access point;
- at least a first data transfer rate of the first access point;
- and
- at least a first encryption type compatible to the first access point.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.