# US 11,122,506 B2 · Idle connection optimization for wireless devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,506 B2 - Document ID: US11122506B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/728,029 - Filed: 2019-12-27 - Published: 2021-07-01 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-27 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Sunil Kumar; Hakan Magnus Eriksson; Sebastien Fievet; Oren Haggai; Izoslav Tchigevsky; Udi Shtalrid - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122506B2 ## CPC - H04W 52/0229: {where the received signal is a wanted signal} - H04W 74/06: using polling - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - 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) - 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 Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are described to encode, by a first station (STA), a polling signal for periodic transmission to a second STA during each air activity instance of a plurality of air activity instances. The first STA detects an interface between a MAC layer and a software stack of a communication protocol is in a low-power state. The communication protocol is associated with a communication link between the first STA and the second STA. An empty packet from the second STA is decoded. The empty packet is received in response to the polling signal transmitted during an air activity instance of the plurality of air activity instances. The periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal is adjusted based on the detected low-power state and the decoded empty packet. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus of a first wireless device, the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to: encode a polling signal for periodic transmission to a second wireless device during each air activity instance of a plurality of air activity instances; detect a host transport interface of the first wireless device between a media access control (MAC) layer of the processing circuitry and a software stack of a communication protocol is in a low-power state, the software stack managed by the processing circuitry and the communication protocol associated with a communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; decode an empty packet from the second wireless device, the empty packet received in response to the polling signal transmitted during an air activity instance of the plurality of air activity instances; and adjust periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal based on the detected low-power state of the host transport interface and the decoded empty packet. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: increase the periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal by skipping transmissions of the polling signal during a threshold number of air activity instances. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a duration of the air activity instance and an incremental latency tolerance associated with the second wireless device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a suspend wake threshold of the first wireless device, the suspend wake threshold is a duration of a time interval with suspended transmission of the polling signal, the suspended transmission satisfying a low latency quality of service requirement. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a secondary device latency parameter associated with the second wireless device, the secondary device latency parameter indicating a number of consecutive air activity instances of the plurality of air activity instances that the second wireless device may skip listening to. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is a primary device, and the second wireless device is a secondary device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the secondary device is a low energy (LE) human interface device (HID), and wherein the communication link between the primary device and the secondary device is a Bluetooth communication link. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication protocol is a Bluetooth communication protocol comprising a Bluetooth physical interface (PHY) layer and a Bluetooth MAC layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is one of the following: a universal serial bus (USB) interface; a USB transceiver macrocell interface (UTMI); and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) interface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the low-power state is one of the following: a selective suspend state, when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is the USB interface or the UTMI; and a device low power (D) state, when the interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is the PCIE interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: place the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack in the low-power state when the communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device is idle for a pre-determined threshold duration. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine the communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device is idle when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack is in the low-power state and the empty packet is received in response to the polling signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine the communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device is idle when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack is in the low-power state and a physical (PHY) layer of the communication protocol fails to receive a packet in response to the polling signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: increase the periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal based on the determining that the communication link is idle. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause a first station (STA), upon execution of the instructions by processing circuitry of the first STA, to: encode a polling signal for periodic transmission to a second STA during each air activity instance of a plurality of air activity instances; detect a host transport interface of the first STA between a media access control (MAC) layer of the processing circuitry and a software stack of a communication protocol is in a low-power state, the software stack managed by the processing circuitry and the communication protocol associated with a communication link between the first STA and the second STA; decode an empty packet from the second STA, the empty packet received in response to the polling signal transmitted during an air activity instance of the plurality of air activity instances; and adjust periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal based on the low-power state and the decoded empty packet. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the first STA to: increase the periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal by skipping transmissions of the polling signal during a threshold number of air activity instances. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the first STA to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a duration of the air activity instance and an incremental latency tolerance associated with the second STA. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the first STA to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a suspend wake threshold of the first STA, the suspend wake threshold is a duration of a time interval with suspended transmission of the polling signal, the suspended transmission satisfying a low latency quality of service requirement. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the first STA to: determine the threshold number of air activity instances based on a secondary device latency parameter associated with the second STA, the secondary device latency parameter indicating a number of consecutive air activity instances of the plurality of air activity instances that the second STA may skip listening to. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is one of the following: a universal serial bus (USB) interface; a USB transceiver macrocell interface (UTMI); and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) interface. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the low-power state is one of the following: a selective suspend state, when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is the USB interface or the UTMI; and a device low power (D) state, when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack of the communication protocol is the PCIE interface. ### Claim 22 A method for configuring polling signal transmission by a first wireless device, the method comprising: encoding a polling signal for periodic transmission to a second wireless device during each air activity instance of a plurality of air activity instances; detecting a host transport interface of the first wireless device between a media access control (MAC) layer of processing circuitry of the wireless device and a software stack of a communication protocol is in a low-power state, the software stack managed by the processing circuitry and the communication protocol associated with a communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device; decoding an empty packet from the second wireless device, the empty packet received in response to the polling signal transmitted during an air activity instance of the plurality of air activity instances; and adjusting periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal based on the low-power state and the decoded empty packet. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: increasing the periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal by skipping transmissions of the polling signal during a threshold number of air activity instances. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: determining the communication link between the first wireless device and the second wireless device is idle when the host transport interface between the MAC layer and the software stack is in the low-power state and a physical (PHY) layer of the communication protocol fails to receive a packet in response to the polling signal. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising: increasing the periodicity of the periodic transmission of the polling signal based on the determining that the communication link is idle.