# US 11,910,240 B1 · Traffic characteristics for target wake time (TWT) negotiation

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- Number: US 11,910,240 B1
- Document ID: US11910240B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 18/072,048
- Filed: 2022-11-30
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-05-30
- Assignees: Marvell Asia Pte Ltd
- Applicants: Marvell Asia Pte Ltd
- Inventors: Liwen Chu; Hongyuan Zhang; Hui-Ling Lou
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910240B1

## CPC

- H04W 28/18: Negotiating wireless communication parameters
- H04L 69/324: in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
- H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame}
- H04W 74/002: {Transmission of channel access control information}
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area 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)
- 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 first communication device generates a beacon frame that includes i) parameters of a broadcast target wake time (TWT) schedule and ii) information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule. The first communication device transmits the beacon frame to inform one or more second communication devices of i) the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for providing information regarding a broadcast target wake time (TWT) schedule in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that provides multiple broadcast TWT schedules, the method comprising:
generating, at an access point (AP) communication device, a beacon frame that includes i) parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
transmitting, by the AP communication device, the beacon frame to inform one or more other communication devices of i) the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule, the information regarding the quantity of client stations for assisting one or more other communication devices with choosing whether to join the broadcast TWT schedule rather than another one of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
generating the beacon frame comprises generating the beacon frame to include a TWT information element that includes information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule; and
the method further comprises generating the TWT information element to include the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein generating the TWT information element comprises:
generating the TWT information element to include i) one or more first fields that include information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule, and ii) a second field having the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein generating the beacon frame that includes the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule comprises:
generating the beacon frame to include an indication of a time period between TWT service periods of the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
generating the beacon frame comprises generating the beacon frame to include, for each of multiple broadcast TWT schedules, i) respective parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) respective information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
transmitting the beacon frame comprises transmitting the beacon frame to inform the one or more other communication devices of i) the respective parameters of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules and ii) the respective quantities of client stations that have currently joined the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 6

A communication device, comprising:
a wireless network interface device associated with an access point (AP), the wireless network interface device having one or more integrated circuit (IC) devices configured to:
generate a beacon frame that includes i) parameters of a broadcast target wake time (TWT) schedule in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that provides multiple broadcast TWT schedules, and ii) information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule, and
control the wireless network interface device to transmit the beacon frame to inform one or more other communication devices of i) the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule, the information regarding the quantity of client stations for assisting one or more other communication devices with choosing whether to join the broadcast TWT schedule rather than another one of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The communication device of claim 6, wherein the one or more IC devices are configured to:
generate the beacon frame to include a TWT information element that includes information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule; and
generate the TWT information element to include the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The communication device of claim 7, wherein the one or more IC devices are configured to:
generate the TWT information element to include i) one or more first fields that include information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule, and ii) a second subfield having the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The communication device of claim 6, wherein the one or more IC devices are configured to, as part of generating the beacon frame that includes the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule:
generate the beacon frame to include an indication of a time period between TWT service periods of the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The communication device of claim 6, wherein the one or more IC devices are configured to:
generate the beacon frame to include, for each of multiple broadcast TWT schedules, i) respective parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) respective information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
transmit the beacon frame to inform the one or more other communication devices of i) the respective parameters of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules and ii) the respective quantities of client stations that have currently joined the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 11

A method for communicating in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that provides multiple broadcast target wake time (TWT) schedules, the method comprising:
receiving, at a client station, a beacon frame from an access point (AP) communication device, the beacon frame including i) parameters of a broadcast TWT schedule and ii) information regarding a quantity of other client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
using, at the client station, the information within the beacon frame regarding the quantity of other client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule to determine whether the client station will join the TWT broadcast schedule rather than another one of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein:
the beacon frame includes a TWT information element that includes information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule; and
the TWT information element also includes the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the TWT information element includes i) one or more first fields that include information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule, and ii) a second field having the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule in the beacon frame comprise:
an indication of a time period between TWT service periods of the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein:
receiving the beacon frame comprises receiving a beacon frame that includes, for each of multiple broadcast TWT schedules, i) respective parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) respective information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
the method further comprises: using, at the client station, the information within the beacon frame regarding the respective quantities of other client stations that have currently joined the multiple broadcast TWT schedules to select one broadcast TWT schedule to join from among the multiple TWT broadcast schedules.

### Claim 16

A communication device, comprising:
a wireless network interface device associated with a client station, the wireless network interface device having one or more integrated circuit (IC) devices configured to:
receive a beacon frame from an access point (AP) communication device of a wireless local area network (WLAN) that provides multiple broadcast target wake time (TWT) schedules, the beacon frame including i) parameters of a broadcast TWT schedule and ii) information regarding a quantity of other client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule, and
use the information within the beacon frame regarding the quantity of other client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule to determine whether the client station will join the TWT broadcast schedule rather than another one of the multiple broadcast TWT schedules.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The communication device of claim 16, wherein:
the beacon frame includes a TWT information element that includes information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule; and
the TWT information element also includes the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The communication device of claim 17, wherein:
the TWT information element includes i) one or more first fields that include information regarding the broadcast TWT schedule, and ii) a second field having the information regarding the quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The communication device of claim 16, wherein the parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule in the beacon frame comprise:
an indication of a time period between TWT service periods of the broadcast TWT schedule.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The communication device of claim 16, wherein: the one or more IC devices are configured to:
the beacon frame includes, for each of multiple broadcast TWT schedules, i) respective parameters of the broadcast TWT schedule and ii) respective information regarding a quantity of client stations that have currently joined the broadcast TWT schedule; and
the one or more IC devices are configured to use the information within the beacon frame regarding the respective quantities of other client stations that have currently joined the multiple broadcast TWT schedules to select one broadcast TWT schedule to join from among the multiple TWT broadcast schedules.