Limited-Use Data Rates in a Wireless Local Area Network
AssigneesResearch In Motion Limited, McMaster University
InventorsTerence Douglas Todd, Vytautas Kezys, Mohammed N.A. Smadi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless access point supports data rates and advertises an indication of a minimum data rate for advertisement. Those of the supported data rates that are less than the minimum data rate for advertisement are reserved for limited use. A mobile station that requests to communicate with the wireless access point at one of the one or more supported data rates that are reserved for limited use is informed by the wireless access point how much time communications with the wireless access point at one or more of the one or more supported data rates reserved for limited use will be permitted.
Claims19
A method in a wireless access point that is supporting a wireless local area network, the method comprising:
- from a list of data rates that are supported by the wireless access point, specifying a minimum data rate for advertisement in the wireless local area network;
- advertising an indication of the minimum data rate;
- reserving for limited use those of the supported data rates that are less than the minimum data rate for advertisement;
- receiving a request from a mobile station to communicate with the wireless access point at one of the one or more supported data rates that are reserved for limited use;
- and
- informing the mobile station how much time communications with the wireless access point at the one or more supported data rates reserved for limited use will be permitted.
A method in a mobile station, the method comprising:
- receiving an advertisement from a wireless access point belonging to a wireless local area network, the advertisement advertising an indication of a minimum data rate that has been specified for advertisement by the wireless access point from a list of data rates that are supported by the wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point has reserved for limited use those of the supported data rates that are less than the minimum data rate for advertisement;
- sending to the wireless access point a request to communicate with the wireless access point at one of the one or more supported data rates that are reserved for limited use;
- and
- receiving from the wireless access point an indication of how much time communications with the wireless access point at the one or more supported data rates reserved for limited use will be permitted.
A wireless access point comprising:
- a wireless communication interface through which the wireless access point is able to support a wireless local area network and to communicate with mobile stations;
- a processor coupled to the wireless communication interface;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor,
- wherein the wireless access point is to specify a minimum data rate for advertisement in the wireless local area network from a list of data rates that are supported by the wireless access point, the wireless access point is to advertise an indication of said minimum data rate, and the wireless access point is to reserve for limited use those of the supported data rates that are less than the minimum data rate for advertisement,
- wherein the wireless access point is able to receive through the wireless communication interface a request from a mobile station to communicate with the wireless access point at one of the one or more supported data rates that are reserved for limited use;
- and
- wherein the memory is to store code which, when executed by the processor, informs the mobile station through the wireless communication interface how much time communications with the wireless access point at one or more of the one or more supported data rates reserved for limited use will be permitted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.