Events and Scheduling for Communication in Wireless Networks

One or more computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, instruct a processing unit to perform operations comprising:

• wirelessly receiving, by a first node of a wireless network and from a second node of the wireless network, a first communication including a schedule information element, each of the first node and the second node comprising a full function device or a limited function device, the schedule information element including:
• a tag indicating a first operating context to which to apply schedule data, the schedule data indicating at least one of:
• a schedule active period comprising a duration of time of an active period within a schedule element during which the first node listens for communications;
• a schedule repetition interval comprising a duration of time of the schedule element;
• an event reference comprising a reference schedule element boundary element number for a particular schedule element, a start of the particular schedule element comprising an event reference schedule element boundary (SEB);
• an event offset comprising a duration of time from the event reference SEB to an event sampled listening reference point (SLRP);
• or
• an event repetition interval comprising a duration of time between successive event SLRPs;
• and
• a reference tag including one or more reference bits to (i) indicate whether at least a portion of the schedule data is contained in the schedule information element or has been previously received and/or (ii) identify a second operating context associated with a previously received schedule data to be used as at least the portion of the schedule data;
• in the event that the reference tag indicates that at least the portion of the schedule data is contained in the schedule information element, extracting at least the portion of the schedule data from the schedule information element and applying the extracted schedule data to the first operating context;
• in the event that the reference tag indicates that at least the portion of the schedule data is has been previously received, accessing the previously received schedule data and applying the previously received schedule data to the first operating context;
• determining, by the first node, a schedule for the first operating context, the schedule indicating that a second communication is scheduled to be sent at the event SLRP;
• and
• based at least in part on the schedule:
• placing the first node in a low power state associated with less than a threshold amount of power;
• and
• listening for the second communication from the second node at the event SLRP.