# US 2019/0174543 A1 · Access point (ap) controlled uplink rts/cts configuration and disablement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0174543 A1 - Document ID: US20190174543A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/252,314 - Filed: 2019-01-18 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-08-25 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Yan ZHOU; Gwendolyn Denise BARRIAC; George CHERIAN; Simone MERLIN; Alfred ASTERJADHI; Qingjiang TIAN; Gang DING - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174543A1 ## CPC - H04W 74/0816: with collision avoidance - H04W 74/006: {in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract The present disclosure provides techniques for configuring the utilization of request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) protocol procedures based on varying conditions at the STA. For example, an AP may identify one or more conditions, when satisfied, may trigger the STA to either enable or disable uplink (UL) transmissions associated with a RTS/CTS protocol procedure. In some aspects, an AP may determine a transmit opportunity (TXOP) threshold for an STA and may determine whether to broadcast a message having the TXOP threshold to multiple STAs including the STA or unicast the message to the STA. An STA may receive a message from an AP having a TXOP threshold and may replace, based on an indication in the received message, a current TXOP threshold in the STA with the TXOP threshold in the received message. The STA may transmit an UL RTS frame in response to a determination that a planned TXOP duration satisfies the TXOP threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for wireless communication at an access point (AP), comprising: determining a transmit opportunity (TXOP) threshold for a station (STA) associated with the AP; identifying one or more conditions for triggering one of disabling or enabling uplink (UL) transmissions of a request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) protocol at the STA, wherein: the one or more conditions further comprises a planned TXOP duration satisfying or not satisfying the TXOP threshold; the planned TXOP duration satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the enabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; the planned TXOP duration not satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the disabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; determining to broadcast a message having the TXOP threshold to one or more STAs including the STA or to unicast the message to the STA; transmitting the message according to the determination to broadcast the message or to unicast the message; and transmitting a configuration message to the STA, the configuration message including configuration information indicating the one or more conditions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: identifying the one or more conditions comprises identifying a time window or a channel to disable the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; and the configuration message includes the configuration information indicating the time window or the channel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an information element (IE) having the TXOP threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions include a disabling condition in which a link quality parameter is greater than a predetermined link quality threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein: the link quality parameter is a RSSI and the predetermined link quality threshold is a RSSI threshold, or the link quality parameter is a MCS index value and the predetermined link quality threshold is a RSSI threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions include a disabling condition in which a collision parameter is less than a predetermined collision threshold. ### Claim 7 A method for wireless communication at a station (STA), comprising: receiving, from an access point (AP), a message having a transmit opportunity (TXOP) threshold; receiving, from the AP, a configuration message including configuration information indicating one or more conditions for triggering one of disabling or enabling uplink (UL) transmissions of a request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) protocol at the STA, wherein: the one or more conditions further comprises a planned TXOP duration satisfying or not satisfying the TXOP threshold; the planned TXOP duration satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the enabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; the planned TXOP duration not satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the disabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; and configuring the STA based on the configuration information provided in the configuration message. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the configuration message from the AP comprises replacing, based on an indication in the configuration message, a current TXOP threshold in the STA with the TXOP threshold in the message. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the message is a broadcast message from the AP, and the indication is a single bit in the broadcast message that is a common indication to replace the current TXOP threshold with the TXOP threshold in the broadcast message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the message is a broadcast message from the AP, and the indication is a bitmap in the broadcast message where one set bit in the bitmap identifies the STA as a specific STA for which the current TXOP threshold is to be replaced with the TXOP threshold in the broadcast message. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the message is a unicast message and the current TXOP threshold in the STA is a previously broadcast TXOP threshold to be replaced with the TXOP threshold in the unicast message. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the message includes an uplink (UL) request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) control information element (IE) having the TXOP threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: determining that the planned TXOP duration satisfies the TXOP threshold; and transmitting an UL RTS protocol in response to a determination that the planned TXOP duration satisfies the TXOP threshold. ### Claim 14 An station (STA) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; a transceiver; and a processor operatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver from an access point (AP), a message having a transmit opportunity (TXOP) threshold; receive, via the transceiver from the AP, a configuration message including configuration information indicating one or more conditions for triggering one of disabling or enabling uplink (UL) transmissions of a request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) protocol at the STA, wherein: the one or more conditions further comprises a planned TXOP duration satisfying or not satisfying the TXOP threshold; the planned TXOP duration satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the enabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; the planned TXOP duration not satisfying the TXOP threshold triggers the disabling of the UL transmissions of the RTS/CTS protocol at the STA; and configure the STA based on the configuration information provided in the configuration message. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The STA of claim 14, wherein in response to receiving the configuration message from the AP the processor is further configured to replace, based on an indication in the configuration message, a current TXOP threshold in the STA with the TXOP threshold in the message. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The STA of claim 15, wherein the message is a broadcast message from the AP, and the indication is a single bit in the broadcast message that is a common indication to replace the current TXOP threshold with the TXOP threshold in the broadcast message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The STA of claim 15, wherein the message is a broadcast message from the AP, and the indication is a bitmap in the broadcast message where one set bit in the bitmap identifies the STA as a specific STA for which the current TXOP threshold is to be replaced with the TXOP threshold in the broadcast message. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The STA of claim 15, wherein the message is a unicast message and the current TXOP threshold in the STA is a previously broadcast TXOP threshold to be replaced with the TXOP threshold in the unicast message. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The STA of claim 14, wherein the message includes an uplink (UL) request-to-send/clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) control information element (IE) having the TXOP threshold. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The STA of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine that the planned TXOP duration satisfies the TXOP threshold; and transmit an UL RTS protocol in response to a determination that the planned TXOP duration satisfies the TXOP threshold.