# US 2019/0174577 A1 · Advertising co-located basic service sets in a network

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- Number: US 2019/0174577 A1
- Document ID: US20190174577A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/203,604
- Filed: 2018-11-28
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-01
- Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Inventors: Abhishek Pramod Patil; George Cherian; Alfred Asterjadhi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174577A1

## CPC

- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04W 24/08: Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic
- H04W 48/12: using downlink control channel
- H04W 48/16: Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
- H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
- H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers
- H04W 88/08: Access point devices
- H04W 88/10: adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Methods and apparatus for communicating in a wireless network. In one aspect, a wireless local area network (WLAN) apparatus may operate a first virtual access point (VAP) associated with a first basic service set (BSS) and at least a second VAP associated with a second BSS. The WLAN apparatus may generate and output a management frame for transmission to a first STA associated with the first BSS. The management frame may include one or more signaling attributes indicating the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS are being operated at the WLAN apparatus. The first STA may receive the management frame and determine, based on the one or more signaling attributes of the management frame, that the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS are being operated at the WLAN apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method performed by a wireless local area network (WLAN) apparatus, comprising:
operating, at the WLAN apparatus, a first virtual access point (VAP) associated with a first basic service set (BSS) and a second VAP associated with a second BSS; and
outputting a management frame for transmission to a first STA associated with the first BSS, the management frame including one or more signaling attributes indicating the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS are being operated at the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicating the second VAP is a neighbor AP of the first VAP and the second VAP is co-located with the first VAP in the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a Neighbor Report element of the management frame.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signaling attributes include a list of BSSs associated with a set of VAPs that are co-located in the WLAN apparatus, the list of BSSs including at least the second BSS associated with the second VAP.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a Reduced Neighbor Report element of the management frame.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicating the first VAP is a co-located VAP, the first VAP being co-located with at least the second VAP in the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicating a range of addresses of BSSs, wherein at least a subset of the range of addresses of the BSSs are associated with a set of VAPs that are co-located in the WLAN apparatus, the set of VAPs including at least the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a High Efficiency (HE) Operation element of the management frame.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
outputting management frames for transmission using the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS,
wherein the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS being operated at the WLAN apparatus are co-located VAPs, and if the first VAP and the second VAP use the same channel, band, and antenna connectors, the first VAP and the second VAP are co-hosted VAPs, a co-hosted VAP being a type of a co-located VAP.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicate that spatial reuse in the first BSS is not permitted on top of communications detected in the second BSS based, at least in part, on the first VAP associated with the first BSS being co-located with the second VAP associated with the second BSS in the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining at least one of the first STA and the second STA does not support a multiple BSSID mode; and
in response to determining at least one of the first STA and the second STA does not support a multiple BSSID mode, changing from operating in the multiple BSSID mode to operating in a co-located BSS mode prior to preparing and outputting the management frame.

### Claim 12

A method performed by a wireless local area network (WLAN) apparatus, the WLAN apparatus associated with a first basic service set (BSS), comprising:
receiving a management frame from an access point (AP), the management frame including one or more signaling attributes; and
determining, based on the one or more signaling attributes of the management frame, that a first virtual access point (VAP) associated with the first BSS and a second VAP associated with a second BSS are being operated at the AP.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, based on the one or more signaling attributes, that the second VAP is a neighbor AP of the first VAP and the second VAP is co-located with the first VAP in the AP.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a Neighbor Reporting element of the management frame.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, based on the one or more signaling attributes, a list of BSSs associated with a set of VAPs that are co-located in the AP, the list of BSSs including at least the second BSS associated with the second VAP.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a Reduced Neighbor Report element of the management frame.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, based on the one or more signaling attributes, that the first VAP is a co-located VAP, the first VAP being co-located with at least the second VAP in the AP.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, based on the one or more signaling attributes, a range of addresses of BSSs, wherein at least a subset of the range of addresses of BSSs are associated with a set of VAPs that are co-located in the AP, the set of VAPs including at least the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more signaling attributes are included in a High Efficiency (HE) Operation element of the management frame.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that frames communicated in the second BSS are intra-BSS frames based, at least in part, on determining that the first VAP associated with the first BSS is co-hosted with the second VAP associated with the second BSS in the AP.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising determining an intra-network allocation vector (NAV) value for the intra-BSS frames.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising entering a power save mode for a duration equal to or greater than the intra-NAV value.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising refraining from performing spatial reuse on top of the intra-BSS frames.

### Claim 24 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising performing spatial reuse in the first BSS on top of frames communicated in a third BSS, wherein the AP is not indicated as operating the third BSS.

### Claim 25

A WLAN apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to:
operate, at the WLAN apparatus, a first virtual access point (VAP) associated with a first basic service set (BSS) and a second VAP associated with a second BSS, and
generate one or more signaling attributes indicating the first VAP associated with the first BSS and the second VAP associated with the second BSS are being operated at the WLAN apparatus; and
an interface coupled with the processor, the interface configured to output a management frame for transmission to a first STA associated with the first BSS, the management frame including the one or more signaling attributes.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The WLAN apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicating the second VAP is a neighbor AP of the first VAP and the second VAP is co-located with the first VAP in the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The WLAN apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more signaling attributes further indicating the first VAP is a co-located VAP, the first VAP being co-located with at least the second VAP in the WLAN apparatus.

### Claim 28

A WLAN apparatus associated with a first basic service set (BSS), the WLAN apparatus comprising:
an interface configured to receive a management frame from an access point (AP), the management frame including one or more signaling attributes; and
a processor coupled with the interface, the interface configured to determine, based on the one or more signaling attributes of the management frame, that a first virtual access point (VAP) associated with the first BSS and a second VAP associated with a second BSS are being operated at the AP.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The WLAN apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on the one or more signaling attributes, that the second VAP is a neighbor AP of the first VAP and the second VAP is co-located with the first VAP in the AP.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The WLAN apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on the one or more signaling attributes, that the first VAP is a co-located VAP, the first VAP being co-located with at least the second VAP in the AP.