# US 8,787,348 B2 · Methods and systems for providing reliable multicast service in a WLAN system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,348 B2 - Document ID: US8787348B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/228,822 - Filed: 2011-09-09 - Published: 2011-12-29 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2006-02-14 - Assignees: InterDigital Technology Corporation - Applicants: Mohammed Sammour; Sudheer A. Grandhi - Inventors: Mohammed Sammour; Sudheer A. Grandhi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787348B2 ## CPC - H04L 12/1868: {Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments} - H04J 14/0227: {Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation} - H04L 1/1614: {using bitmaps} - H04L 12/189: {in combination with wireless systems (selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06)} - H04W 52/0209: {in terminal devices} - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04B 7/18584: {Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control (data switching networks H04L12/00)} - H04J 14/0228: {Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-all, e.g. broadcasting wavelengths} - H04J 14/0238: {Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-many, e.g. multicasting wavelengths} - H04L 1/1685: {the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal} - H04L 12/1863: {comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports (arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16)} - H04L 47/2441: relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ] - H04L 47/70: Admission control; Resource allocation - H04L 49/201: Multicast operation; Broadcast operation - H04L 61/5069: for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication - H04L 65/611: for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) - H04L 2001/0093: {Point-to-multipoint} - H04Q 2011/0047: {Broadcast; Multicast} - H04W 4/06: Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services - H04W 72/30: Resource management for broadcast services - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W) - 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 method for acknowledged multicast operation in a wireless network having a base station and at least one wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) includes the base station transmitting a first multicast signal during a first scheduled interval, the at least one WTRU receiving the first multicast signal during the first scheduled interval, and the at least one WTRU transmitting an acknowledgement signal to the base station during a second scheduled interval. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An access point (AP) comprising: a receiver configured to receive a message from a plurality of stations (STAs), wherein each message includes an indication of a level of support for multicast capabilities; and a transmitter configured to transmit a multicast signal and a multicast block acknowledgement request (MCBAR) at an interval based on an enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) scheme, wherein the MCBAR indicates which of a plurality of STAs is requested to transmit an acknowledgement (ACK); the receiver further configured to receive, in response to the MCBAR and on a condition that the multicast signal is correctly received by a STA, an ACK, and on a condition that the multicast signal is not correctly received by a STA, a negative ACK (NACK); and the transmitter further configured to retransmit a portion of the multicast signal on a condition that the AP receives a NACK. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to include, in the transmitted MCBAR, information on a sequence number of a broadcast frame. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to include, in the transmitted MCBAR, information on a number of broadcast frames that will be transmitted. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive and ACK that is a bitmap representative of a frame status. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the ACK in a shared interval. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to include, in the transmitted MCBAR, an acknowledgement mode indicator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to retransmit the multicast signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The AP of claim 7, wherein the transmitter is configured to retransmit the multicast signal a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The AP of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the ACK a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 10 A method for use in an access point (AP), the method comprising: receiving a message from a plurality of stations (STAs), wherein each message includes an indication of a level of support for multicast capabilities; and transmitting a multicast signal and a multicast block acknowledgement request (MCBAR) at an interval based on an enhanced distributed channel access (ED CA) scheme, wherein the MCBAR indicates which of a plurality of STAs is requested to transmit an acknowledgement (ACK); receiving, in response to the MCBAR and on a condition that the multicast signal is correctly received by a STA, an ACK, and on a condition that the multicast signal is not correctly received by a STA, a negative ACK (NACK); and retransmitting a portion of the multicast signal on a condition that the AP receives a NACK. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the MCBAR includes information on a sequence number of a broadcast frame. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the MCBAR includes information on a number of broadcast frames that will be transmitted. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the received ACK is a bitmap representative of a frame status. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the ACK is received in a shared interval. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the MCBAR includes an acknowledgement mode indicator. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising: retransmitting the multicast signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the multicast signal is retransmitted a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the ACK is received a predetermined number of times.