Power saving with adaptive inactivity time out

An apparatus for adapting an inactivity time interval for a device in a wireless communications network, comprising:

• means for communicating with an access point of the wireless communications network during awake intervals in which the device is in an awake mode;
• means for determining a running average of at least one channel congestion metric of at least one channel of the wireless network during a first awake interval of the awake intervals;
• means for determining, for at least one awake interval of the awake intervals, an inactivity time interval for remaining in the device awake mode after at least one uplink or downlink transmission of the at least one awake interval based at least in part on the determined running average of the at least one channel congestion metric;
• and
• means for adjusting the inactivity time interval for the device for at least one from the group consisting of:
• the first awake interval, and
• a subsequent awake interval.

A computer program product for adapting an inactivity time interval for a device in a wireless communications network, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to:

• communicate with an access point of the wireless communications network during awake intervals in which the device is in an awake mode;
• determine a running average of at least one channel congestion metric of at least one channel of the wireless network during a first awake interval of the awake intervals;
• determine, for at least one awake interval of the awake intervals, an inactivity time interval for remaining in the device awake mode after at least one uplink or downlink transmission of the at least one awake interval based at least in part on the determined running average of the at least one channel congestion metric;
• and
• adjust the inactivity time interval for the device for at least one from the group consisting of:
• the first awake interval, and
• a subsequent awake interval.

An apparatus for wireless communication comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor;
• wherein the processor is configured to cause at least one device to:
• communicate with an access point of the wireless communications network during awake intervals in which the device is in an awake mode;
• determine a running average of at least one channel congestion metric of at least one channel of the wireless network during a first awake interval of the awake intervals;
• determine, for at least one awake interval of the awake intervals, an inactivity time interval for remaining in the device awake mode after at least one uplink or downlink transmission of the at least one awake interval based at least in part on the running average of the at least one channel congestion metric;
• and
• adjust the inactivity time interval for the device for at least one from the group consisting of:
• the first awake interval, and
• a subsequent awake interval.