# US 9,521,696 B2 · Wireless access point cell ID insertion in frame header > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,696 B2 - Document ID: US9521696B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/400,367 - Filed: 2012-07-31 - Published: 2015-05-14 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-07-31 - Assignees: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP - Applicants: Jung Gun Lee; Raul Hernan Etkin; Sung-Ju Lee - Inventors: Jung Gun Lee; Raul Hernan Etkin; Sung-Ju Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521696B2 ## CPC - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - H04L 45/74: Address processing for routing - H04W 48/20: Selecting an access point - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W 76/30: Connection release - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A wireless access point includes a wireless interface to send or receive frames in a cell in a wireless network. A storage device stores a cell ID that uniquely identifies the wireless access point. Processing circuitry inserts the cell ID in a physical layer header of a frame, and sends the frame to a client device in the cell via the wireless interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of receiving a frame in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving a first portion of a frame at a network device, wherein the first portion of the frame includes a physical layer header; determining a cell ID in the physical layer header of the first portion of the frame before receiving a second portion of the frame including a payload; if the cell ID from the physical layer header matches a stored cell ID, continue receiving a remainder of the frame, wherein the stored cell ID uniquely identifies a wireless access point; and if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, releasing the network device, before receiving the remainder of the frame, to send or receive another frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, stopping the receiving of the remainder of the frame, and receiving another frame regardless of a signal strength of the another frame. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, stopping the receiving of the remainder of the frame, and sending another frame from the network device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the sending of the another frame comprises: determining if a signal strength is below a carrier sense threshold; sending the another frame if the signal strength is below the carrier sense threshold; and waiting for the signal strength to fall below the carrier sense threshold to send the another frame if the signal strength is above the carrier sense threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a client device connected to the wireless access point in a cell and the method comprises: receiving a broadcast at the client device from the wireless access point; determining the cell ID that uniquely identifies the wireless access point from the broadcast; and storing the cell ID in the client device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the determining of the cell ID comprises determining the cell ID in a software layer in the client device and the storing comprises storing the cell ID in a memory of a radio in the client device, wherein the radio determines the cell ID from the physical layer header of the frame. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the cell ID is not used by wireless access points in neighboring cells using the same frequency. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the releasing of the network device to send or receive another frame comprises sending or receiving the another frame prior to decoding the payload of the frame. ### Claim 9 A network device in a cell in a wireless network, the network device comprising: a wireless interface to receive a first portion of a frame, wherein the first portion of the frame includes a physical layer header; a storage device to store a cell ID uniquely identifying a wireless access point in the cell; and processing circuitry to determine a cell ID in the physical layer header of the first portion of the frame before receiving a second portion of the frame including a payload, and if the cell ID from the physical layer header matches the stored cell ID, to continue to receive a remainder of the frame, and if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, to release the network device, before receiving the remainder of the frame, to send or receive another frame. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The network device of claim 9, wherein if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, the network device stops receiving the remainder of the frame, and receives another frame regardless of a signal strength of the another frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The network device of claim 9, wherein if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, the network device stops receiving the remainder of the frame and sends another frame. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The network device of claim 9, wherein if the cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, the processing circuitry is to determine if a signal strength is below a carrier sense threshold, send another frame if the signal strength is below the carrier sense threshold, and wait for the signal strength to fall below the carrier sense threshold to send the another frame if the signal strength is above the carrier sense threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The network device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is to receive a broadcast at the client device from the wireless access point, determine the cell ID from the broadcast, and store the cell ID. ### Claim 14 A wireless access point comprising: a wireless interface to send or receive frames in a cell in a wireless network; a storage device to store a cell ID uniquely identifying a wireless access point in the cell; and processing circuitry to: insert the cell ID in a physical layer header of a frame, send the frame to a client device in the cell via the wireless interface, determine a received cell ID in a physical layer header of a first portion of an incoming frame from the client device to the wireless interface, before receiving a second portion of the incoming frame including a payload, if the received cell ID from the physical layer header matches the stored cell ID, continue to receive a remainder of the incoming frame at the wireless interface, and if the received cell ID from the physical layer header does not match the stored cell ID, discontinue receiving the remainder of the incoming frame at the wireless interface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The wireless access point of claim 14, wherein the wireless interface broadcasts the cell ID, and the client device receives and stores the cell ID and determines if the cell ID from the physical layer header matches the cell ID received in the broadcast to determine if the client device is the destination for the frame.