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US 9,854,598 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for scheduling communication traffic flows
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsLusheng Ji, Bo Han, Robert Raymond Miller, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology, an Access Point (AP) schedules communication traffic flows or service tasks between an Access Point (AP) and one or more member stations in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The communication traffic flows or service tasks may include both control and management flows and data traffic flows. The communication traffic flows or service tasks may include traffic flows or streams of different types, each of which may have different service intervals. The order of service tasks can be changed from cycle to cycle, randomly, by rotation, or based on historical delay records.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- scheduling, by a processing system including a processor, service tasks for control traffic flow and for data traffic flow, wherein the scheduling is for a plurality of cycles, wherein the control traffic flow comprises a beacon signal in a beginning cycle portion of each cycle;
- and
- arranging, by the processing system, the service tasks according to levels of a hierarchy based on a length of service task interval,
- wherein the scheduling of the service tasks for each cycle of the series of cycles comprises:
- scheduling first service tasks from a first hierarchical level for transmission during a first service interval, wherein the first service tasks are scheduled in a series at a beginning interval portion of the first service interval;
- and
- scheduling second service tasks from a second hierarchical level for transmission during a plurality of second service intervals that commences within a residual portion of the first service interval, each of the first service tasks having a longer service task interval than each of the second service tasks,
- wherein the series of first service tasks in a first cycle of the plurality of cycles is different from that of a second cycle of the plurality of cycles, the first service tasks accordingly being executed in a different order in the first cycle and in the second cycle.
5 more elements
A device comprising:
- a processing system including a processor;
- and
- a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
- scheduling service tasks for control traffic flow and for data traffic flow, wherein the scheduling is for a plurality of cycles, wherein the control traffic flow comprises a beacon signal in a beginning cycle portion of each cycle, wherein the data traffic flow comprises data calls;
- and
- arranging the service tasks according to levels of a hierarchy based on a length of service task interval,
- wherein the scheduling of the service tasks for each cycle of the series of cycles comprises:
- scheduling first service tasks from a first hierarchical level for transmission during a first service interval, wherein the first service tasks are scheduled in a series at a beginning interval portion of the first service interval;
- and
- scheduling second service tasks from a second hierarchical level for transmission during a plurality of second service intervals that commences within a residual portion of the first service interval, each of the first service tasks having a longer service task interval than each of the second service tasks,
- wherein the series of first service tasks in a first cycle of the plurality of cycles is different from that of a subsequent second cycle of the plurality of cycles, the first service tasks accordingly being executed in a different order in the first cycle and in the second cycle, and
- wherein at least a portion of the first service tasks of the first hierarchical level and the second service tasks of the second hierarchical level are associated with quality of service types.
9 more elements
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
- scheduling service tasks for control traffic flow and for data traffic flow, wherein the scheduling is for a plurality of cycles, wherein the control traffic flow comprises a beacon signal in a beginning cycle portion of each cycle, wherein the beacon signal is transmitted from an access point;
- and
- arranging the service tasks according to levels of a hierarchy based on a length of service task interval,
- wherein the scheduling of the service tasks for each cycle of the series of cycles comprises:
- scheduling first service tasks from a first hierarchical level for transmission during a first service interval, wherein the first service tasks are scheduled in a series at a beginning interval portion of the first service interval;
- and
- scheduling second service tasks from a second hierarchical level for transmission during a plurality of second service intervals that commences within a residual portion of the first service interval, each of the first service tasks having a longer service task interval than each of the second service tasks,
- wherein the series of first service tasks in a first cycle of the plurality of cycles is different from that of a subsequent second cycle of the plurality of cycles, the first service tasks accordingly being executed in a different order in the first cycle and in the second cycle.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.