Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090052362 | POWER-SAVE APPARATUS FOR 802.11 MULTICAST PAGING APPLICATIONS - A power-save system for a network with an access point and an associated power-save client. The access point buffers wireless data that includes a unicast frame and a multicast frame. A periodic scheduled beacon message is transmitted with a unicast indication element and a multicast indication element. The unicast element instructs a client to remain awake to receive a buffered unicast frame, which includes a destination MAC address. The multicast element instructs a client to remain awake following the beacon to receive a buffered multicast frame, which includes a destination multicast address designating a multicast group of which the client is a member. At least one beacon message is designated as a multicast delivery beacon. The buffered multicast frame is transmitted following the designated multicast beacon. The multicast element contains a list of entries, each entry corresponding to either a multicast MAC address, multicast IP address, or client identifier. | 02-26-2009 |
20090232311 | METHOD FOR SECURELY AND AUTOMATICALLY CONFIGURING ACCESS POINTS - The present invention is contemplates an automatic, secure AP configuration protocol. Public/private keys and public key (PK) methods are used to automatically establish a mutual trust relationship and a secure channel between an AP and at least one configuration server. An AP automatically forwards a location identifier to the configuration server, and the configuration server delivers common, AP specific, and location specific configuration parameters to the AP. | 09-17-2009 |
20090257380 | CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT PROTOCOL - In an example embodiment, a topology based channel assignment method for mitigating contention between overlapping radio coverage areas in a wireless “mesh” network topology. A central controller compiles radio overlap information and executes a Tiered Graph Coloring Algorithm, which is used to mitigate contention between overlapping radio coverage areas. In general, the radio channel for each Channel Assignment Cluster (Basic Service Set) is selected so that the aggregate radio coverage area of the Channel Assignment Cluster does not overlap with the radio coverage areas of neighboring Channel Assignment Clusters and fixed interference sources. In the tiered algorithm, a Channel Assignment Cluster is represented as a single vertex, interference sources are represented as “fixed” vertices with fixed color assignments, and “overlapping” vertices are interconnected by “edges.” Vertices are “tiered” so that overlap mitigation is prioritized for higher-traffic radios. | 10-15-2009 |
20100232412 | MOBILE VIRTUAL LAN - A communication system in which multiple protocols and proxy services are executed by an access point. In one embodiment of the invention, GVRP and GMRP registrations are combined in a single packet when a wireless device roams to a different VLAN. In addition, outbound GVRP and GMRP multicast messages are handled by an access point (also referred to as a GVRP and GMRP “gateway”) such that the wireless device is not burdened with the associated computational overhead. In a further embodiment, a wireless device may dynamically switch between a VLAN-aware state and a VLAN-unaware state depending on the nature of a detected access point. For example, if a relevant access point supports GVRP, the wireless device may operate as a VLAN terminal. If a wireless device is not attached to an access point with a matching VLAN ID, the wireless device sends and receives VLAN tagged frames. If a wireless device configured with a VLAN ID is attached to an access point with a matching VLAN ID, or if the wireless device is attached to a non-VLAN access point, then the wireless device may send and receive raw/untagged frames. In addition to the gateways described below, the ability of a wireless device to detect when it can send untagged frames is considered novel. In another embodiment of the invention, a special ID that is different than the native VLAN ID for a switch port is used for VLAN-unaware devices. This allows such devices that do not issue tagged frames to belong to a single VLAN ID. | 09-16-2010 |
20110128892 | AVOIDING HIGH-SPEED NETWORK PARTITIONS IN FAVOR OF LOW-SPEED LINKS - In one embodiment, each network interface of a network device in a computer network may be classified as either a low-speed interface (e.g., wireless) or a high-speed interface (e.g., wired). Illustratively, then, low-speed interfaces may be configured (identified) as external interfaces to external links and high-speed interfaces may be configured (identified) as internal interfaces to internal links. By executing a multiple spanning tree (MST) protocol at the network device with other network devices in the computer network, network devices interconnected with internal links are in a same MST region and internal links within an MST region are preferred over external links between MST regions. | 06-02-2011 |
20110299448 | Distributed Gateway for Reliable Multicast Wireless Video - Techniques are provided to reduce or restrict the bandwidth consumed by multicast video streams on wireless links, such as wireless IEEE 802.11 links. At a central multicast video transcoder apparatus configured to communicate with one or more access point devices operating in a wireless local area network, one or more multicast video streams are re-encoded the one or more multicast video streams to produce a corresponding one or more wireless-friendly multicast video streams that have a reduced bandwidth from a bandwidth of the received multicast video streams. The one or more wireless-friendly multicast video streams are thus adapted for wireless transmission by access point devices to wireless client devices in the wireless local area network. The one or more access point devices receive the one or more wireless-friendly multicast video streams and process the one or more wireless-friendly multicast video streams depending on conditions in a radio channel used by the access point device. The access point devices then wirelessly transmit the one or more wireless-friendly multicast video streams to one or more client devices in a corresponding multicast group. | 12-08-2011 |
20130010669 | A METHOD FOR MULTICAST LOAD BALANCING IN WIRELESS LANS - A method for multicast load balancing in a wireless network having a plurality of access points. The method includes setting a maximum Internet protocol multicast bandwidth for the access points, receiving an admissions control request from a client at one of the access points, and determining whether the admissions control request from the client is for an admitted or unadmitted multicast stream at the access point. The access point is responsive to the admissions control request for the admitted multicast stream by servicing the admitted multicast stream and to the admissions control request for the unadmitted multicast stream by servicing the unadmitted multicast stream where the bandwidth required for the unadmitted multicast stream, plus that portion of the access point bandwidth currently used for all existing downlink multicast streams, does not exceed the maximum internet protocol multicast bandwidth for the access point. | 01-10-2013 |
20130070641 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATED WIFI/WIMAX NEIGHBOR AP DISCOVERY AND AP ADVERTISEMENT - A system and method wherein mobile nodes scan both 802.16 and 802.11 radio channels for neighbor access points. A mobile node reports both WiMax and WiFi neighbor access points to its parent access point. A parent access point advertises both WiMax and WiFi neighbor access points to child mobile nodes to facilitate faster roaming and load balancing. A parent WiMax AP can direct a mobile node to roam to a neighbor WiFi access point that has a lighter load or offers enhanced services. As an option, a location tracking protocol is used to determine the location of a mobile node and the mobile node's parent AP advertises neighbor APs that offer services in the mobile node's location. | 03-21-2013 |
20140126561 | WORK GROUP BRIDGE NOMADIC ROAMING - In an example embodiment, an 802.11 or Ethernet work-group local area network (WG-LAN) is assigned a global name. The WG-LAN name is bound to a local virtual local area network identifier (VLAN-ID) in parent access points (APs). A path update protocol is employed to synchronize the WG-LAN/VLAN-ID bindings in a work-group bridge with the bindings of its' parent AP. | 05-08-2014 |