Apple Inc.

Peter N Heerboth

Christiaan A Hartman

Yong Liu

Lawrie Kurian

Su Khiong Yong

Guoqing Li

Daniel R Borges

Tashbeeb Haque

Anand Rajagopalan

Saravanan Balasubramaniyan

Andreas Wolf

Lilach Zukerman

Oren Shani

Chiu Ngok E Wong

Christopher B Zimmermann

Michael Jason Giles

Patrick L Coffman

Robert J Stacey

Craig P Dooley

Keith Walter Rauenbuehler

Tito Thomas

Pierre B Vandwalle

Akshay Mangalam Srivatsa

Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf

Siegfried Lehmann

Anjali S Sandesara

Wayne A Lee

Nathan A Kralian

Hung Q Le

Sivaramachandran Ganesan

Praveen Chegondi

Keith R Bisset

Pranika Seth

One or more wireless stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)—direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, i.e., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to reciprocating service between two or more wireless stations. The reciprocating service embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which devices can participate in a same service instant.

Neighbor awareness networking datapath—reciprocation and coexistence

Techniques are provided for updating firmware of an accessory device. An accessory development kit of the accessory device can communicate with an accessory update daemon using a home management daemon of a controller device. Based at least in part on a firmware update policy of the accessory device, the accessory update daemon will check for firmware updates. When firmware updates are available, the accessory update daemon can instruct the home management daemon to stage the update. The home management daemon will notify the accessory development kit to be in a stage mode. The accessory update daemon will download the firmware update and send the firmware update to the accessory development kit of the accessory device using an interface for the secure channel provided by the home management daemon. The accessory device can be a third party accessory device that does not have its own firmware updating application.

Techniques for firmware updates with accessories

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a mechanism for a device to perform selective synchronization (or cluster merging) with one or more neighboring peer devices.

Selective peer synchronization with mutual services

One or more wireless stations may operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, e.g., without utilizing an intermediate access point. Scheduling of NAN ranging procedures may include a first wireless station sending first information, including first scheduling preferences and a first ranging role, to a second wireless station. The first wireless station receives second information, including second scheduling preferences and a second ranging role, from the second wireless station. The first wireless station may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters. Alternatively, the second wireless station and may initiate the ranging procedure based on the scheduling preferences and ranging parameters.

Neighbor awareness networking ranging

One or more wireless stations may operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. A mechanism for wireless stations to mitigate medium congestion in discovery windows may include suppressing solicited publisher responses via an SRF for a first time period and resetting the SRF after the first time period in order to receive updates from peer devices.

Neighbor awareness networking discovery window congestion mitigation

In embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, i.e., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to NAN datapath scheduling and NAN pre-datapath operation setup and scheduling. The NAN datapath embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which stations can communicate and provide services. In particular, embodiments described herein relate to the use of cancelable and non-cancelable further availability windows in conjunction with NAN communication.

Cancelable NAN schedule indication

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate according to Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to NAN datapath scheduling and NAN pre-datapath operation setup and scheduling. The NAN datapath embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which devices can communicate and provide services. Aspects of the datapath development include datapath scheduling, including datapath setup and scheduling attributes, as well as pre-datapath operation triggering and scheduling. Scheduling attributes may include a native scheduler rank and a NAN data cluster scheduler rank. NAN data cluster base schedules may be scheduled as equal-sets or subsets of datapath schedules. The datapath model may be implemented for unicast and multicast communication between wireless stations, including mobile stations.

Neighbor awareness networking datapath&#x2014;scheduling, scheduler rank, and pre-datapath operation triggering

One or more wireless stations may operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. A mechanism for a wireless station to transmit a paging beacon outside of a paging window may include establishing a paged data link with a peer station, determining that one or more data frames associated with the paged data link are pending transmission, and transmitting a beacon to the peer station outside of a scheduled paging window of the paged data link. The beacon may include a paging attribute indicating there are pending data frames.

Paging schemes for peer-to-peer communications

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a mechanism for a device to transmit, via a BTLE (or Bluetooth) interface, a first message indicating an operation associated with a Wi-Fi service (e.g., a service available via a Wi-Fi interface and/or Wi-Fi related interface parameters) to a peer device. The first message may include a service hash that indicates the operation. The service hash may be included in a first data structure. The first data structure may indicate availability of the Wi-Fi service. The device may receive a second message from the peer device indicating that the neighboring wireless station intends to subscribe to or provide the Wi-Fi service, e.g., via Wi-Fi peer-to-peer communications.

Flexible BTLE TDS frame format for bi-directional service discovery

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with one or more neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a mechanism for a wireless station to transmit a pause indication to one or more neighboring peer wireless stations, indicating a pause in direct communication.

Peer-to-peer transmission pause indication

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a mechanism for a device to request synchronization assistance from one or more neighboring peer devices.

NAN solicited synchronization

In one set of embodiments, one or more client stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring client stations, i.e., direct communication between the client stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to NAN datapath scheduling and NAN pre-datapath operation setup and scheduling. The NAN datapath embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which devices can communicate and provide services. Aspects of the datapath development include datapath scheduling, including datapath setup and scheduling attributes, as well as pre-datapath operation triggering and scheduling. Scheduling may include determination of a type of datapath, including paging and synchronized datapaths. NAN data cluster base schedules may be scheduled as equal-sets or subsets of datapath schedules. The datapath model may be implemented for unicast and multicast communication between client stations.

Neighbor awareness networking datapath

Embodiments relate to wireless stations that operate to configure direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. In embodiments, a wireless station may establish a peer-to-peer communication schedule with at least one neighboring peer wireless station, announce, to the at least one neighboring peer wireless station, a schedule transition (or migration), wherein the schedule transition includes an effective time of a new schedule, and announce, to the at least one neighboring peer wireless station, the new schedule at the effective time.

NAN schedule migration

In one set of embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations, i.e., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to reciprocating service between two or more wireless stations. The reciprocating service embodiments described herein provide a mechanism through which devices can participate in a same service instant.

Neighbor awareness networking datapath&#x2014;reciprocation and coexistence

In some embodiments, one or more wireless stations operate to configure Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)&#x2014;direct communication with neighboring wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to aspects of NAN communication, including service discovery proxy registration, publishing, and subscription of services via the proxy, maintenance of the proxy, and de-registration of the proxy.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Peter N Heerboth