Gainspan Corporation

Vishal Batra

Pankaj Vyas

Sibasis Purohit

Prashant Viswanathan

Indudharswamy G Hiremath

Venu Madhava Rao Kosuri

Greg Winner

Burhanuddin Lohawala

Daniel Jonathan Kurtz

A device, system and method for intelligently dropping frames in a congested wireless network. Video frames from a video encoder may be received and queued in an ordered sequence of outgoing video frames in a transmission queue to be transmitted as data packets by a wireless communication circuit. When network congestion is detected, a relative contextual importance level of an incoming frame received from the video input channel may be compared relative to at least one frame in the transmission queue. The compared frame that has a lower relative contextual importance level may be dropped or omitted from the transmission queue, thereby transmitting data packets of the frames in the transmission queue without the dropped or omitted frames.

Intelligent video frame dropping for improved digital video flow control over a crowded wireless network

Aspects of the present disclosure are related to provisioning of wireless devices. In an embodiment, a wireless device (sought to be provisioned) receives values for provisioning parameters from an external user device, and attempts to join a wireless local network according to the received values for the provisioning parameters. The wireless device sends a response to the external user device indicating whether or not the joining was successful. The external user device may display the result indicating whether or not provisioning was successful. The wireless device may operate in a time division multiplexed manner as an access point (for securing the credentials) and as a station (once provisioning is complete).

Remote provisioning of wireless stations with confirmation

A system contains a wireless station connected to an embedded device by a wired path, with the wireless station being part of a wireless network. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the wireless station places a receiver (communicating on the wireless network) in power savings mode upon occurrence of a first condition, and restores the receiver to active mode upon occurrence of a second condition. Such transitions between active and power savings modes are employed while receiving data units from a wireless network and providing the data units to the embedded device. In one embodiment, the first and second conditions correspond to a higher threshold and lower threshold for available data in the memory of the wireless station used for buffering not-yet-transferred data units. In alternative embodiments, the conditions are determined based on corresponding express indications by the embedded device.

Reducing power consumption in wireless stations providing network connectivity for embedded devices

A wireless station of a wireless network generates a single layer-2 frame containing multiple layer-3 packets in its payload. Each of the multiple layer-3 packets is destined to a corresponding different destination. The wireless station transmits the layer-2 frame to an access point (AP) of the wireless network. The AP receives the layer-2 frame, disassembles the payload into individual layer-3 packets, and transmits each of the individual layer-3 packets separately towards the corresponding destinations. In an embodiment, the wireless network is according to IEEE 802.11 standards, each layer-3 packet is an IP packet, and the layer-2 frame is a MAC frame.

Transmitting IP packets originating in a wireless station when the IP packets are destined for delivery to multiple destinations via an access point

An access point (AP) of a wireless network receives registration requests for a firmware update from a set of Internet of Things (IOT) devices. The AP determines availability of the firmware update at a remote server, and upon determining the availability, downloads the firmware update from the remote server into to a non-volatile storage and provides the firmware update to the set of IOT devices.

Updating firmware of IOT devices

A wireless station associates with an access point to join a wireless local area network (WLAN). The access point is part of the WLAN and operates as a switching device between wireless stations of the WLAN. The wireless station forms a TCP session via the access point with an external device which is external to the WLAN. The wireless station exchanges (i.e., transmits and/or receives) a first sequence of packets on the TCP session. The wireless station receives a frame from the access point, the frame indicating that the wireless station has been disassociated after having associated earlier with the access point. The wireless station re-associates with the access point. The access point then communicates with the external device on the TCP session after re-associating, the communicating involving exchanging a second sequence of packets with the external device after the re-association.

Wireless device of a wireless local area network communicating with a device of an external network on a TCP session before and after disassociation from the wireless local area network

A wireless station (STA) of a wireless network operates to estimate intervals at which to transmit keep-alive messages to an access point (AP) with which the STA is associated. The STA receives a de-authentication frame from the AP. The de-authentication frame indicates that the AP has disassociated the STA due to inactivity. The STA determines a keep-alive interval based on one or more de-authenticated messages, including the de-authentication frame. The STA transmits keep-alive messages according to the determined keep-alive interval.

Estimating intervals at which to transmit keep-alive messages from a wireless station to an access point

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an access point sends timing information related to updating of a group key. A wireless station communicates with the access point according to the timing information to receive an updated group key. The updated group key is thereafter used for processing of multicast packets. Due to the use of the timing information, the wireless station can operate in a power-down mode, and yet receive at least the required group keys. In one embodiment, the timing information specifies a future time instance at which the update group may be available. In an alternative embodiment, a version number is associated with each value of the group key and the version number of the currently operative group key (in the access point) is broadcast to the wireless stations.

Updating of layer-2 group key in a wireless network

An aspect of the present disclosure enables an access point (AP) to conveniently provision multiple wireless devices. In an embodiment, the AP may normally operate in a secure mode to disregard non-secure provisioning requests from wireless devices. However, upon receipt of a request to accept provisioning requests from multiple wireless devices, the AP permits multiple wireless devices to be provisioned via the AP, in response to corresponding provisioning requests received from the respective wireless devices. The request to accept may be generated upon pressing of a push button provided on the AP, which may be referred to as a group provisioning button since multiple wireless devices are provisioned in response to pressing of that button.

Provisioning of multiple wireless devices by an access point

A wireless station of a wireless network identifies required active durations based on outbound request packets. Each active duration is from around a first time instance at which a corresponding request packet is to be transmitted to a second time instance corresponding to receipt of the corresponding response packet. A receiver of the wireless station is placed in an active mode in the active durations. The wireless station transmits and receives packets in the active durations. The wireless station operates the receiver in power-down mode when the receiver is not required to be operated in the active mode.

Reducing power consumption in wireless stations executing various client applications

A wireless station in a WLAN generates a first set of data elements for sending to a final destination. The wireless station forms a first Internet Protocol (IP) packet with a header portion and a payload portion. The header portion specifies an IP address of a neighbor access point (AP) as the next hop destination. The payload portion of the IP packet includes an IP address of the final destination to indicate that the data elements are to be delivered to the final destination. The wireless station transmits the IP packet to the neighbor AP according to the IP address of the neighbor AP. Extended connectivity based on wireless paths between stations of a wireless local area network (WLAN) is thus provided.

Extended connectivity based on wireless paths between stations of a wireless local area network (WLAN)

A first wireless device and a second wireless device are each capable of communicating using multiple MAC protocols. The first wireless device sets a first receiver to a power savings mode, the first receiver designed to operate according to a first MAC protocol. The first wireless device then receives, from the second wireless device, an indication on a second receiver corresponding to a second MAC protocol that data is available to be transmitted to the first wireless device from the second wireless device. In response to receipt of the indication, the first wireless sets the first receiver to an active mode, and receives the data from the second wireless device using the first receiver operating in accordance with the first MAC protocol. The second receiver consumes less power than the first receiver. Reduction of power consumption in the first wireless device may be achieved.

Communication between wireless devices capable of communicating using multiple MAC protocols

An access point (AP) in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure provides a convenient approach to provision wireless devices. In an embodiment, the AP initiates push button mode of WPS procedures with a wireless device, in response to receiving of a provisioning request from the wireless device, without requiring a WPS push button signal locally. The AP thereafter operates to complete provisioning of the wireless device. According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless device may also participate in push button mode of WPS, without requiring a push button signal locally. In an embodiment, a wireless device automatically transmits a request for provisioning. An AP within the transmission range, responds back with a command to initiate push button mode of WPS procedures. The wireless device communicates with the AP to complete provisioning.

Convenient use of push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) for provisioning wireless devices

An access point communicates with a wireless station based on a point-to-point channel, to determine time instances of future communication to be received from the wireless station. In intervals between such future communications, the access point powers down at least some portions of a circuit contained within the access point for at least a partial duration between such future communications. In an embodiment, the powered-down portions include the receiver portions of the access point. The access point may be battery-powered, and the powering-down of the receiver portions enables reduction of power consumption in the access point.

Growing community of inventors

Bengaluru, India

Vishal Batra