Abstract: An access terminal scans for nearby access points and maintains a candidate list of access point with which the access terminal may associate in the event the access terminal's communication with its current access point deteriorates for some reason. This search procedure may be performed in a proactive manner whereby the access terminal repeatedly performs scans and updates its list of candidate access points when it is powered on. In some aspects, the search procedure used by the access terminal may be based on a state of the wireless device. In addition, different states of the access terminal may be associated with different optimization criteria.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed relating to wireless communications. The systems and techniques involve wireless communications wherein a process, module or communications terminal schedules communications over a frame having a plurality of time slots. The process, module or communications terminal may be used to assign information to be transmitted between two terminals to a block of the time slots within a frame, and reordering the time slot assignments within the frame using a permutation function, the permutation function being a function of frame count.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed relating to wireless communications. The systems and techniques involve wireless communications wherein a module or communications device is configured to select a plurality of terminal pairs each having a transmitting terminal and a corresponding receiving terminal, determine a target quality parameter for each of the receiving terminals, and schedule simultaneous signal transmissions from each of the transmitting terminals to its corresponding receiving terminal, the scheduling of the simultaneous transmissions including selecting a power level for each of the signal transmissions that satisfies the target quality parameter for each of the receiving terminals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described which provides reliable multicasting in a WLAN. The use of at least two distinct MAC multicast addresses are used to separate the first multicast frame transmissions from subsequent multicast frame re-transmissions. Thereby enabling legacy devices to ignore duplicate retransmitted multicast frames, because the duplicate frames are sent using a multicast address they do not listen to. Thus, the legacy devices are not confused with duplicated frames. In addition, new devices benefit from the retransmissions sent on the second multicast address and can re-order the frames before delivering to the applications or upper layers; thereby improving the QoS for the multicast.

Abstract: Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate coordinating and conducting transmissions to multiple stations in a wireless communication system during a single transmission opportunity. A holder of a transmission opportunity can communicate a request-to-send message or a self-addressed clear-to-send message to one or more stations to establish the transmission opportunity. Subsequently, data transmissions with respective stations can be initiated by transmitting request-to-send messages to the respective stations. At each receiving station, the source address of a received request-to-send message is compared to the address of the holder of the transmission opportunity. If the addresses match for a given request-to-send message, the receiving station transmits a clear-to-send message to the holder of the transmission opportunity in response to the request-to-send message.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a mobile communication device that is capable of accessing different types of networks such as a circuit-switched network, or any cellular network, and a packet-switched network. During hand-over from the first network to the second network, the sender of packets/frames expands or compresses the packet-switched packets using well-known time-warping techniques. At the receiver end, the received time-warped packets and frames from the second network are appropriately selected so that no unwanted artifacts are introduced during playback.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a mobile communication device that is capable of accessing different types of networks such as a circuit-switched network and a packet-switched network. When supplementary services are invoked involving the device, a protocol is used that signals between the device and a central server that maintains the state information for the supplementary services. In this way, hand-over between the two different types of networks may occur without interrupting supplementary services.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed relating to wireless communications. The systems and techniques involve wireless communications wherein a module or communications device is configured to select a plurality of terminal pairs each having a transmitting terminal and a corresponding receiving terminal, determine a target quality parameter for each of the receiving terminals, and schedule simultaneous signal transmissions from each of the transmitting terminals to its corresponding receiving terminal, the scheduling of the simultaneous transmissions including selecting a power level for each of the signal transmissions that satisfies the target quality parameter for each of the receiving terminals.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for allocating control and data time slots to a plurality of wireless mobile stations in a wireless communication system using time division multiplexing. The methods and apparatuses assign such time slots by first placing the wireless mobile stations into a number of different groups. Then, control time slots and anchor data time slots are assigned to the groups in the uplink and downlink frames of a carrier such that the uplink control time slot for each group is maximally spaced in time relative to the downlink control time slot for the same group. Data time slots are subsequently assigned to a particular mobile station by assigning time slots in the uplink and downlink frames which are as close as possible to the group's uplink or downlink anchor data time slots, as the case may be, according to a “grow from center” technique.

Abstract: Techniques for using wireless devices to implement sensor networks are described. For cognitive radio, a wireless device obtains measurements for a first system (e.g., a broadcast system) with which the wireless device is not in communication. The wireless device sends the measurements and associated location information and/or timestamps via a second system (e.g., a cellular system). A server receives measurements from a number of wireless devices and determines the coverage of the first system based on the measurements. For other applications, a wireless device obtains sensor information from at least one sensor at the wireless device and sends the sensor information and associated location information and/or timestamps via a wireless system. A server receives the sensor information and associated information from a number of wireless devices, aggregates the sensor information, and constructs a map. The wireless device may develop a user profile based on the sensor information and associated information.

Abstract: A wireless terminal concurrently associates with multiple wireless local area networks. The wireless terminal may operate in power save mode on both of the WLANs to prevent a disruption of communication on either WLAN. The wireless terminal may adjust the times at which it listens for beacons to enable reception of beacon information even though the beacons for different WLANs may overlap in time. Beacon transmission times also may be scheduled to avoid overlapping transmissions of beacons on different WLANs.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an access terminal, and method for selecting an access point in a communications system. The access terminal may include memory and a processor. The processor may be configured to maintain in the memory a database containing a list of access points that have previously served the access terminal with at least a minimum quality of service, the processor being further configured to use the list to search for an access point to associate with, or search for an access point to handoff the access terminal to during operation. In addition to, or alternatively, the processor may also be configured to maintain in the database a second list of access points. The database may be used by the processor to search for an access point that is not on the second list to associate with, or handoff the access terminal to.

Abstract: A wireless media access control supports asynchronous communication and overlapping transmissions. Here, a wireless node may determine whether to request or schedule a transmission based on control messages it receives from neighboring nodes. In some implementations a scheduled transmission may be divided up into several segments so that a transmitting node may receive and transmit control messages between segments. In some implementations a monitoring period is defined after a scheduled transmission period to enable the transmitting node to acquire control information that may otherwise have been transmitted during the scheduled transmission period. In some implementations data and control information are transmitted over different frequency division multiplexed channels to enable concurrent transmission of the data and control information.

Abstract: A message exchange scheme for wireless communication employs a request, a grant, and a confirmation. In some implementations wireless media access control supports asynchronous communication and overlapping transmissions. Here, a wireless node may determine whether to request or schedule a transmission based on control messages it receives from neighboring nodes. In some implementations a scheduled transmission may be divided up into several segments so that a transmitting node may receive and transmit control messages between segments. In some implementations a monitoring period is defined after a scheduled transmission period to enable the transmitting node to acquire control information that may otherwise have been transmitted during the scheduled transmission period. In some implementations data and control information are transmitted over different frequency division multiplexed channels to enable concurrent transmission of the data and control information.

Abstract: A monitoring period is defined after a scheduled transmission period to enable a transmitting node to acquire control information that may otherwise have been transmitted during the scheduled transmission period. In some implementations the scheduled transmission may be divided up into several segments so that a transmitting node may receive and transmit control messages between segments. In some implementations wireless media access control supports asynchronous communication and overlapping transmissions. Here, a wireless node may determine whether to request or schedule a transmission based on control messages it receives from neighboring nodes. In some implementations data and control information are transmitted over different frequency division multiplexed channels to enable concurrent transmission of the data and control information.

Abstract: A scheduled transmission may be divided up into several segments so that a transmitting node may receive and transmit control messages between segments. In some implementations a monitoring period is defined after a scheduled transmission period to enable the transmitting node to acquire control information that may otherwise have been transmitted during the scheduled transmission period. In some implementations a wireless media access control supports asynchronous communication and overlapping transmissions. Here, a wireless node may determine whether to request or schedule a transmission based on control messages it receives from neighboring nodes. In some implementations data and control information are transmitted over different frequency division multiplexed channels to enable concurrent transmission of the data and control information.

Abstract: A wireless media access control supports asynchronous communication and overlapping transmissions. Here, a wireless node may determine whether to request or schedule a transmission based on control messages it receives from neighboring nodes. In some implementations a scheduled transmission may be divided up into several segments so that a transmitting node may receive and transmit control messages between segments. In some implementations a monitoring period is defined after a scheduled transmission period to enable the transmitting node to acquire control information that may otherwise have been transmitted during the scheduled transmission period. In some implementations data and control information are transmitted over different frequency division multiplexed channels to enable concurrent transmission of the data and control information.

Abstract: Techniques for using at least one of omni-directional and directional antennas for communication are described. A station may be equipped antenna elements selectable for use as an omni-directional antenna or one or more directional antennas. The station may select the omni-directional antenna or a directional antenna for use for communication based on various factors such as, e.g., whether the location or direction of a target station for communication is known, whether control frames or data frames are being exchanged, etc.

Abstract: Broadcast or multicast traffic is classified into different types of traffic such that different types of traffic are transmitted over different sub-networks. In addition, different transmission schedules may be associated with each of the different sub-networks. A device may thus be configured to receive only a selected portion of the different types of traffic by only waking from a power save mode at the intervals at which the corresponding sub-network sends the traffic. The standby time of the wireless station may thus be improved because the wireless station may awaken less frequently and for shorter periods of time. Different sub-networks carrying different types of broadcast and multicast traffic may be implemented in an 802.11-based system. For example, a single access point may define multiple basic service set identifiers for a single wireless channel.

Abstract: Techniques to improve the standby time of a station in a wireless network are described. An access point may advertise or convey a maximum listen interval and/or an association timeout supported by that access point. A station may operate in a power-save mode and may wake up every listen interval to receive a beacon and any potential traffic for the station. The station may select a suitable listen interval based on the maximum listen interval. The station may be dormant for a longer duration than the listen interval and may become active at least once in every association timeout in order to keep the association with the access point alive. The access point may also send broadcast and multicast traffic that might be of interest to stations in the power-save mode less frequently and using a special indication message.