Patent ID: 9338732
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: H04W

Claim Text:
1. A method of reducing signaling during link setup in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: storing a first identifier associated with a plurality of access points, the first identifier for establishing a link with each of the access points, having a first number of bits, and being a portion of an access point identifier; transmitting an access request message to the plurality of access points configured to provide the link, the access request message including the first identifier; and receiving from at least one access point of the plurality of access points an access response message establishing the link and including a second identifier associated with the at least one access point, the second identifier including the first identifier combined with an additional identifier; wherein the first identifier is a first sequence of bits common to each of the plurality of access points, the additional identifier is a second sequence of bits unique to one of the plurality of access points, and the second identifier combines the first and second sequences of bits such that the combination represents the access point identifier; wherein said receiving comprises: receiving multiple access response messages from the plurality of access points; selecting one of the plurality of access points for establishing the link, based on information contained in the access response messages; and establishing the link with a selected access point.