Patent ID: 7277417
Filing Date: 2007-10-02
Classification: H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method for managing peer-to-peer communications in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) having a plurality of wireless terminals, one of which acts as a master at any time and remaining ones acting as slaves at any time, the method comprising: communicating according to a frame cycle including a beaconing period, a broadcast data period, a plurality of polled data periods, and a contention period; during the beaconing period, the master transmitting a beacon and each of the plurality of Slaves listening for the beacon; during the broadcast data period, the master broadcasting data and each of the plurality of Slaves listening for the broadcast data; during each polled data period, the master polling an assigned Slave and the assigned Slave transmitting data to the master if it has data to send; during the contention period, a new Slave, if present, transmitting to the master; during the plurality of polled data periods, non-assigned Slaves optionally powering down their transmitters and receivers; and during the contention period, the plurality of Slaves optionally powering down their transmitters and receivers.