Patent ID: 8184564
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method in a wireless device of a wireless network, the wireless network providing for access points to transmit management frames, including management frames that contain a broadcast-buffered indication to indicate that there is broadcast or multicast traffic buffered in the access point transmitting the management frame, the wireless device supports a plurality of network identifiers so that the device can act as a plurality of access points in the wireless network, the method comprising: transmitting bursts of management frames, each burst including a plurality of management frames for a corresponding subset of network identifiers of the wireless device that are active in the wireless device, transmitting each burst of the management frames being the transmitting of the plurality of management frames included in the burst in rapid succession to each other, each burst either being of management frames each containing a broadcast-buffered indication for a corresponding network identifier that is active in the wireless device, or being of management frames not containing any broadcast-buffered indication, the number of management frames in each burst being less than the number of network identifiers active in the wireless device, such that during the time between successive transmissions of bursts of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication for a particular network identifier, at least one management frame is transmitted for each of the network identifiers that are active in the wireless device, the at least one management frame for each of the network identifiers comprising a single management frame that includes a broadcast buffered indication for each of the network identifiers active in the wireless device, and such that during the time between successive transmissions of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication for the particular network identifier, the transmission times of the bursts of management frames that contain a broadcast-buffered indication for their respective network identifier are spread interleaved with the transmitting times of the bursts of management frames not containing any broadcast-buffered indication for their respective network identifiers, wherein a burst of management frames not containing any broadcast-buffered indication is interleaved between any two successive bursts of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication, and wherein the time intervals between bursts of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication are spread evenly or are spread by amounts weighted according to one or more weighting criteria.