Patent ID: 8144707

Claim:
A method for determining the existence of broadcast frames buffered in an Access Point (AP), comprising: setting, by the AP, when receiving broadcast frames from at least one of a service network and a multicast group, a broadcast/multicast indication bit that associates the at least one of the service network and the multicast group to the valid state and sending the frames carrying the broadcast/multicast indication bit to a Station (STA); receiving, by the AP, a service network query request message to the AP; sending, by the AP, a service network query response message carrying a service network list and location information of the broadcast/multicast indication bit; selecting, by the STA, a service network from the service network list; recording, by the STA, the location information of the broadcast/multicast indication bit that associates the service network, and receiving, by the AP, a group joining report that carries a multicast group ID; and returning, by the AP, the location information that associates the broadcast/multicast indication bit to the STA according to the multicast group ID in the group joining report; wherein the broadcast/multicast indication bit is used for determining whether there are broadcast frames buffered in the AP.