Patent ID: 8797930

Claim:
A method of saving power for stations configured to communicate via a direct link, the method comprising: communicating a wakeup schedule between the stations either via an access point (AP) or the direct link, the stations comprising a station and a peer station; waking up, at the station and the peer station, after a first scheduled wakeup interval and before a second scheduled wakeup interval, wherein the first and second scheduled wakeup intervals are defined by the wakeup schedule, the first and second scheduled wakeup intervals defined relative to a common timing reference received by the station and the peer station from the AP, and wherein the second scheduled wakeup interval successively follows the first scheduled wakeup interval; and after the start of the second scheduled wakeup interval, remaining awake at the station and the peer station according to the wakeup schedule in the absence of a service period between the station and the peer station, the station and the peer station remaining awake until at least a predefined time period has elapsed or a predefined number of idle slots have elapsed.