Patent ID: 8160634

Claim:
In a first device communicatively coupled with a second device via an air interface, a method comprising: the first device operating in a dynamic-power state in which the first device at least: (i) periodically compares a signal power level of a signal received from the second device with a threshold power level, (ii) transmits a power-increment command to the second device responsive to each comparison that indicates the signal power level is below the threshold power level, and (iii) transmits a power-decrement command to the second device responsive to each comparison that indicates the signal power level is above the threshold power level; while operating in the dynamic-power state, making a first determination that the first device has transmitted a sequence of a threshold number of alternating power-increment and power-decrement commands to the second device; responsive to the first determination, transitioning to operating in a steady-power state in which the first device at least: (i) continues to transmit a further sequence of alternating power-increment and power-decrement commands to the second device even if the received signal power level remains above the threshold power level during transmission of the further sequence, and (ii) continues to transmit the further sequence of alternating power-increment and power-decrement commands to the second device even if the received signal power level remains below the threshold power level during transmission of the further sequence; while operating in the steady-power state, making a second determination that a difference between a currently-received signal power level and the threshold power level is greater than a differential threshold power; and based at least on the second determination, transitioning from operating in the steady-power state to operating in the dynamic-power state.