Patent ID: 8341271

Claim:
A device discovery process for use in a wireless communication system having an apparatus for communicating with devices in a wireless network, where the apparatus comprises a host processor; a transceiver; a physical interface coupling the host processor and the transceiver; and a memory accessible by the host processor and the transceiver to exchange information between the host processor and the transceiver via the physical interface, the device discovery process comprising: discovering a remote wireless device in the wireless network; notifying, by the transceiver, the host processor of the remote wireless device; requesting, under control of the transceiver, capability information from the remote wireless device prior to receiving a request from the host processor for the capability information; buffering, under control of the transceiver, the capability information before the capability information is requested by the host processor; receiving a capability request from the host processor via the physical interface; providing the host processor access to the capability information via the physical interface; the host processor accessing memory to obtain an indexed bitmap table; comparing the indexed bitmap table with a previously stored table to determine any changes; and sending a capabilities request from the host processor to the transceiver for the remote wireless device if the host processor determines the remote wireless device is new based on results of comparing the indexed bitmap table with a previously stored table.