US-20260129673-A1 - Irregular UnavailabilitySignaling

US20260129673A1US 20260129673 A1US20260129673 A1US 20260129673A1US-20260129673-A1

Abstract

Irregular unavailability signaling may be provided. An Access Point (AP) may receive an irregular unavailability report from a station. The irregular unavailability report may include a priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods of the station for non-Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic and an indication of interruptibility of the P2P traffic in the upcoming unavailability periods. The AP may schedule Transmit Opportunities (TxOPs) of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods based on the priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods and the indication of interruptibility of the P2P traffic.

Inventors

Brian D. Hart
Malcolm M. Smith
Binita Gupta

Assignees

CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251107

Claims (20)

1 . A method comprising: receiving, by an Access Point (AP), an irregular unavailability report from a station, the irregular unavailability report comprising a priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods of the station for non-Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic and an indication of interruptibility of P2P traffic in the upcoming unavailability periods; and scheduling, by the AP, Transmit Opportunities (TxOPs) of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods based on the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods and the indication of interruptibility of the P2P traffic.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs to the station to entirely avoid the upcoming unavailability periods when a priority associated the P2P traffic to the station is greater than that of the non-P2P traffic.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station to substantially avoid the upcoming unavailability periods when the indication of the interruptibility of the P2P traffic is set to a first value.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that: the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic; the non-P2P traffic has already started; and the station does not need to respond.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that: the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic; the non-P2P traffic has already started; and the station is able to respond.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that the station does not need to respond.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods when a priority associated with the P2P traffic for the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: sending a modified Request to Send (RTS) frame to the station, the modified RTS comprising a priority field comprising a priority of the non-P2P traffic.
9 . A system comprising: a memory storage; and a processing unit disposed in a first computing device and coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to: receive an irregular unavailability report from a station, the irregular unavailability report comprising a priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods of the station for non-Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic and an indication of interruptibility of P2P traffic in the upcoming unavailability periods; and schedule Transmit Opportunities (TxOPs) of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods based on the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods and the indication of the interruptibility of the P2P traffic.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing unit is further operative to: send a modified Request to Send (RTS) frame to the station, the modified RTS comprising a priority field comprising a priority of the non-P2P traffic.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing unit is further operative to: receive, from the station in response to the modified RTS frame, a modified Clear to Send (CTS) frame if a priority of the P2P traffic is higher than the priority of the non-P2P traffic.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing unit is further operative to: receive, in response to the modified RTS, a modified Clear to Send (CTS) frame comprising near future unavailability slots along with a priority associated with the P2P traffic in each of the near future unavailability slots.
13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that the station does not need to respond.
14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that: the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic; the non-P2P traffic has already started; and the station does not need to respond.
15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the unavailability periods comprises the processing unit being operative to schedule the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that: the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic; the non-P2P traffic has already started; and the station is able to respond.
16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing unit being operative to parse the irregular unavailability report comprises the processing unit being operative to determine an interruptible indication of an upcoming unavailability period, wherein the interruptible indication indicates that the station is available for interruption by an Access Point (AP) when the AP has a higher priority traffic for the station than P2P traffic for which the station is absent.
17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions which when executed perform a method executed by the set of instructions comprising: receiving, by an Access Point (AP), an irregular unavailability report from a station, the irregular unavailability report comprising a priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods of the station for non-Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic and an indication of interruptibility of P2P traffic in the upcoming unavailability periods; and scheduling, by the AP, Transmit Opportunities (TxOPs) of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods based on the priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods and the indication of the interruptibility of the P2P traffic.
18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that: the priority associated with the upcoming unavailability periods of the station is not greater than that of the non-P2P traffic; the non-P2P traffic has already started; and the station does not need to respond.
19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein parsing the irregular unavailability report comprises determining an interruptible indication of an upcoming unavailability period, wherein the interruptible indication indicates that the station is available for interruption by the AP when the AP has a higher priority traffic for the station than P2P traffic for which the station is absent.
20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods comprises scheduling the TxOPs of the non-P2P traffic to the station during the upcoming unavailability periods in response to determining that the station does not need to respond.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION Under provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/717,328, filed Nov. 7, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to irregular unavailability signaling. BACKGROUND In computer networking, a wireless Access Point (AP) is a networking hardware device that allows a Wi-Fi compatible client device to connect to a wired network and to other client devices. The AP usually connects to a router (directly or indirectly via a wired network) as a standalone device, but it can also be an integral component of the router itself. Several APs may also work in coordination, either through direct wired or wireless connections, or through a central system, commonly called a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) controller. An AP is differentiated from a hotspot, which is the physical location where Wi-Fi access to a WLAN is available. Prior to wireless networks, setting up a computer network in a business, home, or school often required running many cables through walls and ceilings in order to deliver network access to all of the network-enabled devices in the building. With the creation of the wireless AP, network users are able to add devices that access the network with few or no cables. An AP connects to a wired network, then provides radio frequency links for other radio devices to reach that wired network. Most APs support the connection of multiple wireless devices. APs are built to support a standard for sending and receiving data using these radio frequencies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various implementations of the present disclosure. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operating environment for irregular unavailability signaling; FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for providing irregular unavailability signaling; and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview Irregular unavailability signaling may be provided. An Access Point (AP) may receive an irregular unavailability report from a station. The irregular unavailability report may include a priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods of the station for non-Peer-to-Peer (P2P) traffic and an indication of interruptibility of the P2P traffic in the upcoming unavailability periods. The AP may schedule Transmit Opportunities (TxOPs) of the non-P2P traffic to the station in the upcoming unavailability periods based on the priority associated with upcoming unavailability periods and the indication of interruptibility of the P2P traffic. Both the foregoing overview and the following example implementations are examples and explanatory only and should not be considered to restrict the disclosure's scope, as described and claimed. Furthermore, features and/or variations may be provided in addition to those described. For example, implementations of the disclosure may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the example implementations. Example Implementations The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While implementations of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Streaming traffic is among the largest and fastest growing traffic on the internet. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming contributes substantially to this growth. P2P traffic is a decentralized network architecture that allows Stations (STAs) to interact directly with each other. An example of P2P traffic in Ultra High Reliability (UHR) may relate to In-Device Coexistence (IDC) such as a phone with Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) unlocking a car using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signal or streaming audio to a car stereo using Bluetooth. If unlocking a car or its Bluetooth audio stream is more important to a user than a WiFi traffic at that time, then the phone may not transmit if the WiFi traffic may disrupt the P2P traffic or non-Wi-Fi traffic. Herein “P2P” may encompass all wireless communications and emissions not related to the traditional WiFi use case of communications between a STA and an Access Point (AP) towards providing access the intranet/Internet. P2P may include cellular communication, in-channel emissions, Radio Frequency (RF) images and/or spurs, etc. at othe