US 12,348,566 B2
Multi-link wireless communications connections
Huizhao Wang, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to MAXLINEAR, INC., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed by MAXLINEAR, INC., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/054,578.
Application 18/054,578 is a continuation of application No. 17/027,455, filed on Sep. 21, 2020, granted, now 11,595,442.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/924,934, filed on Oct. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0074290 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 29/06 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04W 12/0433 (2021.01); H04W 12/50 (2021.01); H04W 12/60 (2021.01); H04W 12/71 (2021.01); H04W 76/15 (2018.01)
CPC H04L 63/18 (2013.01) [H04W 12/0433 (2021.01); H04W 12/50 (2021.01); H04W 12/66 (2021.01); H04W 12/71 (2021.01); H04W 76/15 (2018.02)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, from a receiver, a broadcast probe request with a multi-link designator that identifies the probe request as a multilink probe request;
determining that the receiver is multi-link capable based on the multi-link designator;
transmitting a probe response including a first multi-link upper Media Access Control (MAC) entity identity of a transmitter, the transmitter having a MAC layer that is divided into an upper MAC and a lower MAC, the upper MAC being affiliated with the first multi-link upper Media Access Control (MAC) entity;
receiving an authentication trigger from the receiver; and
transmitting an authentication response to the receiver, wherein after a successful authentication, the transmitter and the receiver to establish a security association, wherein the security association is established by associating a transmitter link with a receiver link at a lower MAC level using a first Pairwise Transient Key Security Association (PTKSA), the transmitter link and the receiver link forming a link pair, the first PTKSA being specific to the link pair.