US 11,736,938 B2
Maintenance of wireless devices
Kenneth U. Victa, Cupertino, CA (US); Benjamin A. Detwiler, Menlo Park, CA (US); Nikhil Nilakantan, Cupertino, CA (US); Todd Wheeler, San Jose, CA (US); Robert W. Mayor, Half Moon Bay, CA (US); Brent M. Ledvina, San Francisco, CA (US); E. Thomas Erdmann, IV, San Francisco, CA (US); and Sriram Hariharan, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/169,036.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/071,988, filed on Aug. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0070667 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 12/04 (2021.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.01); H04W 12/03 (2021.01); H04L 9/08 (2006.01); H04L 12/18 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01)
CPC H04W 12/04 (2013.01) [H04L 9/0891 (2013.01); H04L 12/189 (2013.01); H04L 63/068 (2013.01); H04W 12/03 (2021.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method on a wireless device, the method comprising:
establishing a first encrypted wireless connection with a first electronic device;
in response to establishing the first encrypted wireless connection:
setting an indicator in a status field of a first wireless advertisement packet type, wherein the indicator indicates that a maintenance operation has been performed on the wireless device during a first key rotation period; and
broadcasting a wireless beacon having the first wireless advertisement packet type;
in response to disconnecting from the first encrypted wireless connection, starting a counter on the wireless device associated with a timeout period, wherein expiration of the timeout period triggers the wireless device to transition from a first broadcast mode to a second broadcast mode;
during a transition from the first key rotation period to a second key rotation period, resetting the indicator in the status field of the first wireless advertisement packet type to indicate that the maintenance operation needs to be performed and broadcasting the wireless beacon having the first wireless advertisement packet type;
in response to resetting the indicator in the status field, establishing a second encrypted wireless connection with a second electronic device; and
performing the maintenance operation by resetting the counter on the wireless device associated with the timeout period after establishing the second encrypted wireless connection.