US 11,856,606 B2
Coordinated stations in OBSS with shared TXOP in time domain
Qing Xia, San Jose, CA (US); Mohamed Abouelseoud, San Francisco, CA (US); and Liangxiao Xin, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP); and SONY CORPORATION OF AMERICA, New York, NY (US)
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jul. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/390,948.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/119,851, filed on Dec. 1, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0174691 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 4/00 (2018.01); H04W 74/08 (2009.01); H04W 72/0446 (2023.01); H04W 72/1263 (2023.01); H04W 84/12 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 74/0816 (2013.01) [H04W 72/0446 (2013.01); H04W 72/1263 (2013.01); H04W 84/12 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a wireless communication circuit, as a wireless station (STA) operating as either an Access Point (AP) or a non-AP STA, is configured for wirelessly communicating over at least one channel with other wireless stations (STAs), which are either APs or non-AP STAs, on a local area network (WLAN) in its reception area;
(b) a processor coupled to said wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN as a station;
(c) a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor for the STA in time sharing a transmit opportunity (TXOP) of a TXOP holder STA with other STAs in the same basic service set (BSS), or in an overlapping BSS (OBSS); and
(d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor, perform steps comprising:
(i) exchanging messages in preparation for sharing a TXOP with other STAs in the BSS and/or OBSS;
(ii) gaining access to the channel and informing other STAs that an upcoming TXOP is available to be shared; and
(iii) sending messages to other STAs about duration and time of channel access for the upcoming shared TXOP, wherein these messages are communicated after gaining channel access for a dynamic scenario, or communicated when exchanging messages in preparation for sharing a TXOP with other STAs in the BSS and/or OBSS for a semi-static configuration in which the duration and time of channel access is not allowed to change dynamically.