IP Verse

Apparatus And Method For Integrating Short-Range Wireless Personal Area Networks For A Wireless Local Area Network Infrastructure

Patent No. US10873906 (titled "Apparatus And Method For Integrating Short-Range Wireless Personal Area Networks For A Wireless Local Area Network Infrastructure") was filed by Ozmo Licensing Llc on Jun 25, 2020.

What is this patent about?

’906 is related to the field of wireless communication, specifically the integration of short-range Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) into longer-range Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) . The background involves the increasing prevalence of WLANs (like Wi-Fi) and the desire to connect low-power devices typically found in WPANs (like Bluetooth or Zigbee) to these WLANs. A key challenge is the high power consumption of standard WLAN interfaces, making them unsuitable for battery-powered WPAN devices.

The underlying idea behind ’906 is to create a bridge between a WLAN and a WPAN that allows low-power WPAN devices to communicate over the longer-range WLAN without requiring them to use a full-power WLAN interface. This is achieved by using a device (a wireless hub) that maintains a connection to both networks, handling the power-intensive WLAN communication while allowing the WPAN devices to use a more energy-efficient protocol for short-range communication.

The claims of ’906 focus on a wireless device (a hub) that coordinates a WPAN and connects it to a WLAN. This device discovers WPAN devices, establishes a wireless connection with them using a WPAN protocol, and maintains this connection. Crucially, the WPAN protocol is an overlay protocol that reuses WLAN frames but adapts them to support a WPAN power-saving protocol. The hub and WPAN devices agree on an inactivity time, during which the hub disables parts of its coordination function to save power.

In practice, the wireless hub acts as a translator, receiving data from the WPAN devices using a low-power protocol and then relaying that data over the WLAN using the standard Wi-Fi protocol. The WPAN protocol achieves power savings by adapting existing WLAN management frames and implementing an inactivity period where communication is reduced. This allows battery-powered sensors, peripherals, or medical devices to seamlessly connect to a home or office WLAN without draining their batteries quickly.

This approach differs from prior solutions that either require WPAN devices to use full-power WLAN interfaces or rely on separate, isolated WPAN networks. By adapting the WLAN protocol, ’906 enables a hybrid approach that leverages the existing WLAN infrastructure while minimizing the power consumption of WPAN devices. The use of an inactivity time further enhances power efficiency, allowing the system to dynamically adjust its power usage based on communication needs.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the mid-2000s when ’906 was filed, at a time when WLAN and WPAN technologies were becoming more prevalent, systems commonly relied on distinct protocols and hardware for each network type. Integrating these networks, especially for power-sensitive devices, was typically implemented using separate communication stacks and often required complex configuration. Hardware or software constraints made seamless connectivity and power management between WLAN and WPAN networks non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The application was subject to a non-final Office action. Claims were pending and examined. Claims 2-10, 14-25, and 29-31 were rejected. Claims 11-13 and 26-28 were objected to. The rejection was based on pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) over prior art combinations. The prosecution record does describe the technical reasoning and specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 12 claims, with claims 1 and 4 being independent. The independent claims are directed to a first wireless device for coordinating or connecting to a wireless personal area network (WPAN). The dependent claims generally elaborate on and add detail to the features described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Inactivity time
(Claim 1, Claim 4)		“Advantageously, the present invention extends the communication range of power-sensitive battery-operated devices and allows power-sensitive battery operated devices to become part of the larger WLAN infrastructure, thus enabling monitoring and control from any location that is within the range covered by the WLAN In addition, since battery-operated devices are IP addressable and since the AP of the WLAN can be connected to the Internet via an Internet router, the battery-operated devices may be monitored and controlled from any location when access to the Internet is available. The longer communication range and seamless integration into the larger WLAN infrastructure is obtained without incurring the power penalty that is typically unavoidable in longer range communication and is inherent to the protocol overhead of typical WLAN networks.”A period during which the first and second wireless devices agree to at least partially disable the wireless connection to conserve power.
Wireless radio circuit
(Claim 1, Claim 4)		“A wireless hub for integrating a wireless personal area network (“WPAN”) seamlessly into a wireless local area network (“WLAN”) includes, in part, a wireless circuit compliant with the WLAN standard, a processor coupled to the wireless circuit and a memory module that is coupled to the wireless circuit and the processor.”A circuit capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals, configured to communicate over a WLAN physical medium using a WLAN protocol.
WLAN protocol frame
(Claim 1, Claim 4)		“In some embodiments, the WLAN standard is the 802.11x standard. In such an embodiment, the wireless circuit is an 802.11x-compliant wireless circuit, and the memory module may be integrated with the wireless circuit. The hub further includes software modules forming a software platform that allows the wireless circuit to connect to both the WPAN and WLAN.”A data frame structure defined by the WLAN protocol, which is adapted to support a WPAN power-saving protocol.
WPAN-adapted frame
(Claim 1, Claim 4)		“In accordance with one embodiment, the software platform allows the wireless circuit to connect to the WPAN, without losing connectivity (such as association and synchronization) to the WLAN. In another embodiment, the wireless circuit is configured to connect to the WLAN and WPAN alternately. In some embodiments, an operating system enables the operation of the wireless hub, thereby enabling users to write application-specific application software.”A frame derived from a WLAN protocol management frame, where at least one field is adapted to support the WPAN power-saving protocol.
WPAN power-saving protocol
(Claim 1, Claim 4)		“Advantageously, the present invention extends the communication range of power-sensitive battery-operated devices and allows power-sensitive battery operated devices to become part of the larger WLAN infrastructure, thus enabling monitoring and control from any location that is within the range covered by the WLAN In addition, since battery-operated devices are IP addressable and since the AP of the WLAN can be connected to the Internet via an Internet router, the battery-operated devices may be monitored and controlled from any location when access to the Internet is available.”A protocol designed to reduce power consumption in a WPAN, different from the power-saving protocol supported by the WLAN protocol.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
6:22-cv-00642Jun 21, 2022Ozmo Licensing LLC v. Dell Technologies Inc. et al
1:23-cv-00747Jun 21, 2022Ozmo Licensing LLC v. Dell Technologies Inc. et al
6:21-cv-01225Nov 24, 2021Ozmo Licensing LLC v. Acer Inc. et al

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US10873906

OZMO LICENSING LLC
Application Number
US16912262
Filing Date
Jun 25, 2020
Status
Expired
Expiry Date
Mar 14, 2026
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents