US 12,171,026 B1
Methods and devices for communicating in a wireless network with multiple virtual access points
Liwen Chu, San Ramon, CA (US); Lei Wang, San Diego, CA (US); Hongyuan Zhang, Fremont, CA (US); Jinjing Jiang, San Jose, CA (US); and Hui-Ling Lou, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Marvell Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore (SG)
Filed by Marvell Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore (SG)
Filed on Aug. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/238,948.
Application 18/238,948 is a continuation of application No. 17/857,816, filed on Jul. 5, 2022, granted, now 11,743,945.
Application 17/857,816 is a continuation of application No. 16/813,611, filed on Mar. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,382,132, issued on Jul. 5, 2022.
Application 16/813,611 is a continuation of application No. 14/963,045, filed on Dec. 8, 2015, granted, now 10,588,165, issued on Mar. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/089,026, filed on Dec. 8, 2014.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 74/0816 (2024.01); H04B 7/0452 (2017.01); H04B 17/318 (2015.01); H04L 5/00 (2006.01); H04W 4/06 (2009.01); H04W 72/21 (2023.01); H04W 74/00 (2009.01); H04W 76/11 (2018.01); H04W 84/12 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 74/0816 (2013.01) [H04B 7/0452 (2013.01); H04B 17/318 (2015.01); H04L 5/0007 (2013.01); H04W 4/06 (2013.01); H04W 72/21 (2023.01); H04W 74/004 (2013.01); H04W 76/11 (2018.02); H04W 84/12 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for communicating in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:
receiving, at a communication device via a wireless communication medium, a physical layer (PHY) data unit having a PHY preamble;
determining, at the communication device, a value of a basic service set (BSS) color identifier in the PHY preamble;
performing, at the communication device, a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure to determine whether the communication device can perform a spatial reuse transmission via the wireless communication medium during reception of the PHY data unit, including:
determining whether the BSS color identifier is a color value corresponding to all of multiple virtual APs implemented by a physical access point (AP), and
selectively determining whether the communication device can perform the spatial reuse transmission during reception of the PHY data unit, including:
in response to determining that the value of the BSS color identifier is the color value corresponding to all of the multiple virtual APs implemented by the physical AP, comparing the energy level of the PHY data unit to a first threshold, and determining that the communication device can perform the spatial reuse transmission during the reception of the PHY data unit based on whether the energy level of the PHY data unit is below the first threshold, and
in response to determining that the value of the BSS color identifier is not the color value corresponding to all of the multiple virtual APs implemented by the physical AP, comparing the energy level of the PHY data unit to a second threshold that is higher than the first threshold, and determining that the communication device can perform the spatial reuse transmission during the reception of the PHY data unit based on whether the energy level of the PHY data unit is below the second threshold; and
when performing the CCA procedure determines that the communication device can perform the spatial reuse transmission during reception of the PHY data unit, transmitting, by the communication device, via the wireless communication medium during reception of the PHY data unit.