Systems and methods of preferential queuing by an information processing apparatus in a doze state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10111242-B2
Application number	US-201213404447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2012
Priority date	Feb 25, 2011
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A game apparatus repeatedly switches between a doze state in which a wireless communication function is restricted, and an awake state. The game apparatus stores unicast data and broadcast data acquired in the awake state, in a normal queue, and transmits the pieces of data to air in acquisition order. On the other hand, in the doze state, the game apparatus stores acquired broadcast data in a preferential transmission queue, and stores acquired unicast data in the normal queue. Thereafter, when the game apparatus becomes the awake state again, the game apparatus transmits the broadcast data stored in the preferential transmission queue in preference to the unicast data stored in the normal queue.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a wireless communication program which is executed by a computer, which includes a memory device, of an information processing apparatus that includes a wireless transceiver, the information processing apparatus capable of switching between an awake state and a doze state in which at least a part of a wireless communication function of the wireless transceiver is restricted, the wireless communication program comprising instructions that cause the computer to:
sequentially acquire data to be transmitted;
when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state:
store, of data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state, first data in a first queue on the memory device; and
store, of the data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state, second data in a second queue on the memory device, the first data to be preferentially transmitted over the second data, in a second queue; and

cause wireless transmissions to be sent via the wireless transceiver and when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state, where the first data stored in the first queue is sent in the wireless transmissions in preference to the second data stored in the second queue,
wherein the first data is wirelessly transmitted by using broadcast or multicast.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
after the first data stored in the first queue has been wireless transmitted, the second data stored in the second queue is wireless transmitted air in the order the data was acquired.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the second data is wirelessly transmitted by using unicast.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
when the information processing apparatus in in the awake state, store in one of the first queue and the second queue first data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication program comprises further instructions that cause the computer to:
communicate, via the wireless transceiver with a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus which are other information processing apparatuses, and
wherein the first data stored in the first queue is data that has been: 1) transmitted from the first information processing apparatus, 2) transmitted from the first information processing apparatus to the second information processing apparatus, 3) or data generated in the information processing apparatus.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein
the information processing apparatus, the first information processing apparatus, and the second information processing apparatus are game apparatuses configured to perform a computer game by wirelessly exchanging data with each other, and
the first data is associated with an operation performed in the first information processing apparatus, or an operation performed in the information processing apparatus.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the information processing apparatus communicates with another information apparatus, and
the wireless communication program comprises further instructions that cause the computer to switch the information processing apparatus between the awake state and the doze state in synchronization with the another information processing apparatus.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein the wireless communication program comprises further instructions that cause the computer to:
send, via the wireless transceiver and to the other information processing apparatus, information indicating a timing of when the switch between the awake and doze state is to occur.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a wireless communication program which is executed by a computer, which includes a memory device, of an information processing apparatus that includes a wireless transceiver, the information processing apparatus capable of switching between an awake state and a doze state in which at least a part of a wireless communication function of the wireless transceiver is restricted, the wireless communication program comprising instructions that cause the computer to:
sequentially acquire data to be transmitted;
when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state:
store, of data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state, first data in a first queue on the memory device; and
store, of the data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state, second data in a second queue on the memory device, the first data to be preferentially transmitted over the second data, in a second queue; and

cause wireless transmissions to be sent via the wireless transceiver and when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state, where the first data stored in the first queue is sent in the wireless transmissions in preference to the second data stored in the second queue,
wherein when the information processing apparatus in in the awake state, store in one of the first queue and the second queue first data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state,
wherein the first data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state is stored in the second queue.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9 , wherein
when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state and if there is first data in the second queue, the wireless communication program comprises further instructions that cause the computer to: store the first data that is in the second queue to the first queue.

11. An information processing apparatus capable of switching between an awake state and a doze state in which at least a part of a wireless communication function is restricted, the information processing apparatus comprising:
a wireless transceiver that provides the wireless communication function;
a computer readable memory device that is configured to a store a first queue and a second queue; and
a processing system that includes at least one hardware processor coupled to the computer readable memory device, the processing system configured to:
sequentially acquire data to be transmitted;
of the data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state, store first data which is to be preferentially transmitted, in the first queue on the computer readable memory device;
of the data acquired when the information processing apparatus is in the doze state by, store second data which is not to be preferentially transmitted, in the second queue of the computer readable memory device; and
when the information processing apparatus is in the awake state, transmit, by using the wireless transceiver, the first data stored in the first queue in preference to the second data stored in the second queue,

wherein the first data is wirelessly transmitted by using broadcast or multicast.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
responsive to a switch to the doze state, the wireless transceiver is switched into a lower power consumption mode such that the wireless transceiver consumes a lower amount of power than in the awake sta

Assignees

• Mizuguchi Yuki
• Oe Toru
• Zheng Ya
• Wang Long
• Momona Morihisa
• Nintendo Co Ltd
• Qualcomm Atheros Inc

Inventors

• Mizuguchi Yuki
• Oe Toru
• Zheng Ya
• Wang Long
• Momona Morihisa

Classifications

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W76/28

  Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] · CPC title

• H04W72/1221 Primary

  based on age of data to be sent · CPC title

• H04L47/6215

  Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority · CPC title