Address randomization schemes for multi-link devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12439241-B2
Application number	US-202217896737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2022
Priority date	Sep 13, 2021
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed for address changing schemes for a multi-link device in a wireless communications system. Some embodiments include a privacy enhanced (PE) access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) that includes one or more affiliated APs operating on different links. The PE AP MLD can generate a first randomized OTA MLD address based at least on the MLD address of the PE AP MLD for a first affiliated PE AP (PE AP1). The PE AP MLD can transmit a first data transmission using the first OTA MLD address where the first data transmission includes an encrypted aggregated MAC service data unit (A-MSDU) subframe that includes the MLD address. The PE AP MLD can correlate the MLD address of the PE AP MPL with multiple addresses comprising: the first OTA MLD, a unique MLD address, and a Media Access Control (MAC) service access point (SAP) MLD address.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A privacy enhanced (PE) access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
one or more affiliated APs operating on different links; and
a processor coupled to the one or more affiliated APs, configured to:
generate a first over the air (OTA) MLD address based at least on an MLD address of the PE AP MLD, for a first affiliated PE AP (PE AP 1 ) of the one or more affiliated APs, wherein the first OTA MLD address is different than a second OTA MLD address for a second affiliated PE AP (PE AP 2 ) of the one or more affiliated APs;

encrypt an aggregated Media Access Control (MAC) service data unit (A-MSDU) for transmission to a first PE non-AP station (PE non-AP STA 1 ) of a PE non-AP MLD, the A-MSDU comprising a packet number (PN);
after the encryption, create an OTA packet number (PN OTA ) that is different than the PN corresponding to the A-MSDU, wherein a first data transmission comprises the PN OTA ; and
transmit the first data transmission using the first OTA MLD address, wherein the first data transmission comprises a subframe of the A-MSDU that includes the MLD address.

2. The PE AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate a first parameter based at least on an MLD-level parameter of the PE AP MLD, for the PE AP 1 , wherein the first parameter is different than a second parameter of the PE AP 2 , wherein the second parameter is based at least on the MLD-level parameter of the PE AP MLD.

3. The PE AP MLD of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
establish two or more link-1 specific address profiles corresponding to the PE AP 1 and the PE non-AP STA 1 , wherein the two or more link-1 specific address profiles are different than other link-specific address profiles corresponding to the PE AP 2 ;
establish a schedule for switching from a first link-1 specific address profile to a second link-1 specific address profile, wherein the first and the second link-1 specific address profiles are of the two or more link-1 specific address profiles; and
transmit a second data transmission using the first parameter, wherein the first parameter corresponds to the first link-1 specific address profile.

4. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein the schedule for switching from the first link-1 specific address profile to the second link-1 specific address profile is based on the first parameter, wherein the MLD-level parameter of the PE AP MLD comprises an MLD-level time synchronization function (TSF) parameter.

5. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
switch from the first link-1 specific address profile to the second link-1 specific address profile based on the schedule; and
transmit a third data transmission using the second link-1 specific address profile.

6. The PE AP MLD of claim 1 ,
wherein a first link-1 specific address profile corresponding to the PE AP 1 and the PE non-AP STA 1 comprises an offset PN (PN Offset ) based at least on an MLD-level PN parameter, and wherein the PN OTA =PN+PN Offset .

7. The PE AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
after the encryption, create an OTA sequence number (SN OTA ) that is different than a sequence number (SN) corresponding to the A-MSDU, wherein a second data transmission comprises the SN OTA , wherein a first link-1 specific address profile comprises an offset SN (SN Offset ) based at least on an MLD-level SN parameter, and wherein the SN OTA =SN+SN Offset .

8. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
after the encryption, apply a first PE AP 1 identifier of the first link-1 specific address profile, wherein the second data transmission comprises the first PE AP 1 identifier.

9. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein to establish the two or more link-1 specific address profiles, the processor is configured to:
establish a joint algorithm with the PE non-AP STA 1 ; and
use the joint algorithm to determine the first and the second link-1 specific address profiles as well as transition times for the schedule.

10. The PE AP MLD of claim 9 , wherein to establish the joint algorithm, the processor is further configured to:
receive a link-1 specific individual address set algorithm, a MAC address seed, and a proposed address set average duration; and
transmit in response to the reception, a link-1 specific individual address set start time seed, a link-1 specific individual address set end time seed, a link-1 specific group address algorithm, and a PE AP 1 MAC address seed.

11. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive from the PE non-AP STA 1 , a notification of a colliding MAC address, wherein the notification comprises: the colliding MAC address, a proposed new MAC address for the PE non-AP STA 1 , a time when the proposed new MAC address for the PE non-AP STA 1 is in use, or a proposed new MAC address for the PE AP 1 ; and
transmit to the PE non-AP STA 1 , a confirmation message corresponding to the notification.

12. The PE AP MLD of claim 3 , wherein the first link-1 specific address profile comprises one or more randomized parameters comprising: an association ID (AID) or a color value.

13. The PE AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
correlate the MLD address of the PE AP MLD with multiple addresses comprising: the first OTA MLD address, a unique MLD address, and a MAC service access point (SAP) MLD address.

14. The PE AP MLD of claim 1 , wherein the first OTA MLD address is the same as a MAC service access point (SAP) MLD address of the PE AP MLD.

15. A privacy enhanced (PE) non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
one or more affiliated stations (STAs) operating on different links; and
a processor coupled to the one or more affiliated STAs, configured to:
generate a first over the air (OTA) MLD address based at least on an MLD address of the PE non-AP MLD, for a first affiliated PE non-AP STA (PE non-AP STA 1 ) of the one or more affiliated STAs, wherein the first OTA MLD address is different than a second OTA MLD address for a second affiliated PE non-AP (PE non-AP STA 2 ) of the one or more affiliated STAs;
encrypt an aggregated Media Access Control (MAC) service data unit (A-MSDU) for transmission to a first PE AP (PE AP 1 ) of a PE AP MLD, the A-MSDU comprising a packet number (PN);
after the encryption, create an OTA packet number (PN OTA ) that is different than the PN corresponding to the A-MSDU, wherein a first data transmission comprises the PN OTA ; and
transmit the first data transmission using the first OTA MLD address, wherein the first data transmission comprises a subframe of the A-MSDU that includes the MLD address.

16. The PE non-AP MLD of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate a first parameter based at least on an MLD-level parameter of the PE non-AP MLD, for the PE non-AP STA 1 , wherein the first parameter is different than a second parameter of the PE non-AP STA 2 , wherein the second parameter is based at least on the MLD-level parameter of the PE non-AP MLD.

17. The PE non-AP MLD of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
establish two or more link-1 specific address profiles corresponding to the PE non-AP STA 1 and the PE AP 1 , wherein the two or more link-1 specific address profiles are different than other link-specific address profiles corresponding to the PE non-AP STA 2 ;
establish a schedule for switching from a first link-1 specific address profile

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Kneckt Jarkko L
• Diwan Aniruddha S
• Dominguez Charles F
• Dash Debashis
• Briggs Elliot S
• Semersky Matthew L
• Ginsburg Noam
• Thakur Sidharth R
• Boodannavar Veerendra
• Kasten Welly
• Kralian Nathan A
• Borges Daniel R
• Shani Oren
• Yong Su Khiong
• Yu Yang
• Boger Yoel
• Liu Yong

Classifications

• H04W12/037

  of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic · CPC title

• H04L2101/622

  Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses · CPC title

• H04W12/75

  Temporary identity · CPC title

• H04W12/71

  Hardware identity · CPC title

• H04L61/5092

  by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use · CPC title