Orchestrated roaming point

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12507166-B2
Application number	US-202318311062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2023
Priority date	May 2, 2023
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

Techniques for wireless device roaming are disclosed. These techniques include identifying a wireless client entity for roaming from a first infrastructure entity to a second infrastructure entity. The techniques further include agreeing, between the client entity and the first infrastructure entity, on one or more roaming conditions defined using transition parameters for transition of a first data flow for the client entity from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity, the one or more transition parameters including a sequence number relating to the dataflow. The techniques further include determining that a first condition defined in terms of a transition parameter of the agreed one or more roaming conditions is met, and, based on the determining, transitioning from providing the first dataflow from the first infrastructure entity to the client entity to providing the first data flow from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method, comprising:
identifying a wireless client entity for roaming from a first infrastructure entity to a second infrastructure entity; agreeing, between the client entity and the first infrastructure entity, on one or more roaming conditions defined using transition parameters for transition of a first data flow for the client entity from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity, the one or more transition parameters comprising a sequence number relating to the data flow; determining that a first condition defined in terms of a transition parameter of the agreed one or more roaming conditions is met; and based on the determining, transitioning from providing the first data flow from the first infrastructure entity to the client entity to providing the first data flow from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sequence number relating to the data flow comprises one or more sequence numbers for traffic identifiers (TIDs), and wherein the one or more transition parameters for the roaming conditions comprise the one or more sequence numbers for TIDs and a transition time.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more transition parameters further comprise a combining function relating to the one or more sequence numbers for the TIDs.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein determining that a first condition of the one or more roaming conditions is met comprises:
determining that the transition time condition is met prior to the sequence number condition.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
identifying one or more frames for the wireless client entity remaining at the first infrastructure entity after the transition; providing the one or more frames from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity; and providing the one or more frames from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first data flow relates to a TID and wherein the one or more transition parameters for the sequence number condition comprise a plurality of sequence numbers each relating to a respective data flow, of a plurality of data flows for the client entity, each of the plurality of data flows relating to a respective TID.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein after the transitioning a first data flow of the plurality of data flows is provided by the first infrastructure entity to the client entity and a second data flow of the plurality data flows is provided by the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow are both provided to the client entity using a common channel from the first infrastructure entity and the second infrastructure entity.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow are provided to the client entity using different channels from the first infrastructure entity and the second infrastructure entity.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first infrastructure entity comprises a wireless access point (AP), the second infrastructure entity comprises an AP, and the agreed on one or more roaming conditions defined in terms of transition parameters are provided to the second infrastructure entity prior to the transition.

11 . A system, comprising:
a processor; and a memory having instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the processor, performs operations comprising:
identifying a wireless client entity for roaming from a first infrastructure entity to a second infrastructure entity;
agreeing, between the client entity and the first infrastructure entity, on one or more roaming conditions defined using transition parameters for transition of a first data flow for the client entity from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity, the one or more transition parameters comprising a sequence number relating to the data flow;
determining that a first condition defined in terms of a transition parameter of the agreed one or more roaming conditions is met; and
based on the determining, transitioning from providing the first data flow from the first infrastructure entity to the client entity to providing the first data flow from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the sequence number relating to the data flow comprises one or more sequence numbers for traffic identifiers (TIDs), and wherein the one or more transition parameters for the roaming conditions comprise the one or more sequence numbers for TIDs and a transition time.

13 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
identifying one or more frames for the wireless client entity remaining at the first infrastructure entity after the transition; providing the one or more frames from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity; and providing the one or more frames from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the first data flow relates to a TID and wherein the one or more transition parameters for the sequence number condition comprise a plurality of sequence numbers each relating to a respective data flow, of a plurality of data flows for the client entity, each of the plurality of data flows relating to a respective TID.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein after the transitioning a first data flow of the plurality of data flows is provided by the first infrastructure entity to the client entity and a second data flow of the plurality data flows is provided by the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, performs operations comprising:
identifying a wireless client entity for roaming from a first infrastructure entity to a second infrastructure entity; agreeing, between the client entity and the first infrastructure entity, on one or more roaming conditions defined using transition parameters for transition of a first data flow for the client entity from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity, the one or more transition parameters comprising a sequence number relating to the data flow; determining that a first condition defined in terms of a transition parameter of the agreed one or more roaming conditions is met; and based on the determining, transitioning from providing the first data flow from the first infrastructure entity to the client entity to providing the first data flow from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the sequence number relating to the data flow comprises one or more sequence numbers for traffic identifiers (TIDs), and wherein the one or more transition parameters for the roaming conditions comprise the one or more sequence numbers for TIDs and a transition time.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:
identifying one or more frames for the wireless client entity remaining at the first infrastructure entity after the transition; providing the one or more frames from the first infrastructure entity to the second infrastructure entity; and providing the one or more frames from the second infrastructure entity to the client entity.

19 . The non-transitory computer

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Smith Malcolm M
• Hart Brian D
• Henry Jerome
• Monajemi Pooya

Classifications

• H04W36/08 Primary

  Reselecting an access point · CPC title

• H04L47/34

  ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers · CPC title

• H04W36/0027

  for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W36/00837

  Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off · CPC title