Group media access control message for machine-to-machine devices and method to update a group identifier

Abstract

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, if two or more deices belong to a multicast group, a media access control (MAC) message may be transmitted to the multicast group as a multicast message to provide parameters and/or instructions to the devices. If the devices are in an idle mode, the MAC message may be transmitted during a paging listening interval. A group message may be transmitted as a multicast message to one or more devices in one or more groups in order to assign, reassign, or update the group identifier or multiple devices. If an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more the devices, the group message may be transmitted as a unicast message to the one or devices from which no acknowledgment message was received.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in:
 determining if two or more devices belong to a multicast group; and   if two or more devices belong to a multicast group, transmitting a media access control (MAC) message to the multicast group as a multicast message.   
     
     
         2 . An article of manufacture as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the multicast group comprises a machine-to-machine (M2M) group. 
     
     
         3 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the media access control message comprises a machine-to-machine group MAC control (MGMC) message. 
     
     
         4 . An article of manufacture as claimed m  claim 1 , wherein the media access control message comprises parameters or instructions, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions if executed further result in transmitting the media access control message during a paging listening interval if one or more of the devices are in an idle mode. 
     
     
         6 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions if executed further result in receiving a machine-to-machine acknowledgment MAC control message (MAMC) in reply to the MAC message from one or more devices in the multicast group. 
     
     
         7 . An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that if executed, result in
 transmitting a group message containing information for one or more devices of one or more groups as a multicast message to the one or more devices in the one or more groups;   determining if an acknowledgment message is received from the one or more devices in reply to the group message; and   if an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more of the devices, transmitting the group message as a unicast message to the one or more devices from which no acknowledgment message was received.   
     
     
         8 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID). 
     
     
         9 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the instructions if executed further result in repeating said transmitting the group message as a unicast message until an acknowledgment message is received from all or nearly all of the devices. 
     
     
         10 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the group message is transmitted as a paging message. 
     
     
         11 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the unicast message comprises ranging response message. 
     
     
         12 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group MAC control (MGMC) message. 
     
     
         13 . An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in:
 receiving a group message containing information for one or more devices it one or more groups as a multicast message from a base station;   transmitting an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to receiving the group message; and   updating a group identifier based at least in part on the group message.   
     
     
         14 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID). 
     
     
         15 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the acknowledgment message is carried in a ranging request message. 
     
     
         16 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the instructions if executed further result in:
 receiving a unicast message from the base station, wherein the unicast message carries the group identifier; and   transmitting an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to the unicast message.   
     
     
         17 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the unicast message comprises a ranging response message and the acknowledgment message sent in reply to the unicast Message comprises a ranging request message. 
     
     
         18 . An information handling system, comprising:
 a baseband processor coupled to one or more wireless transceivers, wherein the baseband processor is configured to:   transmit a group message containing information for one or more devices in one or more groups as a multicast message in the one or more devices in the one or more groups;   determine if an acknowledgment message is received from the one or more devices in reply to the group message; and   transmit the group message as a unicast message to the one or devices from which no acknowledgment message was received if an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more of the devices.   
     
     
         19 . An information handling system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID). 
     
     
         20 . An information handling system, comprising:
 a baseband processor coupled to one or more wireless transceivers, wherein the baseband processor is configured to:   receive a group message for one or more devices in one or more groups as a multicast message from a base station;   transmit an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to receiving the group message; and   update a group identifier based at least in part on the group message.   
     
     
         21 . An information handling system as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID). 
     
     
         22 . An article of manufacture as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the acknowledgment message is carried in a ranging request message. 
     
     
         23 . An information handling system as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:
 receive a unicast message from the base station, wherein the unicast message carries the group identifier: and   transmit an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to the unicast message.   
     
     
         24 . An information handling system as claimed in  claim 23 , whereat the unicast message comprises a ranging response message and the acknowledgment message sent in reply to the unicast message comprises a ranging request message. 
     
     
         25 . An information handling system as claimed in  claim 20  further comprising an applications processor coupled to the baseband processor, and a touch screen to receive an input to control the applications processor.