Apparatus and method for indicating a release version in a signal field of a frame preamble

Abstract

A method performed by a first wireless device may comprise determining a fixed length sequence of bits corresponding to a release version identifier and determining CRC bits based on the fixed length sequence of bits. A frame may be transmitted, to a second wireless device, on one of a plurality of wireless links established between the first wireless device and the second wireless device. The frame may comprise a preamble portion comprising a signal field. The frame may also comprise the CRC bits. The signal field may be comprised of a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising the fixed length sequence of bits and the second portion not comprising the fixed length sequence of bits. The first portion may be transmitted before the second portion. The second portion may include bits indicative of characteristic information corresponding to the release version.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by a first wireless device, the method comprising:
 determining a fixed length sequence of bits corresponding to a release version identifier;   determining cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits based on the fixed length sequence of bits;   transmitting a frame, to a second wireless device, on one of a plurality of wireless links established between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, wherein the frame comprises a preamble portion comprising a signal field, wherein the frame comprises the CRC bits, wherein the signal field comprises a first portion and a second portion;   wherein the first portion comprises the fixed length sequence of bits and the second portion does not comprise the fixed length sequence of bits;   wherein the first portion is transmitted before the second portion;   wherein the second portion includes bits indicative of characteristic information corresponding to the release version.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed length sequence of bits is determined from a plurality of fixed length sequences, wherein each one of the plurality of fixed length sequences has a same bit length and corresponds to a different release version identifier. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving system information, from the second wireless device, wherein the system information includes a plurality of change count values, each one of the plurality of change count values corresponding to different access points (APs), wherein the second wireless device is one of the APs; and   maintaining a record of the plurality of change count values corresponding to the different APs.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the signal field includes bits specifying a modulation and coding scheme, wherein each one of the plurality of wireless links corresponds to a different media access control (MAC) address of the first wireless device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second wireless device is not capable of interpreting the second portion, wherein each one of the plurality of wireless links correspond to a different media access control (MAC) addresses of the second wireless device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the frame is group addressed;
 wherein the preamble portion comprises another signal field having a variable length resource allocation.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving capability information from the second wireless device, wherein the capability information indicates whether the second wireless device is capable of transmitting and receiving data at the same time.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein at least one receiver of the frame is incapable of decoding the second portion. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of links are on different channels. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless device is configured for half duplex wireless operation. 
     
     
         11 . A method performed by a first wireless device, the method comprising:
 determining a sequence of bits corresponding to a release version identifier;   determining cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits based on the sequence of bits;   transmitting a frame, to a second wireless device, on one of a plurality of wireless links established between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, wherein the frame comprises a signal field having a first portion and a second portion;   wherein the first portion comprises the sequence of bits and the second portion does not comprise the sequence of bits; wherein the second portion is appended to the first portion;   wherein the signal field comprises the CRC bits.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 transmitting another signal field simultaneously with the signal field, wherein the another signal field is duplicative of the signal field.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 broadcasting a first configuration change count value corresponding to the first MAC address and a second configuration change count value corresponding to the second MAC address, wherein the first configuration change count value and second configuration change count value are different configuration change count values.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first configuration change count value is broadcasted on a first link of the plurality of wireless links and the second configuration change count is broadcasted on a second link of the plurality of wireless links;
 wherein the first link and second link are different links.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sequence of bits corresponding to the release version identifier is stored in memory of the first wireless device;
 wherein the first wireless device and second wireless device are associated with each other;   wherein a shared key is used the encryption or decryption of data over the plurality of wireless links.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 performing an association procedure with the second wireless device, wherein the association procedure is performed based on one of the first MAC address or the second MAC address in combination with a third MAC address of the first wireless device.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first MAC address, second MAC address and third MAC address are burned in MAC addresses. 
     
     
         18 . A first wireless device comprising:
 a receiver configured to receive a first frame, from a second wireless device, the first frame having a first preamble portion, wherein the first preamble portion comprises a first signal field comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises a fixed length sequence of bits which convey a release version identifier and the second portion does not comprise the fixed length sequence of bits; and   circuitry configured to perform a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) on the fixed length sequence of bits which convey the release version identifier;   wherein the second portion follows the first portion.   
     
     
         19 . The first wireless device of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 circuitry configured to determine whether to decode the second portion, based on a capability of the first wireless device.   
     
     
         20 . The first wireless device of  claim 18 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a second frame, from the second wireless device, the second frame having a second preamble portion, wherein the second preamble portion of the second frame comprises a second signal field comprising a third portion and a fourth portion, wherein the third portion comprises the fixed length sequence of bits which convey the release version identifier and the fourth portion does not comprise the fixed length sequence of bits;
 wherein the first frame and the second frame are received on different links.