TODAY’S PATENT – COMMUNICATIONS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING PRIORITY INFORMATION VIA BEACON SIGNALS

The invention pertains to methods and apparatus for wireless communication signaling, specifically for using beacon signals to detect spectrum availability in a cognitive radio network. The method involves receiving at least a part of a beacon signal that includes one or more beacon symbols from another communication device and making a decision about signal transmission based on priority information conveyed by the received portion of the beacon signal. The priority information pertains to device priority, user priority, and session priority, as well as the corresponding wireless communication device.

This invention, developed by Rajiv Laroia and others, was patented by the USPTO on July 28, 2010, with the serial number EP1985149B1. Currently, it is assigned to Qualcomm Inc. The main objective of this invention is to enable more efficient use of radio spectrum by providing a mechanism to detect spectrum availability using beacon signals. By using the priority information contained in the received beacon signal, a wireless communication device can make an informed decision about when and where to transmit its own signal, thereby minimizing interference with other devices in the network.