Polling using B-ACK for occasional back-channel traffic in VoWIFI applications

摘要

Polling using B-ACK for occasional back-channel traffic in VoWIFI applications. Within wireless communication systems having a relatively asymmetric channel (e.g., relative more downstream traffic than upstream), certain upstream communications (e.g., acknowledgments (ACKs) and/or block acknowledgments (B-ACKs)) include indication therein (e.g., piggybacked therein) that a given downstream located communication device desires/needs to make upstream communication. In some instances, specificity is also provided therein to indicate the type of information to be transmitted upstream. Such a communication protocol mitigates (or eliminates) contention between upstream and downstream traffic in an environment with significantly more downstream traffic (e.g., such as ongoing downstream traffic that may include streaming video). A coordinating device (e.g., access point (AP)) may employ such upstream provided indicia to coordinate upstream and downstream communications within the wireless communication system in a non-contentious manner that does not deleteriously affect ongoing downstream traffic.