EXPLICIT SERVICE FLOW TEAR-DOWN DURING CONNECTION SETUP IN WIRELESS NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS

摘要

Network circuitry and a method of operating the same in establishing and deleting a service flow (12) in a wireless network. A network station (20) receives a request (DSA- REQ), from an initiating network station (BS; SS), to establish a service flow (SF1-5). The network station receiving the request issues a response (DSA-RSP) to that request, following which it expects an acknowledgement (DSA-ACK) from the initiator. Upon absence of such an acknowledgement, the receiving station transmits a message (DSD-REQ), to the initiator, to explicitly delete the service flow. This ensures that the initiator is not placed into an ambiguous state of transmitting pay load traffic (14) to a receiver that is ignoring or not receiving that traffic, in the case in which the initiator is also the transmitter of the payload traffic. This circuitry and method also ensures that the initiator is not in an ambiguous state, in the case in which it is the intended receiver of the payload traffic.