Hardware control interface for IEEE standard 802.11

• US 10,073,798 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ruan, Jiandong, Kuehnel, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry
• Application Number:
  US15/479,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

A standardized 802.11 hardware control interface may be provided such that a driver may communicate with any one or more of a variety of network adapters.

Claims

1. A hardware network adapter configured to exchange information via a hardware control interface (“

HCI”

) with a driver module that corresponds to the hardware network adapter, where the hardware control interface is network adapter independent and is configured for operating with a variety of different hardware network adapters of different types, and where the different hardware network adapters include the hardware network adapter.

2. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the driver module comprises the hardware control interface.

3. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware network adapter is configured for supporting at least a portion of a wireless communication standard.

4. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 comprising a radio.

5. The hardware network adapter of claim 4 where the hardware network adapter is configured to control the radio.

6. The hardware network adapter of claim 4 where the hardware network adapter is configured to communicate via the radio in accordance with at least one 802.11 standard.

7. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface comprises:

a transmission control interface;

a transmission status interface;

a reception control interface;

or

a channel switching interface.

8. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware network adapter is configured to communicate with a separate wireless device via a radio.

9. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is bus-independent and is configured for exchanging information with the hardware network adapter via a variety of different types of data buses.

10. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether a wireless medium is to be held or released after transmission of a packet.

11. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether an acknowledgement is required for a wireless message.

12. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether a packet is to be encrypted.

13. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate a type of packet preamble to be used.

14. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to provide transmission status information regarding a status of a transmission by the hardware network adapter.

15. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate a data rate at which a packet was successfully transmitted.

16. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate received signal strength information for a signal received by the hardware network adapter.

17. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether a buffer of the hardware network adapter has overflowed.

18. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether a reception error has occurred.

19. The hardware network adapter of claim 1 where the hardware control interface is configured to indicate whether an address has been matched.