System and method for a virtual wireless local area network

• US 20050018640A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James S. Finn, Larry W. Fullerton
• Original Assignee: James S. Finn, Larry W. Fullerton
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Finn, James S.
• Application Number:
  US10/915,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20050018640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A virtual wireless local area network system and method utilizing impulse radio wherein transmission rates (bit rates) can vary according to the impulse radio transmission quality (signal to noise ratio) and wherein the position of the user can be determined and said user can be directed to an area of greater transmission rates and wherein a plurality of impulse radio portals can be utilized and switched between to maintain high levels of transmission rates while a user is moving within a predetermined area.

Claims

1-47. -47. (Cancelled)

48. An impulse radio wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

at least one impulse radio portal, said impulse radio portal including a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computer network; and

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising a data input, a data display, a processor and a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a data rate, wherein said mobile unit is a dumb terminal for relaying computation requests to a home computer via said impulse radio portal via said data communication and computing network, said home computer communicating the results of said computation request to said dumb terminal via said data communication and computing network via said impulse radio portal and

wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques.

49. An impulse radio wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

at least one impulse radio portal, said impulse radio portal including a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computer network; and

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising a voice input, a voice output and a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a data rate, wherein said mobile unit is a voice communicator for relaying voice information to a home computer via said impulse radio portal via said data communication and computing network, said home computer communicating voice information from a third party source to said voice communicator via said data communication and computing network via said impulse radio portal and

wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques.

50. An impulse radio wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

at least one impulse radio portal, said impulse radio portal including a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computer network;

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a data rate, wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques; and

a signal to noise measuring circuit to measure a signal to noise ratio of the signal between said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver.

51. The impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communication system of claim 50, further comprising a processing circuit to correlate said position of said mobile unit with said signal to noise ratio.

52. The impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communication system of claim 50, further comprising a memory for storing said signal to noise ratio of said signal between said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a given location and for storing said position information of said mobile unit at the position where the signal to noise ratio was measured.

53. An impulse radio wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

at least one impulse radio portal, said impulse radio portal including a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computer network; and

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising a data input, a data display, a processor and a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a data rate, wherein said processor determines alternative position of said mobile unit to accommodate date rate requirements and

wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques.

54. An impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

a plurality of impulse radio portals, each of said impulse radio portals comprising an ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computing network; and

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising an ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with at least one ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with at least one impulse radio portal of said plurality of impulse radio portals at a data rate, wherein said mobile unit is operable to communicate with all of said plurality of impulse radio portals within said mobile unit'"'"'s transmit range,

said ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with said mobile unit and said at least one ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with said at least one impulse radio portal of said plurality of said impulse radio portals are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said at least one impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques, and wherein

said mobile unit interfaces with the data communication and computing network through a primary portal and said primary portal is the impulse radio portal of said plurality of impulse radio portals with the best signal to noise ratio.

55. An impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communication system, comprising:

a data communication and computing network;

a plurality of impulse radio portals, each of said impulse radio portals comprising an ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and an interface with said data communication and computing network; and

a mobile unit, said mobile unit comprising an ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver in communication with at least one ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with at least one impulse radio portal of said plurality of impulse radio portals at a data rate, wherein said mobile unit communicates with all of said plurality of impulse radio portals within said mobile unit'"'"'s transmit range,

said ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with said mobile unit and said at least one ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver associated with said at least one impulse radio portal of said plurality of said impulse radio portals are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said at least one impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques, and wherein

said mobile unit interfaces with the data communication and computing network through a primary portal and said primary portal switches to the impulse radio portal with the best signal to noise ratio as said mobile unit varies its position throughout impulse radio portals.

56. A method for computing and communicating using an impulse radio wireless local area network, comprising the steps of:

interfacing an impulse radio portal into a data communication and computing network, said impulse radio portal including a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver;

establishing communication between said impulse radio portal and a mobile unit at a data rate, said mobile unit including a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver,

wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to said impulse radio portal determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques; and

measuring the signal to noise ratio of said communication between said impulse radio portal and said mobile unit.

57. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 56, further comprising the step of storing said signal to noise measurements in said impulse radio portal.

58. A method of impulse radio wireless local area network computing and communicating, comprising the steps of:

interfacing a plurality of impulse radio portals into a data communication and computing network, wherein said plurality of impulse radio portals cover a pre-determined area wherein data communication and computing will be accomplished, each impulse radio portal including a ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver; and

establishing communication between said one of said plurality of impulse radio portals and a mobile unit at a data rate, said mobile unit including a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver at a data rate, and wherein each of said ultra wideband impulse radio transceivers and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile unit relative to the impulse radio portal with which it is in communication, said position determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques; and

measuring the signal to noise radio of said communications.

59. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 58, further comprising the step of designating a primary portal for data transfer as the impulse radio portal with the best signal to noise ratio.

60. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 59, further comprising correlating the signal to noise ratio of the communication between said mobile unit and said primary portal to said position.

61. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 60, further comprising the step of storing said correlated signal to noise ratio and said position into said plurality of impulse radio portals.

62. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 61, further comprising the step of suggesting to said mobile unit new positions wherein better signal to noise ratios have been ascertained.

63. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 61, further comprising the step of designating a new primary portal based on a best signal to noise ratios of the signal to noise ratios of communications between said mobile unit and said plurality of impulse radio portals and switching primary portal status to said impulse radio portal with said best signal to noise ratio.

64. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 63, wherein said switching occurs automatically.

65. The method of impulse radio virtual wireless local area network computing and communicating of claim 63, wherein said switching occurs by notifying a user of said mobile unit of a better signal to noise ratio of another impulse radio portal of said plurality of impulse radio portals and allowing manual switching to said another impulse radio portal.

66. An impulse radio system comprising an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitting circuit and an ultra wideband impulse radio receiving circuit, wherein said impulse radio system includes a circuit for selectively varying transmission bit rates from said ultra wideband impulse radio transmitting circuit according to the quality of the impulse radio transmission and a position of said ultra wideband impulse radio receiving circuit relative to said ultra wideband impulse radio transmitting, said position determined by impulse radio positioning techniques, and wherein said impulse radio system includes a circuit that directs a user of said impulse radio system to an alternative position ascertained to support greater transmission bit rates.

67. A method computing and communicating using impulse radio virtual wireless local area network, comprising the steps of:

interfacing an impulse radio into a data communication and computing network, said impulse radio comprising a first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver;

establishing communication between said impulse radio and a mobile radio unit at a data rate, said mobile unit including a second ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver wherein said first ultra wideband impulse radio transceiver and said second impulse radio transceiver are configured to vary said data rate based on a position of said mobile radio unit relative to said impulse radio, said position determined using ultra wideband impulse radio positioning techniques; and

directing a user of said mobile unit to an alternative position determined to be conducive to greater transmission bit rates.