Wireless access point simultaneously supporting basic service sets on multiple channels
First Claim
1. A method of maintaining a basic service set on two or more channels simultaneously in a communications network comprising a first set of stations associated with a first basic service set and a second set of stations associated with a second basic service set, the method comprising the steps of:
- blocking, for a first period of time, transmission of a first set of stations associated with a first basic service set, and servicing, for a portion of said first period of time, a second set of stations associated with a second basic service set.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a technique for an access point (AP) to maintain a basic service set (BSS) on two or more channels simultaneously by temporarily blocking one BSS and servicing the other BSS while the other BSS is blocked, thereby providing an efficient way to create a dual cell AP with only a single radio. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for servicing a first set of wireless stations operating on a first channel of an access point and a second set of wireless stations operating on a second channel of the access point comprises transmitting, at a first time, a first frame from the access point to the first set of wireless stations via the first channel, the first frame having duration data directing the first set of wireless stations to cease transmitting until a second time represented by the duration data and servicing the second set of wireless stations via the second channel of the access point for at least a part of a time period between the first time and the second time. The method further comprises transmitting, at the second time, a second frame from the access point to the second set of wireless stations via the second channel, the second frame having duration data directing the second set of wireless stations to cease transmitting until a third time represented by the duration data of the second frame and servicing the first set of wireless stations via the first channel of the access point for at least a part of a time period between the second time and the third time. The method also may comprise transmitting a Delivery Transmission Indication Map (DTIM) frame prior to transmitting each of the first and second frames. The transmission of the DTIM frame preferably occurs substantially simultaneously with a Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT) of the access point.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of maintaining a basic service set on two or more channels simultaneously in a communications network comprising a first set of stations associated with a first basic service set and a second set of stations associated with a second basic service set, the method comprising the steps of:
-
blocking, for a first period of time, transmission of a first set of stations associated with a first basic service set, and servicing, for a portion of said first period of time, a second set of stations associated with a second basic service set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An access point comprising:
-
a transceiver, wherein said transceiver can operate at two or more radio frequency channels, and a signal generator for generating a beacon frame signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method for servicing a first set of wireless stations operating on a first channel of an access point and a second set of wireless stations operating on a second channel of the access point, the method comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting, at a first time, a first frame from an access point to a first set of wireless stations via a first channel, wherein said first frame comprises duration data directing said first set of wireless stations to cease transmitting until a second time represented by said duration data; and
servicing a second set of wireless stations via a second channel of said access point for at least a part of a time period between said first time and said second time. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. An access point comprising:
-
means for communicating with a first set of wireless stations via a first channel;
means for communicating with a second set of wireless stations via a second channel;
means for transmitting a first frame to said first set of wireless stations via said first channel at a first time, wherein said first frame comprises duration data directing said first set of wireless stations to cease transmitting until a second time represented by said duration data of said first frame; and
means for transmitting a second frame to said second set of wireless stations via said second channel at a second time, said second frame comprising duration data directing said second set of wireless stations to cease transmitting until a third time represented by said duration data of said second frame. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
Specification