Generic client for communication devices

• US 20050174962A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Gurevich
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Gurevich, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A Generic Client (GC) operates multiple virtual network interfaces that communicate simultaneously to different networks. Each virtual interface is capable of independent communication over an associated network through the same physical interface. In one implementation, the GC provides simultaneous communication with both infrastructure and ad-hoc networks in compliance with the IEEE 802.11 protocol. The GC provides these dual modes of operation by instantiating different infrastructure and ad-hoc virtual interfaces.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a processor configured to operate multiple virtual network interfaces that communicate simultaneously over a common wireless physical interface with different wireless networks.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 wherein a first one of the multiple virtual network interfaces is an infrastructure virtual interface that communicates over a first infrastructure network and a second one of the multiple virtual network interfaces is an ad-hoc interface that communicates over a second ad-hoc network.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2 wherein one of the multiple virtual network interfaces is a Station (STA) infrastructure interface that communicates with an Access Point (AP) over a first infrastructure wireless network and another one of the multiple virtual network interfaces is a AP infrastructure interface that communicates with a STA over a second infrastructure wireless network.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3 wherein one of the multiple virtual network interfaces is a Wireless Distribution System (WDS) interface that allows the AP infrastructure interface to communicate with another Access Point.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 wherein the physical interface uses a same 802.11 transceiver.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 wherein the multiple virtual network interfaces operate at layer-2 of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standard.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6 wherein the multiple virtual network interfaces communicate through a routing process operating at layer-3 of the OSI standard.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 wherein the processor reads headers in received data frames to identify the different wireless networks and then forwards the received data frames to one of the virtual network interfaces associated with the identified wireless networks.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 8 wherein the headers identify data sent by a Station (STA) over a 802.11 infrastructure network, data sent by an Access Point (AP) over a 802.11 infrastructure network, and data sent from a STA over a 802.11 ad-hoc network.

10. A communication method, comprising:

instantiating a first virtual interface for transferring data using a first communication mode;

instantiating a second virtual interface at the same time that the first virtual interface is instantiated for transferring data using a second communication mode; and

transferring data using the first communication mode with the first virtual interface and transferring data using the second communication mode with the second virtual interface through the same physical interface.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first communication mode is used for communicating with a peer through an intermediary access point and the second communication mode is used for direct point to point communication with the peer.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the first communication mode cannot be used for direct point to point communication with the peer and the second communication mode cannot be used for communicating with the peer through an intermediary access point.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first virtual interface operates in a 802.11 infrastructure communication mode and the second virtual interface operates in a 802.11 ad-hoc communication mode.

14. The method according to claim 13 including:

instantiating one of the virtual interfaces as an 802.11 infrastructure Access Point (AP) virtual interface; and

instantiating another one of the virtual interfaces as an 802.11 infrastructure Station (STA) virtual interface.

15. The method according to claim 14 including instantiating another virtual interface for 802.11 Wireless Distribution System (WDS) communication between two Access Points (APs).

16. The method according to claim 13 including instantiating a proprietary virtual interface for communicating with the 802.11 infrastructure and ad-hoc virtual interfaces

17. The method according to claim 10 including operating the first virtual interface and the second virtual interface at layer-2 of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standard and using routing or bridging at layer-3 or layer-2 of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standard to transfer data between the first and second virtual interface.

18. The method according to claim 10 including using a same 802.11 transceiver for transferring data with both the first and second virtual interface.

19. The method according to claim 10 including:

instantiating a first wireless infrastructure Access Point (AP) virtual interface for communicating with an external client in an infrastructure mode;

instantiating a second Wireless Distribution System (WDS) interface for communicating with an external AP; and

receiving data from the external client with the first AP virtual interface, routing the data to the second WDS interface, and sending the data to the external AP through the WDS interface.

20. The method according to claim 10 including:

receiving a frame over a wireless communication network;

selecting an infrastructure station (STA), infrastructure Access Point (AP) or ad-hoc virtual interface for processing the frame according to identifiers in the frame; and

processing the frame with the selected virtual interface.

21. The method according to claim 10 including using a layer-2 neighbor discovery scheme for identifying devices communicating with the first and second virtual interface.

22. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a generic client that operates a first layer-2 software interface for communicating using an 802.11 infrastructure mode and at the same time operates a second layer-2 software interface for communicating using an 802.11 ad-hoc mode.

23. The wireless communication device according to claim 22 including an 802.11 transceiver that transmits and receives data for both the first and second software interfaces.

24. The wireless communication device according to claim 22 wherein the generic client operates a first AP infrastructure interface for communicating with Stations (STAs) in the 802.11 infrastructure mode and operates a second STA infrastructure interface for communicating with an AP in the 802.11 infrastructure mode.

25. The wireless communication device according to claim 24 wherein the generic client uses layer-3 routing to communicate between different layer-2 software interfaces.