Voice and data wireless communications network and method

• US 20060002378A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Sealander, Wanda, Beach, Robert E., Harris, Jason T., Montgomery, Richard C.
• Application Number:
  US11/193,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20060002378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/521 Static queue service slot or fixed bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/621 Individual queue per connection or flow, e.g. per VC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/623 Weighted service order
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless local area network that carries mixed traffic of voice and data communications may be provided. The wireless local area network may include an access point and a plurality of remote terminals that are associated with the access point. The access point may be operably coupled to a wireline network. The access point may receive voice and other communications packets from the remote terminals and the wireline network. Some of the packets may be for transmission to the remote terminals. The access point manages which packets to transmit and when to transmit packets. The access point may manage traffic to maintain a fair distribution of packets and to give priority to voice communications over other communications.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A method, comprising:

selecting a packet for transmission, wherein the packet is one of at least two packet types;

determining whether a communications medium is busy;

selecting, when the communications medium is busy, one of a first time duration when the packet is a first type and a second time duration when the packet is a second type; and

transmitting the packet after one of the first time duration when the packet is the first type and the second time duration when the packet is the second type.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the first time duration is one of a first range of durations and the second time duration is one of a second range of time durations.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first range of durations is exclusive of the second range of durations.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the first range of durations is non-exclusive of the second range of durations.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein the type of the packet is based on a determined priority level of the packet.

43. A system, comprising:

a communication medium for communicating packets;

an access point to receive the packets from the communication medium;

a plurality of remote terminals to transmit packets to the communication medium, wherein, when one of the remote terminals has one of the packets for transmission, the one remote terminal determines whether the communication medium is busy, selects, when the communication medium is busy, one of a first time duration when the packet is a first type and a second time duration when the packet is a second type and transmits the packet after one of the first time duration when the packet is the first type and the second time duration when the packet is the second type.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the first time duration is one of a first range of durations and the second time duration is one of a second range of time durations.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the first range of durations is exclusive of the second range of durations.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the first range of durations is non-exclusive of the second range of durations.

47. The system of claim 43, wherein the type of the packet is based on a determined priority level of the packet.

48. A communication device, comprising:

a transmission queue including a packet to be transmitted, the packet being one of at least two packet types;

a transmitter to determine whether a communication medium is busy, select, when the communication medium is busy, one of a first time duration when the packet is a first type and a second time duration when the packet is a second type and wirelessly transmit the packet after one of the first time duration when the packet is the first type and the second time duration when the packet is the second type.

49. The communication device of claim 48, wherein the communication device is one of a remote terminal and an access point.

50. The communication device of claim 48, wherein the first time duration is one of a first range of durations and the second time duration is one of a second range of time durations.

51. The communication device of claim 50, wherein the first range of durations is exclusive of the second range of durations.

52. The communication device of claim 50, wherein the first range of durations is non-exclusive of the second range of durations.

53. The communication device of claim 48, wherein the type of the packet is based on a determined priority level of the packet.

54. A method, comprising:

selecting a packet for transmission, wherein the packet is one of at least two packet types;

determining whether a communications medium is busy;

selecting, when the communications medium is busy, one of a first time duration when the packet is a first type and a second time duration when the packet is a second type; and

attempting to transmit the packet after one of the first time duration when the packet is the first type and the second time duration when the packet is the second type.

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising:

selecting, when the attempt to transmit is unsuccessful, a third time duration when the packet is the first type and a fourth time duration when the packet is the second type; and

attempting to transmit the packet after one of the third time duration when the packet is the first type and the fourth time duration when the packet is the second type.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the first time duration is one of a first range of durations and the second time duration is one of a second range of time durations.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the third time duration is one of the first range of durations and the fourth time duration is one of the second range of time durations.