MAINTAINING MULTIPLE, SIMULTANEOUS WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTIONS USING A SINGLE RADIO
First Claim
1. A computer comprising:
- a processor for executing instructions;
a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, form a single operating system for the computer, the operating system controlling operations of the computer;
a radio constructed and arranged to send and receive wireless signals for communication with at least one device in a wireless network; and
a plurality of ports, each of the ports being respectively associated with a corresponding wireless network and maintaining a MAC state that is unique from other ports associated with a wireless network, the port handling signals regarding wireless signals to be sent by the radio to, and wireless signals received from, the wireless network associated with the port;
wherein the computer is adapted to maintain a simultaneous virtual connection with two or more wireless networks via the radio.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing simultaneous virtual connections with multiple wireless networks. A plurality of ports in a hardware driver may be each associated with a corresponding wireless network and maintain a unique MAC state relative to other ports. Each port may have a corresponding virtual NIC that communicates directly with the radio hardware via a hardware virtualization layer that multiplexes communication between the virtual NICs and the radio hardware. Simultaneous virtual connections may be made with one or more infrastructure networks or adhoc networks, and/or the computer may function as an access point for one or more of the networks.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer comprising:
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a processor for executing instructions; a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, form a single operating system for the computer, the operating system controlling operations of the computer; a radio constructed and arranged to send and receive wireless signals for communication with at least one device in a wireless network; and a plurality of ports, each of the ports being respectively associated with a corresponding wireless network and maintaining a MAC state that is unique from other ports associated with a wireless network, the port handling signals regarding wireless signals to be sent by the radio to, and wireless signals received from, the wireless network associated with the port; wherein the computer is adapted to maintain a simultaneous virtual connection with two or more wireless networks via the radio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A network miniport driver for a computer, comprising:
a hardware interface that is adapted to communicate directly with radio hardware to provide control signals to the radio hardware and to receive information regarding wireless signals received by the radio hardware from one or more wireless networks, the hardware interface including; a plurality of ports that are each associated with a unique wireless network, each of the ports maintaining a MAC state that is different from the MAC state of other ports; a plurality of virtual NICs that are each respectively associated with a wireless network and the corresponding port, each of the virtual NICs being adapted to send and receive signals for the corresponding port regarding wireless communications on the wireless network; and a hardware virtualization layer that multiplexes connections between virtual NICs and the radio hardware to allow direct communication between a virtual NIC and the radio hardware. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of managing communication of a computer with multiple wireless networks, the computer including radio hardware for sending and receiving communications with the wireless networks, the method comprising:
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creating a plurality of ports that are each associated with a unique wireless network, each of the ports maintaining a MAC state that is different from the MAC state of other ports; providing a plurality of virtual NICs that are each respectively associated with a corresponding port and wireless network, each of the virtual NICs being adapted to send and receive signals for the corresponding port regarding wireless communications on the wireless network; and providing a hardware virtualization layer that multiplexes connections between the virtual NICs and the radio hardware to allow direct communication between a virtual NIC and the radio hardware. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification