Network Access Points Using Multiple Devices

• US 20110007725A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurix Pte., Ltd., TopCoder, Inc. (Wipro Limited)
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stephens, Spencer, Berg, Alexander, Kalika, Leonid, Irani, Cyrus
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing access to a communication network includes providing a radio node comprising a first set of access point components including a radio component, and providing a physically separated controller node in communication with the radio node. The access point controller comprises a second set of access point components distinct from the first set of access point components, creating a distributed access point. A system controller may also be used to control at least one of the radio node and the controller node. The radio node, the controller node, and the system controller communicate over a communication link, such as a wireless or wired link.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A system, comprising:

a plurality of distributed access points each being divided into two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a plurality of nodes of a communication network in said system, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components,

wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with one or more other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access points.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUE-TOOTH link, or a wired link.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein said each of said two or more groups located in said corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes comprises a remote link driver configured to provide said remote communication link by extending a bus or using a protocol stack tunnel between corresponding components of said each of said two or more groups.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

32. The system of claim 26, further comprising one or more system controllers, said system controller being one of said one or more system controllers, wherein each system controller of said one or more system controllers is configured to control one or more distributed access points of said plurality of the distributed access points distributed through said plurality of the nodes.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein at least one of said one or more system controllers is logically centralized and implemented as a physical switch.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein at least one of said one or more system controllers is logically centralized and implemented using a physically distributed hosting function incorporated into one or more distributed access points of said plurality of the distributed access points distributed through said plurality of the nodes.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising an access point software layer component.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller, and

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein, for said each distributed access point of said plurality of distributed access points, at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components is operatively connected to a system controller.

38. A method, comprising:

receiving or transmitting communication signals by any distributed access point of a plurality of the distributed access points of a communication network in a system for further processing, each of the plurality of the distributed access points being divided into two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a plurality of nodes of said communication network, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components,

wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access points.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising an said access point software layer component.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUETOOTH link, or a wired link.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein said each of said two or more groups, located in said corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, comprises a remote link driver configured to provide said remote communication link by extending a bus or using a protocol stack tunnel between corresponding components of said each of said two or more groups.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component.

45. The method of claim 38, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller, and

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein, for said each distributed access point of said plurality of distributed access points, at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components is operatively connected to a system controller.

47. A distributed access point, comprising:

two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a communication network, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components, wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with one or more of other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access point.