Wireless local area network system
First Claim
1. A method of operating a local area network system (10), including a wired local area network (12) connected via bridging means (22) to a wireless local area network (14) having a plurality of wireless stations (30) communicating over a wireless channel;
- the method comprising the steps of;
transmitting from a source wireless station (30) included in said wireless local area network (14) an information packet;
receiving said information packet at said wireless stations (30) in said wireless local area network (14) and at said bridging means (22);
sensing, at said bridging means (22) whether a first acknowledgment signal (90) transmitted from a destination wireless station (30) included in said wireless local area network (14) is present on said wireless channel during a predetermined time interval (T3) following receipt of said information packet;
transmitting from said bridging means (22) a second acknowledgment signal (92) on said wireless channel if said information packet is validly received at said bridging means (22) and said first acknowledgment signal is not present during said predetermined time interval (T3); and
retransmitting said information packet from said bridging means (22) over said wireless communication channel if no first acknowledge signal is detected during said predetermined time interval (T3) and if said information packet is destined for one of said wireless stations (30).
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A local area network system includes a wired backbone LAN (12) and at least one wireless LAN (14) cooperating with the backbone LAN (12) via an access point (22), which has a bridging function. When a source station (30) in the wireless LAN (14) transmits a packet to another station in the wireless LAN (14), the destination station should respond with an ACK signal. If no ACK signal is received by the source station, the packet is retransmitted. The access point (22) also receives the transmitted packet and if the access point (22) does not detect an ACK signal on the wireless channel'"'"', the access point (22) itself generates an ACK signal and retransmits the packet on the wireless LAN (14) or forwards the packet to the wired LAN (12) according to the packet destination address.
283 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of operating a local area network system (10), including a wired local area network (12) connected via bridging means (22) to a wireless local area network (14) having a plurality of wireless stations (30) communicating over a wireless channel;
- the method comprising the steps of;
transmitting from a source wireless station (30) included in said wireless local area network (14) an information packet; receiving said information packet at said wireless stations (30) in said wireless local area network (14) and at said bridging means (22); sensing, at said bridging means (22) whether a first acknowledgment signal (90) transmitted from a destination wireless station (30) included in said wireless local area network (14) is present on said wireless channel during a predetermined time interval (T3) following receipt of said information packet; transmitting from said bridging means (22) a second acknowledgment signal (92) on said wireless channel if said information packet is validly received at said bridging means (22) and said first acknowledgment signal is not present during said predetermined time interval (T3); and retransmitting said information packet from said bridging means (22) over said wireless communication channel if no first acknowledge signal is detected during said predetermined time interval (T3) and if said information packet is destined for one of said wireless stations (30). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- the method comprising the steps of;
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8. In a local area network system, including a wired local area network (12) connected via bridging means (22) to a wireless local area network (14) having a plurality of wireless stations (30) communicating over a wireless channel, the improvement comprising:
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said wireless stations (30) including transmission means (32) adapted to transmit information packets over said wireless channel; said bridging means (22) including wireless transceiver means (26,62) adapted to receive information packets transmitted over said wireless channel and to sense whether a first acknowledge signal (90) transmitted from a destination wireless station (30) included in said wireless local area network (14) is detected during a predetermined time interval (T3) following receipt of an information packet, said wireless transceiver means (26,62) being adapted to transmit a second acknowledgment signal (92) on said wireless channel of said information packet if an information packet is validly received at said bridging means (22) and if said first acknowledge signal has not been detected during said predetermined time interval (T3); and said bridging means (22) includes further transceiver means (40), whereby if no first acknowledge signal is detected in said predetermined time interval (T3), said information packet is retransmitted by said wireless transceiver means (26,62) over said wireless channel. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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Specification