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Wireless LAN architecture for integrated time-critical and non-time-critical services within medical facilities

  • US 6,659,947 B1
  • Filed: 07/13/2000
  • Issued: 12/09/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A system for supporting both realtime and non-realtime wireless access to a hardwired computer network with a medical facility, comprising:

  • a plurality of access points connected to the hardwired network to provide wireless access to the hardwired network, the access points distributed throughout regions of the medical facility, wherein at least some of the access points implement a realtime wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol to transfer time-critical data from wireless devices to the hardwired network with a known maximum latency in real time, and wherein at least some of the access points implement a non-realtime WLAN protocol to provide general purpose wireless access to the hardwired network, and wherein at least one of the access points is a multi-protocol access point that implements both the realtime WLAN protocol and the non-realtime protocol; and

    a plurality of wireless patient transceivers which implement the realtime WLAN protocol to transfer realtime patient data to the hardwired network in real time via the access points which implement the realtime WLAN protocol;

    wherein the realtime WLAN protocol is a wireless TDMA protocol and the non-realtime protocol is an IEEE 802.11 WLAN protocol.

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