Command processing method and radio communication apparatus

• US 7,020,117 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nire, Katsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/955,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/310, 370/349, 370/401, 370/410, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A command processing method for a radio LAN system composed of a plurality of terminals and at least one base apparatus is disclosed which prevents users of the terminals from suffering from confusion or conflict between them with regard to handling of a command issued from any of the terminals and from misunderstanding that the system has failed. When a channel changing command or a like command is issued from a terminal, the base apparatus determines whether or not the received command is a competitive command whose acceptance may result in the disturbance of reception of data of any other terminal. If the received command is a competitive command, then the base apparatus rejects the command and issues a notification of the rejection to the terminal which has issued the command. When a particular condition is satisfied such as when the priority of the terminal which has issued the command is higher than that of any other terminal receiving data, then the base apparatus may accept the command.

Claims

1. A command processing method for a radio LAN (Local Area Network) system which includes a plurality of terminals and at least one base apparatus and wherein a command issued from any of said terminals is received by said base apparatus and information is transmitted from said base apparatus to one or more of the plurality of terminals by radio communication between the terminals and said base apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving commands issued from any of said terminals, said commands comprising both competitive commands and non-competitive commands;

determining whether the received command is a competitive command whose acceptance can result in a disturbance of information reception of any other of said terminals;

rejecting acceptance of the command if it is determined that said received command is a competitive command; and

issuing a notification of the rejection of the command to the terminal that has issued the command;

whereby the disturbance caused by an acceptance of a competitive command to other terminals that are under a receiving state is minimized.

2. The command processing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

setting a priority order among said plurality of terminals;

if it is determined that said received command is a competitive command, determining whether said priority order of said terminal issuing said command is higher than that of any other of said terminals currently receiving data;

if it is determined that said priority order of said terminal issuing said command is higher than that of any other of said terminals currently receiving data, accepting said command; and

issuing a notification of said acceptance of said command to said other terminals currently receiving data.

3. The command processing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

setting a predetermined time interval;

if it is determined that said received command is a competitive command, determining whether said predetermined time interval has elapsed since the issuance of a command implementing a procedure currently in operation;

if it is determined that said predetermined time interval has elapsed, accepting said command; and

issuing a notification of said acceptance of said command to said other terminals currently receiving data.

4. The command processing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

inquiring of said other terminals receiving data whether a particular command may be accepted; and

if a response to said inquiry from all of said other terminals consents to acceptance of said particular command, accepting said particular command.

5. A radio communication apparatus for a radio LAN (Local Area Network) system that includes a plurality of terminals and at least one base apparatus wherein a command issued from any of said terminals is received by said base apparatus and information is transmitted from said base apparatus to the terminals by radio communication between the terminals and said base apparatus, said base apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving commands issued from any of said terminals, said commands comprising both competitive commands and non-competitive commands;

discrimination means for determining whether the received command is a competitive command whose acceptance can result in a disturbance of reception of data of any other of said terminals, and further determining, based on a result of the determination whether the received command is the competitive command, and whether or not the command should be accepted; and

first transmission means for issuing, when said discrimination means determines that acceptance of the command should be rejected, a notification of the rejection of acceptance of the command to the terminal which has issued the command;

whereby the disturbance caused by an acceptance of a competitive command to other terminals that are under a receiving state is minimized.

6. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for setting a priority order among said plurality of terminals;

means for determining whether said priority order of said terminal issuing said command is higher than that of any other of said terminals currently receiving data if it is determined that said received command is a competitive command;

means for accepting said command if it is determined that said priority order of said terminal issuing said command is higher than that of any other of said terminals currently receiving data; and

second transmission means for issuing a notification of said acceptance of said command to said other terminals currently receiving data.

7. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for setting a predetermined time interval;

means for determining whether said predetermined time interval has elapsed since the issuance of a command implementing a procedure currently in process if it is determined that said received command is a competitive command;

means for accepting said command if it is determined that said predetermined time interval has elapsed; and

second transmission means for issuing a notification of said acceptance of said command to said other terminals currently receiving data.

8. The radio communication apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means inquiring of said other terminals receiving data whether a particular command may be accepted; and

means for accepting said particular command if a response to said inquiry from all of said other terminals consents to acceptance of said particular command.