Interface system for wireless node and network node

• US 7,248,573 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2001
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, Tin, Donoghue, Bryan J, Harrison, Lee C, Turner, Edward, Kerr, Benjamin J O
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/909,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20020101842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/401, 370/466, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An interface between a wireless node and a network node includes an encapsulator for temporarily converting data frames into Ethernet frames for the link between the two nodes and de-encapsulating the Ethernet frames before the data is processed at the network node.

Claims

1. A system for receiving data signals and coupling data signals to an Ethernet network, said system comprising:

a plurality of dumb nodes, each dumb node comprising a radio receiver and an encapsulator, said radio receiver including a baseband processor for providing serial data signals composed of data frames each including a packet payload, and said encapsulator including means for encapsulating said data frames within temporary Ethernet frames, and wherein each dumb node includes a multiplexer for multiplexing host controller interface data with pulse-code modulated voice data into said data frames;

an intelligent node comprising a de-encapsulator, and a protocol processor for providing addressed Ethernet packets for transmission in said network; and

a plurality of physical links, each physical link coupling one of said dumb nodes with said intelligent node;

wherein;

said encapsulator is coupled to said physical link to send said temporary Ethernet frames across the physical link only to said de-encapsulator;

said de-encapsulator includes means for receiving temporary Ethernet frames from said link and de-encapsulating said temporary Ethernet frames to recover said data frames; and

said protocol processor includes means for converting said data frames into said addressed Ethernet packets.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein said encapsulator includes means for tagging said data frames before they are encapsulated within said temporary Ethernet frames.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein said encapsulator includes means for inserting at least one of said data frames followed by padding data into a message section of one of said temporary Ethernet frames.

4. A method of receiving signals and transmitting signals over a local area network, comprising:

receiving, at one of a plurality of dumb nodes, a spread-spectrum signal containing message data and converting said spread-spectrum signal into serial data frames conforming to a host controller interface format;

encapsulating said serial data frames into Ethernet frames;

conveying said Ethernet frames over one of a plurality of physical links only, each of said plurality of physical links coupling one of said plurality of dumb nodes to an intelligent node;

receiving, at said intelligent node, said Ethernet frames from said physical link;

de-encapsulating, at said intelligent node, said Ethernet data frames to provide recovered serial data frames;

developing, by means of a protocol processor at said intelligent node, addressed Ethernet data packets from said recovered serial data frames; and

forwarding, from said intelligent node, said addressed Ethernet data packets to said local area network.