Wireless network device and method for reassociation between wireless networks using the wireless network device

• US 7,450,597 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2005
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Joon-hee, Shim, Seung-seop
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aminzay; Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US11/219,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20060058029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/310.2, 370/312, 370/320, 370/328, 370/338, 370/341, 370/348, 370/349, 370/351, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.21, 370/395.5, 370/235, 370/466, 370/467, 370/252, 370/329, 370/356, 709/228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A wireless network device and a method for reassociation between wireless networks using the wireless network device designed to simplify a reassociation process of the device moving between the wireless networks are provided. The wireless network device includes a first frame transceiver receiving a reassociation request frame from a predetermined device, a device identifier (ID) extractor extracting a device ID from the reassociation request frame, and a first controller determining a reassociation process of the device that has sent the reassociation request frame according to the extracted device ID.

Claims

1. A wireless network device comprising:

a first frame transceiver which receives a reassociation request frame from another device;

a device identifier (ID) extractor which extracts a device ID allocated to the other device by a network to which the other device previously belonged from the reassociation request frame; and

a first controller which determines a reassociation process of the other device that sent the reassociation request frame according to the extracted device ID.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first controller determines whether the extracted device ID is the same as one of device IDs allocated to devices of a current wireless network and, if it is determined that the extracted device ID is not the same as one of the device IDs allocated the devices of the current wireless network, terminates the reassociation process of the other device by sending a reassociation response frame to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first controller determines whether the extracted device ID is the same as device IDs allocated to devices of the current wireless network and, if it is determined that the extracted device ID is the same as one of the device IDs allocated the devices of the current wireless network, terminates the reassociation process of the other device by sending a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame and sending a second reassociation response frame to the other device in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the other device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first controller terminates the reassociation process of the device by sending a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame and then sending a second reassociation response frame to the another device in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the another device.

5. A wireless network device comprising:

a frame transceiver which transmits a reassociation request frame to a coordinator of a wireless network to which the wireless network device attempts to move; and

a controller which performs reassociation to the wireless network through a reassociation process determined according to a device identifier (ID) allocated to the wireless network device by a network to which the wireless network device previously belonged contained in the reassociation request frame.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein if the device ID contained in the reassociation request frame is not the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices by the wireless network to which the device attempts to move, the controller performs reassociation by receiving a reassociation response frame in response to the reassociation request frame.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein if the device ID contained in the reassociation request frame is the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices by the wireless network to which the device attempts to move, the controller performs reassociation by receiving a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated in response to the reassociation request frame and then receiving a second reassociation response frame in response to another reassociation request frame containing the allocated device ID allocated to the device.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller performs reassociation by receiving a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated on the wireless network to which the device attempts to move in response to the reassociation request frame and then receiving a second reassociation response frame in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID to be allocated to the device.

9. A method of reassociation between wireless networks using a wireless network device, the method comprising:

receiving a reassociation request frame from another device;

extracting a device identifier (ID) allocated to the other device by a network to which the other device previously belonged from the reassociation request frame; and

determining a reassociation process of the other device that sent the reassociation request frame according to the extracted device ID.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the reassociation process comprises:

determining whether the extracted device ID is the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices in a current wireless network; and

terminating the reassociation process of the device, if it is determined that the extracted device ID is not the same as one of the device IDs, by sending a reassociation response frame to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the reassociation process comprises:

determining whether the extracted device ID is the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices by a current wireless network;

terminating the reassociation process of the device, if it determined that the extracted device ID is the same as one of the device IDs, by sending a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame and then sending a second reassociation response frame to the other device in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the other device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the reassociation process comprises:

sending a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated to the other device in response to the reassociation request frame; and

sending a second reassociation response frame to the other device in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the other device.

13. A method of reassociation between wireless networks using a wireless network device, the method comprising:

sending a reassociation request frame to a coordinator of a wireless network to which the device attempts to move; and

performing reassociation to the wireless network through a reassociation process determined according to a device identifier (ID) allocated to the wireless network device by a network to which the wireless network device previously belonged contained in the reassociation request frame.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in the performing of the reassociation, if the device ID contained in the reassociation request frame is not the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices in the wireless network to which the device attempts to move, the reassociation is performed by receiving a reassociation response frame in response to the reassociation request frame.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in the performing of the reassociation, if the device ID contained in the reassociation request frame is the same as one of devices IDs allocated to devices in the wireless network to which the device attempts to move, the reassociation is performed by receiving a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated in response to the reassociation request frame and then receiving a second reassociation response frame in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein in the performing of the reassociation, the reassociation is performed by receiving a first reassociation response frame containing a device ID to be allocated on the wireless network to which the device attempts to move in response to the reassociation request frame and then receiving a second reassociation response frame in response to another reassociation request frame containing the device ID allocated to the device.