Method and apparatus for a dual-mode radio in a wireless communication system

• US 7,643,463 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2002
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bourk, Terrance R., Linsky, Joel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Warner
• Application Number:
  US10/216,082
• Time in Patent Office: 2,707 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/310, 370/331, 370/464, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 455/127.4, 455/553.1
• US Class Current: 370/344
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

The present invention is a novel method and apparatus for a dual-mode radio (DMR) in a wireless communication system. The present invention allows Bluetooth™ protocol and 802.11 protocol devices to co-exist. The present inventive method classifies Bluetooth™ protocol and 802.11 protocol events according to importance. In the basic dual-mode radio method, the present invention assigns two levels of importance or priority Bluetooth™ events: “high” and “low”. In the enhanced dual-mode radio method, the present invention assigns three levels of importance or priority to Bluetooth™ events: “high”, “low” and “promotable”. The present inventive apparatus provides a means for disabling 802.11 transmissions when high-priority Bluetooth™ events are detected.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio (DMR) in a wireless communication system, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of dual-mode radios, and wherein the DMR includes a Bluetooth™

radio, an 802.11 radio, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), and wherein the 802.11 radio is in communication with an 802.11 MAC, comprising the acts of;

(a) determining whether a Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

(b) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event;

(c) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a high-priority event; and

(d) returning to the act (a);

wherein the 802.11 radio is disabled while the Bluetooth™

radio transmits and receives data in a protected mode of operation; and

wherein the Bluetooth™

radio disables transmissions by the 802.11 radio during the act (c).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation comprises setting a BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical high value, the BT_ACTIVE signal disabling the 802.11 device from transmitting when set to a logical high value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation comprises the following sub-acts;

(1) setting a BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical high value, the BT_ACTIVE signal disabling the 802.11 device from transmitting when set to a logical high value;

(2) transmitting the Bluetooth™

event;

(3) receiving a Bluetooth™

data signal; and

(4) setting the BT_ACTIVE signal to low.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a Bluetooth™

event is determined to be a low-priority event if the Bluetooth™

event comprises a non-time critical Bluetooth event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a Bluetooth™

event is determined to be a high-priority event if the Bluetooth™

event is short in duration and has low duty cycles.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a Bluetooth™

event is determined to be a high-priority event in act (a) if the Bluetooth™

event comprises one of the following events;

“

sniff”

instant, park beacon, “

keep alive”

null, page response/inquiry response sequence, page scanning/inquiry scanning, master slave switch, LMP message, paging, inquiry, transmission to prevent link supervision timeout, high priority L2CAP traffic, un-hold, “

un-sniff”

, or “

un-park”

.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a “

sniff”

event is assigned a different priority than a human interface device (HID) event.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a ratio of Bluetooth™

communications to 802.11 communications approximates 80 to 20.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is guaranteed to have a minimum bandwidth allocation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation comprises the sub-acts of;

(1) determining whether to promote the Bluetooth™

event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event; and

(2) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of whether to promote the Bluetooth™

event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event defined in sub-act (1) is based upon at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one QoS parameter comprises a service type.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one QoS parameter comprises a token rate.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one QoS parameter comprises a channel latency parameter.

4. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio (DMR) in a wireless communication system, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of dual-mode radios, and wherein the DMR includes a Bluetooth™

radio, an 802.11 radio, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), and wherein the 802.11 radio is in communication with an 802.11 MAC, comprising the acts of;

(a) determining whether a Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

(b) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event;

(c) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a high-priority event; and

(d) returning to the act (a);

wherein the act (b) of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation comprises the following sub-acts;

(1) determining whether the 802.11 radio is idle;

(2) returning to act (a) if the 802.11 radio is not idle;

(3) transmitting the Bluetooth™

event in a protected mode of operation and receiving a Bluetooth™

data signal in an unprotected mode if the 802.11 radio is idle; and

(4) returning to the act (a).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sub-act (3) comprises the following sub-acts:

(a) setting a BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical high value, the BT_ACTIVE signal disabling the 802.11 device from transmitting when set to a logical high value;

(b) transmitting the Bluetooth™

event;

(c) setting the BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical low value; and

(d) receiving a Bluetooth™

data signal.

6. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio (DMR) in a wireless communication system, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of dual-mode radios, and wherein the DMR includes a Bluetooth™

radio, an 802.11 radio, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), and wherein the 802.11 radio is in communication with an 802.11 MAC, comprising the acts of;

(a) determining whether a Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

(b) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event;

(c) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a high-priority event; and

(d) returning to the act (a);

wherein the act (b) of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation comprises the following sub-acts;

(1) receiving a Bluetooth™

data signal in an unprotected mode of operation;

(2) determining whether the 802.11 radio is idle;

(3) returning to the act (a) if the 802.11 radio is determined not idle;

(4) transmitting the Bluetooth™

event in a protected mode if the 802.11 radio is determined to be idle; and

(5) returning to the act (a).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sub-act (4) comprises the following sub-acts:

(a) setting a BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical high value, the BT_ACTIVE signal disabling the 802.11 device from transmitting when set to a logical high value;

(b) transmitting the Bluetooth™

event; and

(c) setting the BT_ACTIVE signal to a logical low value.

15. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio (DMR) in a wireless communication system, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of dual-mode radios, and wherein the DMR includes a Bluetooth™

radio, an 802.11 radio, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), and wherein the 802.11 radio is in communication with an 802.11 MAC, comprising the acts of;

(a) determining whether a Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

(b) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event;

(c) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in a protected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a high-priority event; and

(d) returning to the act (a);

wherein the act (b) of operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation comprises the sub-acts of;

(1) determining whether to promote the Bluetooth™

event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event; and

(2) operating the Bluetooth™

radio in an unprotected mode of operation if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event;

wherein low-priority page scanning/inquiry scanning events are promoted to high priority only during specified time intervals.

20. A dual-mode radio (DMR) for use in a wireless communication system, comprising:

(a) an 802.11 communication device comprising an 802.11 medium access control (MAC) device and an 802.11 radio;

(b) a Bluetooth™

communications device, operatively coupled to the 802.11 communications device, wherein the 802.11 device transmits a status signal to the Bluetooth™

device comprising a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC) and a Bluetooth™

radio, and wherein the Bluetooth™

MAC directly transmits a transmit disable signal to the 802.11 radio, the transmit disable signal bypassing the 802.11 MAC device;

(c) an antenna comprising at least one antenna element, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

device; and

(d) an antenna comprising at least one antenna element, operatively coupled to the 802.11 device.

21. The DMR of claim 20, wherein the Bluetooth™

device comprises;

(1) a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), wherein the Bluetooth MAC receives the status signal from the 802.11 device, and wherein the Bluetooth™

MAC selectively transmits the transmit disable signal to the 802.11 device; and

(2) a Bluetooth™

radio, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

MAC and the Bluetooth™

antenna.

22. The DMR of claim 21, wherein the Bluetooth™

radio comprises;

(1) a radio element, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

MAC;

(2) a transmit port, operatively coupled to the radio element;

(3) a receive port, operatively coupled to the radio element; and

(4) a first bandpass filter, operatively coupled to the transmit port, the receiver port and the antenna switch.

23. The DMR of claim 21, wherein the Bluetooth™

MAC comprises;

(1) a MAC element, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

radio; and

(2) a plurality of GPIO input/output ports, operatively coupled to the 802.11 device.

24. The DMR of claim 21, wherein the 802.11 MAC comprises:

(1) an 802.11 MAC element; and

(2) a plurality of output ports, operatively coupled to both the Bluetooth™

MAC and the 802.11 radio.

25. A dual-mode radio (DMR) for use in a wireless communication system, comprising:

(a) an 802.11 communication device

(b) a Bluetooth™

communications device, operatively coupled to the 802.11 communications device, wherein the 802.11 device transmits a status signal to the Bluetooth™

device, and wherein the Bluetooth MAC device selectively transmits a transmit disable signal to the 802.11 device;

(c) an antenna comprising at least one antenna element, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

device; and

(d) an antenna comprising of at least one antenna element, operatively coupled to the 802.11 device;

wherein the Bluetooth™

device comprises;

(1) a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), wherein the Bluetooth MAC receives the status signal from the 802.11 device, and wherein the Bluetooth™

MAC selectively transmits the transmit disable signal to the 802.11 device; and

(2) a Bluetooth™

radio, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

MAC and the Bluetooth™

antenna;

wherein the 802.11 device comprises;

(1) an 802.11 medium access control (MAC), wherein the 802.11 MAC transmits the status signal to the Bluetooth™

MAC; and

(2) an 802.11 radio, operatively coupled to the 802.11 MAC, the Bluetooth™

MAC and the 802.11 antenna, wherein the 802.11 radio receives the transmit disable signal from the Bluetooth™

MAC;

wherein the Bluetooth™

radio comprises;

(1) a radio element, operatively coupled to the Bluetooth™

MAC;

(2) a transmit port, operatively coupled to the radio element;

(3) a receive port, operatively coupled to the radio element; and

(4) a first bandpass filter, operatively coupled to the transmit port, the receiver port and the antenna switch;

wherein the 802.11 radio comprises;

(1) an 802.11 radio element, operatively coupled to the 802.11 MAC;

(2) a logical OR gate, operatively coupled to the 802.11 MAC, the 802.11 radio element and the Bluetooth™

MAC, wherein the logical OR gate receives signals from the 802.11 MAC and the Bluetooth™

MAC, and wherein the logical OR gate outputs a logical signal to the 802.11 radio element;

(3) a logical AND gate, operatively coupled to the 802.11 MAC, the 802.11 radio element and the Bluetooth™

MAC, wherein the logical AND gate receives signals from the 802.11 MAC and the Bluetooth™

MAC, and wherein the logical AND gate outputs a logical signal to the 802.11 radio element;

(4) a transmit port, operatively coupled to the 802.11 radio;

(5) a receive port, operatively coupled to the 802.11 radio;

(6) a switch control, operatively coupled to the 802.11 radio and the antenna switch, wherein the switch control determines which elements of the antenna are coupled to the transmit port and receive port;

(7) a second bandpass filter, operatively coupled to the receive port and the antenna switch, wherein the second bandpass filter filters a receive signal;

(8) a third bandpass filter, operatively coupled to the transmit port, wherein the third bandpass filter filters a transmit signal;

(9) an amplifier, operatively coupled to the third bandpass filter, wherein the amplifier amplifies the transmit signal; and

(10) a lowpass filter, operatively coupled to the amplifier and the antenna switch, wherein the lowpass filter filters the transmit signal.

26. A dual-mode radio (DMR) apparatus, wherein the DMR includes a Bluetooth™

radio, an 802.11 radio, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC) and wherein the 802.11 radio is in communication with an 802.11 MAC, the apparatus further comprising;

(a) means for monitoring for a Bluetooth™

event;

(b) means for, in response to detecting a Bluetooth™

event, determining whether the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

(c) means, operatively coupled to the determining means, for transmitting and receiving in a normal mode if the Bluetooth™

event is a low-priority event; and

(d) means, operatively coupled to the determining means, for transmitting and receiving in a protected mode if the Bluetooth™

event is a high-priority event;

wherein the 802.11 radio is disabled while the Bluetooth™

radio transmits and receives data in a protected mode of operation; and

wherein the Bluetooth™

radio disables transmissions by the 802.11 radio during the protected mode of operation.

27. An apparatus for communicating according to the Bluetooth™

protocol, wherein the apparatus includes a Bluetooth™

radio, a second radio for a second protocol, and an antenna, and wherein the Bluetooth™

radio is in communication with a Bluetooth™

medium access control (MAC), and wherein the second radio is in communication with a MAC device for the second protocol, the apparatus comprising;

a detector for monitoring for a Bluetooth™

event;

a classifier for, in response to detecting a Bluetooth™

event, classifying the Bluetooth™

event as a low-priority event or a high-priority event, the apparatus configured to operate in an unprotected mode of operation if the event is classified as a low-priority event, the apparatus further configured to operate in a protected mode of operation if the event is classified as a high-priority event; and

a receiver for receiving a status signal from the second radio;

wherein the second radio is disabled while the Bluetooth™

radio transmits and receives data in the protected mode of operation; and

wherein the Bluetooth™

radio disables transmissions by the second radio during the protected mode of operation.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, the second protocol being the IEEE 802.11 protocol.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting a disable signal to the second protocol, the protected mode of operation comprising disabling the second radio.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, the disabling the second radio comprising preventing the second radio from transmitting.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a low-priority event if the event is a non-time critical event.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is short in duration and has a low duty cycle.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event comprises one of the following events:

“

sniff”

instant, park beacon, “

keep alive”

null, page response/inquiry response sequence, page scanning/inquiry scanning, master slave switch, LMP message, paging, inquiry, transmission to prevent link supervision timeout, high priority L2CAP traffic, un-hold, “

un-sniff”

, or “

un-park”

.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, the event classified as a low-priority event if the event is not classified as a high-priority event.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, the apparatus further configured to promote a low-priority event to a high-priority event based on at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, the at least one QoS parameter comprising at least one of a service type, a token rate, and a channel latency parameter.

70. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a “

sniff”

instant.

71. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a park beacon.

72. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a “

keep alive”

null.

73. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a page response or inquiry response sequence.

74. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a page scanning or inquiry scanning sequence.

75. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a master slave switch.

76. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an LMP message.

77. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a paging event or inquiry event.

78. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a transmission to prevent link supervision timeout.

79. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is high-priority L2CAP traffic.

80. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-hold event.

81. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-sniff event.

82. The apparatus of claim 27, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-park event.

37. A communications apparatus, wherein the apparatus includes a first radio for a first protocol, a second radio for a second protocol, and an antenna, the apparatus further comprising:

a detector for monitoring for an event according to the first protocol;

a classifier for, in response to detecting an event, classifying the event as a low-priority event or a high-priority event, the apparatus configured to operate in an unprotected mode of operation if the event is classified as a low-priority event, the apparatus further configured to operate in a protected mode of operation if the event is classified as a high-priority event;

a receiver for receiving a status signal from the second radio, the unprotected mode of operation comprising delaying transmission of signals using the first radio until the second radio enters an idle state; and

a transmitter for transmitting a disable signal to the second radio, the protected mode of operation comprising disabling the second radio;

wherein the second radio is disabled while the first radio transmits and receives data in the protected mode of operation; and

wherein the first radio disables transmissions by the second radio during the protected mode of operation.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, the second radio operating according to the 802.11 protocol.

39. A method for communicating according to the Bluetooth™

protocol, the method comprising;

monitoring for a Bluetooth™

event;

in response to detecting a Bluetooth™

event, classifying the Bluetooth™

event as a low-priority event or a high-priority event,

operating in an unprotected mode of operation if the event is classified as a low-priority event;

operating in a protected mode of operation if the event is classified as a high-priority event; and

receiving a status signal from a secondary device, the secondary device configured to communicate according to a secondary protocol;

wherein the secondary device is disabled while the Bluetooth™

radio transmits and receives data in the protected mode of operation; and

wherein the Bluetooth™

radio disables transmissions by the secondary device during the protected mode of operation.

40. The method of claim 39, the secondary device being an 802.11 device, the secondary protocol being the 802.11 protocol.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising transmitting a disable signal to the secondary device, the protected mode of operation comprising disabling the secondary device.

42. The method of claim 41, the disabling the secondary device comprising preventing the secondary device from transmitting.

43. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a low-priority event if the event is a non-time critical event.

44. The method of claim 39, the first event classified as a high-priority event if the event is short in duration and has a low duty cycle.

45. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event comprises one of the following events:

“

sniff”

instant, park beacon, “

keep alive”

null, page response/inquiry response sequence, page scanning/inquiry scanning, master slave switch, LMP message, paging, inquiry, transmission to prevent link supervision timeout, high priority L2CAP traffic, un-hold, “

un-sniff”

, or “

un-park”

.

46. The method of claim 45, the event classified as a low-priority event if the event is not classified as a high-priority event.

47. The method of claim 39, the apparatus further configured to promote a low-priority event to a high-priority event based on at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter.

48. The method of claim 47, the at least one QoS parameter comprising at least one of a service type, a token rate, and a channel latency parameter.

83. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a “

sniff”

instant.

84. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a park beacon.

85. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a “

keep alive”

null.

86. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a page response or inquiry response sequence.

87. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a page scanning or inquiry scanning sequence.

88. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a master slave switch.

89. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an LMP message.

90. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a paging event or inquiry event.

91. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is a transmission to prevent link supervision timeout.

92. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is high-priority L2CAP traffic.

93. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-hold event.

94. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-sniff event.

95. The method of claim 39, the event classified as a high-priority event if the event is an un-park event.

49. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio in a wireless communication system, the dual-mode radio comprising a first device operating according to a first protocol and a second device operating according to a second protocol, the method comprising:

monitoring for an event according to the first protocol;

in response to detecting an event, determining whether the event for the first protocol is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

operating the first device in an unprotected mode of operation if the event is a low-priority event; and

operating the first device in a protected mode of operation if the event is a high-priority event;

wherein the second device is disabled while the first device transmits and receives data in the protected mode of operation;

wherein the first device disables transmissions by the second device during the protected mode of operation; and

wherein the first device is a radio and the second device is a radio.

50. The method of claim 49, the operating the first device in an unprotected mode of operation comprising delaying transmission of the event until the second device enters an idle state.

51. The method of claim 49, the second device providing a logical status signal to the first device to indicate the state of the second device.

52. The method of claim 49, the operating the first device in a protected mode of operation comprising disabling the second device while the first device transmits data.

53. The method of claim 52, the disabling the second device comprising preventing the second device from transmitting.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the first device disables the second device by providing a logical signal to the second device.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein the event is determined to be a low-priority event if the event is a non-time critical event.

56. The method of claim 49, wherein the event is determined to be a high-priority event if the event is short in duration and has a low duty cycle.

57. The method of claim 49, wherein the first protocol is a Bluetooth™

protocol, and the second protocol is an 802.11 protocol.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the event is determined to be a high-priority event if the event comprises one of the following events:

“

sniff”

instant, park beacon, “

keep alive”

null, page response/inquiry response sequence, page scanning/inquiry scanning, master slave switch, LMP message, paging, inquiry, transmission to prevent link supervision timeout, high priority L2CAP traffic, un-hold, “

un-sniff”

, or “

un-park”

.

59. The method of claim 49, further comprising, during operation of the first device in an unprotected mode, determining whether to promote the event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the determination of whether to promote the event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event is based on at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter.

62. The method of claim 61, the at least one QoS parameter comprising at least one of a service type, a token rate, and a channel latency parameter.

60. A method of implementing a dual-mode radio in a wireless communication system, the dual-mode radio comprising a first device operating according to a first protocol and a second device operating according to a second protocol, the method comprising:

determining whether an event for the first protocol is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

operating the first device in an unprotected mode of operation if the event is a low-priority event; and

operating the first device in a protected mode of operation if the event is a high-priority event;

the method further comprising, during operation of the first device in an unprotected mode, determining whether to promote the first event from a low-priority event to a high-priority event;

wherein low-priority page scanning/inquiry scanning events are promoted to high-priority events only during specified time intervals.

63. A dual-mode radio (DMR) for use in a wireless communication system, comprising:

a first device for operation according to a first protocol, the first device comprising a MAC device and a radio of first protocol; and

a second device for operation according to a second protocol, the second device comprising a MAC device and a radio of second protocol, the first device operably coupled to the second device, the second device capable of providing a status signal to the first device, the MAC device of the first device capable of selectively and directly providing a transmit disable signal to the radio of the second device, the transmit disable signal bypassing the MAC device of the second device.

64. The dual-mode radio of claim 63, the first device configured to provide the transmit disable signal to the second device when the first device processes a high-priority event.

65. The dual-mode radio of claim 63, the first device configured to delay transmission of a low-priority event until the second device enters an idle state.

66. The dual-mode radio of claim 65, the first device configured to promote a low-priority event to a high-priority event based on at least one Quality of Service parameter.

67. The dual-mode radio of claim 66, wherein the first protocol is a Bluetooth™

protocol, and the second protocol is an 802.11 protocol.

68. The dual-mode radio of claim 63, the first device comprising a first MAC device and a first radio, the second device comprising a second MAC device and a second radio.

69. A dual-mode radio (DMR) including a first radio for operating according to a first protocol, a second radio for operating according to a second protocol and an antenna, the DMR further comprising:

means for monitoring for an event according to the first protocol;

means for, in response to detecting an event, determining whether the event according to the first protocol is a low-priority event or a high-priority event;

means operably coupled to the determining means for operating in an unprotected mode if the event is a low-priority event;

means operably coupled to the determining means for operating in a protected mode if the event is a high-priority event;

wherein the second radio is disabled while the first radio transmits and receives data in the protected mode of operation; and

wherein the first radio disables transmissions by the second radio during the protected mode of operation.