Advance notification of transmit opportunities on a shared-communications channel
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a transceiver, a beacon frame wherein the beacon frame comprises a beacon interval and wherein the transceiver communicates in accordance with at least a first communications protocol using a shared-communications channel;
determining a transmit opportunity on the shared-communications channel wherein the transmit opportunity is based on a time at which the beacon frame is received and on the beacon interval; and
sending a notification of the transmit opportunity in accordance with a second communications protocol using the shared-communications channel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A technique is disclosed that enables both an IEEE 802.11 transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver to be employed in a single wireless telecommunication station (e.g., a device supporting a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, etc.) without interfering on each other. In particular, the illustrative embodiment enables standard “off-the-shelf” IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth transceivers to work in a coordinated fashion in a single telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, an IEEE 802.11 transceiver that uses a shared-communications channel notifies a Bluetooth transceiver that a transmit opportunity exists and that the Bluetooth transceiver has permission to use the shared-communications channel. The technique disclosed is also applicable to communications protocols other than IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a transceiver, a beacon frame wherein the beacon frame comprises a beacon interval and wherein the transceiver communicates in accordance with at least a first communications protocol using a shared-communications channel; determining a transmit opportunity on the shared-communications channel wherein the transmit opportunity is based on a time at which the beacon frame is received and on the beacon interval; and sending a notification of the transmit opportunity in accordance with a second communications protocol using the shared-communications channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method comprising:
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receiving at a transceiver a first beacon frame wherein the transceiver communicates in accordance with a first communications protocol using a shared-communications channel; determining a transmit opportunity on the shared-communications channel; sending a notification of the transmit opportunity in accordance with a second communications protocol using the shared-communications channel; and powering down the transceiver based on a time remaining before receiving a second beacon frame. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus comprising:
a first air interface subsystem comprising; a receiver configured for receiving a beacon frame in accordance with a first communications protocol using a shared-communications channel wherein the beacon frame comprises a beacon interval; a processor configured for determining a transmit opportunity on the shared-communications channel wherein the transmit opportunity is based on the time at which the beacon frame is received and on the beacon interval; and an interface configured for notifying a second air interface subsystem of the transmit opportunity, wherein the second air interface subsystem comprises a first transmitter, wherein the first transmitter is configured to communicate in accordance with a second communications protocol using the shared-communications channel, and wherein the first air interface subsystem and the second air interface subsystem are both configured to be associated with a same host computer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus comprising:
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a station comprising; a first air interface subsystem configured for; transmitting a first data block in accordance with a first communications protocol using a shared-communications channel, receiving a beacon frame, and determining a transmit opportunity on the shared-communications channel wherein the transmit opportunity is based on the beacon frame; and a second air interface subsystem configured for transmitting a second data block in accordance with a second communications protocol using the shared-communications channel; and a host computer configured for; providing the first data block to the first air interface subsystem; and providing the second data block to the second air interface subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification