Network access points using multiple devices

• US 7,835,328 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurix Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Berg, Alexander, Kalika, Leonid, Irani, Cyrus, Stephens, Spencer
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/527,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,622 Days
• Field of Search: 370/313, 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/338, 370/344, 370/349, 370/389, 370/465, 455/41.2, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/443, 455/523
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing access to a communication network includes providing a radio node comprising a first set of access point components including a radio component, and providing a physically separated controller node in communication with the radio node. The access point controller comprises a second set of access point components distinct from the first set of access point components, creating a distributed access point. A system controller may also be used to control at least one of the radio node and the controller node. The radio node, the controller node, and the system controller communicate over a communication link, such as a wireless or wired link.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of distributed access points each being divided into two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a plurality of nodes of a communication network in said system, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components, wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with one or more other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access points, wherein at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components located in one node of said plurality of nodes is a part of two or more distributed access points of said plurality of distributed access points, such that said at least one component is configured to establish a remote communication link with corresponding further components, each of said corresponding further components comprised in a further group of said two or more groups of components and located in one of two or more different further nodes of said plurality of nodes, said further components being parts of corresponding said two or more distributed access points, in order to provide said intended functionality of said two or more distributed access points, wherein a number of components needed to provide said plurality of the distributed access points in said communication network is reduced compared to a number of components needed to provide the same plurality of access points implemented as stand-alone units.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUETOOTH link, or a wired link.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said each of said two or more groups located in said corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes comprises a remote link driver configured to provide said remote communication link by extending a bus or using a protocol stack tunnel between corresponding components of said each of said two or more groups.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more system controllers, said system controller being one of said one or more system controllers, wherein each system controller of said one or more system controllers is configured to control one or more distributed access points of said plurality of the distributed access points distributed through said plurality of the nodes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of said one or more system controllers is logically centralized and implemented as a physical switch.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of said one or more system controllers is logically centralized and implemented using a physically distributed hosting function incorporated into one or more distributed access points of said plurality of the distributed access points distributed through said plurality of the nodes.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising a radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising an access point software layer component.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller, and

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein, for said each distributed access point of said plurality of distributed access points, at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components is operatively connected to a system controller.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving or transmitting communication signals by any distributed access point of a plurality of the distributed access points of a communication network in a system for further processing, each of the plurality of the distributed access points being divided into two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a plurality of nodes of said communication network, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components, wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access points, wherein at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components located in one node of said plurality of nodes is a part of two or more distributed access points of said plurality of distributed access points, such that said at least one component is configured to establish a remote communication link with corresponding further components, each of said corresponding further components comprised in a further group of said two or more groups of components and located in one of two or more different further nodes of said plurality of nodes, said further components being parts of corresponding said two or more distributed access points, in order to provide said intended functionality of said two or more distributed access points, wherein a number of components needed to provide said plurality of the distributed access points in said communication network is reduced compared to a number of components needed to provide the same plurality of access points implemented as stand-alone units.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUETOOTH link, or a wired link.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said each of said two or more groups, located in said corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, comprises a remote link driver configured to provide said remote communication link by extending a bus or using a protocol stack tunnel between corresponding components of said each of said two or more groups.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component; and

an access dot controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein said each distributed access point of said plurality of the distributed access points comprises corresponding two or more nodes of said plurality of the nodes, said corresponding two or more nodes are:

an access dot, comprising said radio frequency layer component;

an access dot controller; and

an access dot system controller, comprising said access point software layer component,

wherein a physical layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller, and

wherein a medium access control layer component is comprised in said access dot or in said access dot controller.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein, for said each distributed access point of said plurality of distributed access points, at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components is operatively connected to a system controller.

22. A distributed access point, comprising:

two or more groups of components distributed through corresponding two or more nodes of a communication network, each of said two or more groups comprising one or more components, wherein one of said two or more groups comprises a radio frequency layer component and another of said two or more groups comprises an access point software layer component, said two or more nodes being remotely located relative to each other, such that each of said two or more nodes is configured to establish a remote communication link with one or more of other nodes of said two or more nodes to provide communications between said two or more groups of components in order to provide an intended functionality of said distributed access point, wherein at least one component of one group of said two or more groups of components located in one node of said plurality of nodes is a part of two or more distributed access points of said plurality of distributed access points, such that said at least one component is configured to establish a remote communication link with corresponding further components, each of said corresponding further components comprised in a further group of said two or more groups of components and located in one of two or more different further nodes of said plurality of nodes, said further components being parts of corresponding said two or more distributed access points, in order to provide said intended functionality of said two or more distributed access points, wherein a number of components needed to provide said plurality of the distributed access points in said communication network is reduced compared to a number of components needed to provide the same plurality of access points implemented as stand-alone units.