Apparatus and method for integrating short-range wireless personal area networks for a wireless local area network infrastructure
DCFirst Claim
1. A network-enabled hub, usable for facilitating data communications between two or more wireless devices that are configured to communicate indirectly with each other via the network-enabled hub, comprising:
- an interface to a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly, providing the hub with bi-directional wireless data communication capability;
logic for processing data received via the wireless radio circuit;
logic for generating data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit;
logic for initiating and maintaining wireless network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first wireless network connection using a first wireless network protocol and a second wireless network connection using a second wireless network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other in a common wireless space, wherein the second wireless network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first wireless network protocol in that communications using the second wireless network protocol are partially consistent with the first wireless network protocol and at least some of the communications using the second wireless network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for the first wireless network; and
data forwarding logic, implemented in the network-enabled hub using hardware and/or software, that forwards data between an originating node and a destination node, wherein the originating node is a node in one of the first and second wireless networks and the destination node is a node in the other of the first and second wireless networks.
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Litigations
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
A network system comprises a first logic block providing a link to a first network via an access point of a WLAN and a second logic block communicating with a node of a second network (such as a WPAN) and configured to provide a link between the node and the first network via the access point. The network system is configured to maintain continuous connections to both the access point and the node while receiving power. The second logic block can communicate with the node using a modified communication protocol that is only partially compliant with an 802.11x communications protocol. A wireless hub can integrate a WPAN with a WLAN including, in part, a wireless circuit compliant with the WLAN standard (such as an 802.11x standard), a processor, and a memory. The wireless circuit can connect to the WPAN without losing connectivity (such as association and synchronization) to the WLAN.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A network-enabled hub, usable for facilitating data communications between two or more wireless devices that are configured to communicate indirectly with each other via the network-enabled hub, comprising:
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an interface to a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly, providing the hub with bi-directional wireless data communication capability; logic for processing data received via the wireless radio circuit; logic for generating data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit; logic for initiating and maintaining wireless network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first wireless network connection using a first wireless network protocol and a second wireless network connection using a second wireless network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other in a common wireless space, wherein the second wireless network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first wireless network protocol in that communications using the second wireless network protocol are partially consistent with the first wireless network protocol and at least some of the communications using the second wireless network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for the first wireless network; and data forwarding logic, implemented in the network-enabled hub using hardware and/or software, that forwards data between an originating node and a destination node, wherein the originating node is a node in one of the first and second wireless networks and the destination node is a node in the other of the first and second wireless networks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computing device having therein a network-enabled hub, comprising hardware and software, usable for facilitating data communications between two or more wireless devices that are configured to communicate indirectly with each other via the network-enabled hub, comprising:
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a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly, providing the hub with bi-directional wireless data communication capability, the radio circuit configured to handle 802.11x packet transmissions, and wherein the wireless radio circuit supports communications on both a wireless local area network (“
WLAN”
) and wireless personal area network (“
WPAN”
);logic for processing data received via the wireless radio circuit; logic for generating data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit; logic for initiating and maintaining wireless network connections with nodes of the WLAN and WPAN external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first wireless network connection using a first wireless network protocol, of the WLAN, and a second wireless network connection using a second wireless network protocol, of the WPAN, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other in a common wireless space, wherein the second wireless network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first wireless network protocol in that communications using the second wireless network protocol are partially consistent, but not entirely consistent, with the first wireless network protocol, and wherein the first wireless network protocol is an 802.11x wireless protocol and the second wireless network protocol is a modification of the 802.11x wireless protocol of the first wireless network but can be maintained with the 802.11x wireless protocol in the common wireless space wherein at least some of the communications using the second wireless network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for the first wireless network; and logic for data forwarding between an originating node that is a node in of one of the first and second wireless networks and a destination node that is a node in of the other of the first and second wireless networks; at least one software module forming a software platform that allows the wireless radio circuit to connect to both the WLAN and the WPAN, and coordinate retrieval of information from the station; and an operating system that enables operation of the network-enabled hub and execution of user-written application-specific application software for the network-enabled hub, wherein the first wireless network connection provides a link via an access point of the WLAN and the second wireless network connection provides a link to the WPAN serving PAN devices, such that network nodes that have access to the WLAN can address packets to WPAN devices that are nodes on the WPAN and packets can be conveyed from a WPAN device, through the network-enabled hub, to the access point and from there to a destination over the Internet from the access point, and wherein the WPAN device'"'"'s access to the Internet is via the network-enabled hub. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electronic device having an ability to communicate wirelessly and configured to support functions requiring messages to be sent, or data to be received, to destination nodes not directly accessible by wireless communication circuits of the electronic device, the electronic device comprising:
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a processor; a memory; control logic for generating a message based on inputs to the electronic device, wherein the message comprises data that depends on the inputs received and uniquely identifies a destination node on a network that is accessible using a first wireless network protocol but not accessible using a second wireless network protocol used by the electronic device, the first wireless network protocol and the second wireless network protocol being for use over wireless networks in a common wireless space, wherein the second wireless network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first wireless network protocol in that communications using the second wireless network protocol in the common wireless space are partially consistent with the first wireless network protocol such that at least a first wireless network connection using the first wireless network protocol and a second wireless network connection using the second wireless network protocol can have their connections maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other in the common wireless space; datapath logic for generating addressing information of an address of a network-enabled hub accessible directly by the electronic device using the second wireless network protocol, the address being of a network-enabled hub capable of sending messages to the destination node using the second wireless network protocol; a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly between the electronic device and the network-enabled hub; an interface between the processor and the wireless radio circuit for sending and receiving data wirelessly and processing that data. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A network-enabled hub, usable for facilitating data communications between two or more wireless devices that are configured to communicate indirectly with each other via the network-enabled hub, comprising:
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an interface to a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly, providing the hub with bi-directional wireless data communication capability; logic for processing data received via the wireless radio circuit; logic for generating data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit; logic for initiating and maintaining wireless network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first wireless network connection using a first wireless network protocol and a second wireless network connection using a second wireless network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other in a common wireless space, wherein the second wireless network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first wireless network protocol in that communications using the second wireless network protocol are consistent with the first wireless network protocol, but the first wireless network and the second wireless network are distinct in that at least one node of the second wireless network is not a node in the first wireless network and at least some of the communications using the second wireless network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for the first wireless network; and data forwarding logic, implemented in the network-enabled hub using hardware and/or software, that forwards data between an originating node and a destination node, wherein the originating node is a node in of one of the first and second wireless networks and the destination node is a node in the other of the first and second wireless networks. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification