Method for ensuring medium access in a wireless network

• US 8,934,345 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tan, Pek Yew, Lim, Wei Lih, Ohmi, Shinichiro, Harada, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US13/330,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20120087352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 Hybrid access

Abstract

A station includes a reservation request transmitter, a bandwidth request transmitter, and a data transmitter. The reservation request transmitter transmits a reservation request to an access point during a contention slot specified by the access point. The contention slot is periodically allocated by the access point. The bandwidth request transmitter transmits a bandwidth request to the access point using a first allocated bandwidth allocated to the station as a response to the reservation request. The bandwidth request has a first data structure different from a second data structure of the reservation request, and includes information indicating a required bandwidth for transmitting a data to be transmitted. The data transmitter transmits the data using a second allocated bandwidth allocated to the station based on the required bandwidth.

Claims

1. A station, comprising:

a reservation request transmitter configured to transmit a reservation request to an access point during a contention slot specified by the access point, the contention slot, periodically allocated by the access point, being a time slot during which the station is allowed to transmit a reservation request in contention with other stations;

a bandwidth request transmitter configured to transmit a bandwidth request to the access point using a first allocated bandwidth allocated to the station as a response to the reservation request, the bandwidth request, having a first data structure different from a second data structure of the reservation request, including information indicating a required bandwidth for transmitting a data to be transmitted, and

a data transmitter configured to transmit the data using a second allocated bandwidth allocated to the station based on the required bandwidth.

2. A method for use in a station, comprising:

transmitting a reservation request to an access point during a contention slot specified by the access point, the contention slot, periodically allocated by the access point, being a time slot during which the station is allowed to transmit a reservation request in contention with other stations;

transmitting a bandwidth request to the access point using a first allocated bandwidth allocated to the station as a response to the reservation request, the bandwidth request, having a first data structure different from a second data structure of the reservation request, including information indicating a required bandwidth for transmitting a data to be transmitted; and

transmitting the data using a second allocated bandwidth allocated to the station based on the required bandwidth.