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;
a processor configured to;
process data received via the wireless radio circuit;
generate data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit;
initiate and maintain network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first network connection using a first network protocol and a second network connection using a second network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other, wherein the second network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first network protocol in that communications using the second network protocol are partially consistent with the first network protocol and wherein at least some of the communications using the second network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for communications using the first network protocol; and
implement data forwarding logic, implemented in a 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 networks and the destination node is a node in the other of the first and second networks.
3 Assignments
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
20 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; a processor configured to; process data received via the wireless radio circuit; generate data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit; initiate and maintain network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first network connection using a first network protocol and a second network connection using a second network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other, wherein the second network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first network protocol in that communications using the second network protocol are partially consistent with the first network protocol and wherein at least some of the communications using the second network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for communications using the first network protocol; and implement data forwarding logic, implemented in a 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 networks and the destination node is a node in the other of the first and second networks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. 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”
);a processor configured to; process data received via the wireless radio circuit; generate data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit; initiate and maintain network connections with nodes of the WLAN and WPAN external to the network-enabled hub, maintaining at least a first network connection using a first network protocol, of the WLAN, and a second network connection using a second network protocol, of the WPAN, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other, wherein the second network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first network protocol in that communications using the second network protocol are partially consistent, but not entirely consistent, with the first network protocol, and wherein the first network protocol is an 802.11x wireless protocol and the second network protocol is a modification of the 802.11x wireless protocol that is not entirely compliant with the 802.11x wireless protocol of the first network but can be maintained in a common wireless space as the 802.11x wireless protocol, and wherein at least some of the communications using the second network protocol impinge on at least some antennae used for communications using the first network protocol; implement logic for data forwarding between an originating node that is a node in of one of the first and second networks and a destination node that is a node in of the other of the first and second networks, the logic for data forwarding including logic for processing a data packet from the originating node to identify an address of the destination node in the data packet and using that address to transmit data into the second network; a routing module for receiving a poll request that contains information required to unambiguously identify a station that is a node in the second network, wherein the routing module coordinates retrieval of information from the station; 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
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. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification