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Apparatus and method for integrating short-range wireless personal area networks for a wireless local area network infrastructure

DC
  • US 9,264,991 B1
  • Filed: 11/06/2013
  • Issued: 02/16/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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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:

  • 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.

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