Simultaneously maintaining Bluetooth and 802.11 connections to increase data throughput

• US 9,538,572 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Banerjea, Raja, Fanfelle, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JENEE LAUREN
• Application Number:
  US14/107,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20140105198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A device for wirelessly communicating between one or more mobile communication devices over a wireless network. A primary mobile communication device is configured to establish one or more connections to one or more secondary mobile communication devices. The primary mobile communication device is further configured to establish a first connection and a second connection to at least one of the secondary mobile communication devices. The first connection is a Bluetooth (BT) connection and the second connection is a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) connection. The primary mobile device is also configured to establish a third connection to another secondary mobile communication device wherein the third connection is a WiFi connection. Additionally, the primary mobile communication device is configured to simultaneously maintain the BT connection and the WiFi connections during the bi-directional transmission of data between the primary mobile communication device and the secondary mobile communication devices.

Claims

1. A method for communication between communication devices, the method comprising:

establishing, at a first communication device, a Bluetooth connection between the first communication device and a second communication device;

after establishing the Bluetooth connection, using, at the first communication device, the Bluetooth connection to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection between the first communication device and the second communication device;

establishing, at the first communication device, a logical Bluetooth connection via the WLAN connection; and

transmitting and receiving, at the first communication device, i) Bluetooth data packets and ii) WLAN data packets over the WLAN connection;

wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection comprises transmitting, with the first communication device and via the Bluetooth connection, a request to establish the WLAN connection to the second communication device; and

wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a media access control (MAC) address of a WLAN interface of the first communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a WLAN channel number for the WLAN connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection further comprises receiving, at the first communication device and via the Bluetooth connection, a response to the request to establish the WLAN connection, the response having been transmitted by the second communication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection further comprises prompting, responsive to receiving the response from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection, a WLAN interface of the first communication device to transmit a WLAN probe request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection comprises:

receiving, at the first communication device and via the Bluetooth connection, a request to establish the WLAN connection from the second communication device; and

transmitting, with the first communication device and via the Bluetooth connection, a response to the request to the second communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a media access control (MAC) address of a WLAN interface of the second communication device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a WLAN channel number for the WLAN connection.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection further comprises turning on a WLAN wireless interface of the first communication device responsive to receiving the request from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein using the Bluetooth connection to establish the WLAN connection further comprises:

receiving, at the first communication device, a WLAN probe request from the second communication device; and

prompting, responsive to receiving the WLAN probe request, a WLAN interface of the first communication device to transmit a WLAN probe response.

10. A first communication device, comprising:

a Bluetooth radio device;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio device; and

a logic device configured to

establish a Bluetooth connection between the first communication device and a second communication device,

after establishing the Bluetooth connection, use the Bluetooth connection to establish a WLAN connection between the first communication device and the second communication device,

establish a logical Bluetooth connection via the WLAN connection, and

cause the first communication device to transmit and receive i) Bluetooth data packets and ii) WLAN data packets over the WLAN connection;

wherein the logic device is configured to cause the Bluetooth radio device to transmit a request to establish the WLAN connection to the second communication device; and

wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a WLAN channel number for the WLAN connection.

11. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the request to establish the WLAN connection includes a media access control (MAC) address of a WLAN interface of the first communication device.

12. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the logic device is configured to prompt, responsive to receiving a response to the request from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection, the WLAN radio device to transmit a WLAN probe request.

13. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the logic device is configured to cause the Bluetooth radio device to transmit to the second communication device a response to a request from the second communication device to establish the WLAN connection, the request received via the Bluetooth connection.

14. The first communication device of claim 13, wherein the logic device is configured to turn on the WLAN radio device responsive to receiving the request from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a Bluetooth connection between a first communication device and a second communication device;

after establishing the Bluetooth connection, use the Bluetooth connection to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection between the first communication device and the second communication device,

establish a logical Bluetooth connection via the WLAN connection;

cause the first communication device to transmit and receive i) Bluetooth data packets and ii) WLAN data packets over the WLAN connection; and

cause a Bluetooth radio device to transmit to the second communication device a response to a request from the second communication device to establish the WLAN connection, the request received via the Bluetooth connection.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to cause the first communication device to transmit, via the Bluetooth connection, a request to establish the WLAN connection to the second communication device.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to prompt, responsive to receiving the response to the request from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection, a WLAN radio device to transmit a WLAN probe request.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to turn on a WLAN wireless interface of the first communication device responsive to receiving the request from the second communication device via the Bluetooth connection.