Method of operation for a three-dimensional, wireless network

• US 7,593,361 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: OnLive Incorporated
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills; Donald L
• Application Number:
  US10/367,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20040160908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,412 Days
• Field of Search: 370/277, 370/279, 370/293, 370/310.2, 370/315, 370319-322, 370/326, 370/492, 370/501, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/15, 455/20
• US Class Current: 370/326
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A method of operation for wireless transmission of data to one or more destination devices across a network that includes a plurality of access points disposed about a building, each access point having a first transmission range of maximum bandwidth and a second transmission range of signal interference, the access points being arranged in a topology wherein each access point is spaced-apart from a nearest neighboring access point by a first distance less than the first transmission range. The data is transmitted by a first access point; then it is repeated by a series of additional access points that extends across the topology. Re-transmission of the data occurs in a manner wherein any pair of access points transmitting on the same channel is separated by a distance greater than the second transmission range.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by a first access point, data packets to one or more destination devices across a network on a first channel of a first frequency band at a first data rate of 11 Mbps or greater, the first frequency band having a plurality of channels, the wireless network including a plurality of access points disposed about a building, each access point having a first transmission range of maximum bandwidth and a second transmission range of signal interference, the access points being arranged in a topology wherein each access point is spaced-apart from a nearest neighboring access point by a first distance less than the first transmission range;

wirelessly repeating the data packets in the first frequency band substantially at the first data rate by a series of additional access points that extend across the topology, each of the additional access points having a transceiver that includes transmitter and receiver sections, the transceiver of a first additional access point;

receiving the data packets in the first frequency band during odd time intervals;

buffering the data packets; and

wirelessly re-transmitting the buffered data packets on the first channel in the first frequency band on one of the plurality of channels during even time intervals, the transceiver of a first additional access point not transmitting during the odd time intervals;

the transceiver of a second additional access point;

receiving the data packets in the first frequency band during even time intervals;

buffering the data packets; and

wirelessly re-transmitting the buffered data packets in the first frequency band on one of the plurality of channels during the odd time intervals, the transceiver of a second additional access point not transmitting during the even time intervals,

wherein any pair of the access points transmitting on a same channel is separated by a distance greater than the second transmission range.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first frequency band is a 5 GHz frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by each access point, the data packets in a second frequency band.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving the data packets by a destination device in the second frequency band.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second frequency band is a 2.4 GHz frequency band.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

self-configuring the network by one or more of the access points to allocate selected ones of channels to each of the access points, the channels being selected such that no pair of any of the access points located within the second transmission range of each other transmit on the same channel.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

adapting the network to an interference source by re-self-configuring the network by the one or more of the access points such that no pair of any of the access points located within the second transmission range of each other transmit on the same channel and no access point within a transmission range of the interference source transmits on a channel that interferes with the interference source.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more destination devices comprise a television.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more destination devices comprise a computer.

10. A method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by a first access point of a wireless network that includes a plurality of access points, video data packets transmitted from a source on a first channel of a first frequency band during odd time intervals;

wirelessly re-transmitting, by the first access point, the video data packets on a first channel of a second frequency band at a data rate that exceeds 30 Mbps, the second frequency band having a plurality of channels, the video data packets being transmitted during even time intervals over the wireless network, the first access point not transmitting during the odd time intervals, a second access point of the wireless network being configured to receive the video data packets from the first access point during the even time intervals and re-transmit the video data packets during the odd time intervals, the second access point not transmitting during the even time intervals,

each of the access points having a first transmission range of maximum bandwidth and a second transmission range of signal interference, the access points being arranged in a topology wherein each access point is spaced-apart from a nearest neighboring access point by a first distance less than the first transmission range, the access points functioning as wireless repeaters operating in compliance with an 802.11x standard, each of the access points transmitting the video data packets on one of the plurality of channels, wherein any pair of the access points transmitting on a same channel is separated by a second distance greater than the second transmission range.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, by a destination device, the video data packets from a last one of the wireless repeaters in the topology.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the additional access points transmit the data in the second frequency band.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the second frequency band is a 5 GHz frequency band.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting, by one of the additional access points, the video data in the first frequency band to a destination device located within the first transmission range of the one of the additional access points.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the first frequency band is a 2.4 GHz frequency band and the second frequency band is a 5 GHz frequency band.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

self-configuring the wireless network to allocate selected ones of channels to each of the first access point and each of the additional access points, the channels being selected such that no pair of any of the first and/or additional access points located within the second transmission range of each other transmit on the same channel.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

adapting the wireless network to an interference source by re-self-configuring the wireless network such that no pair of any of the first and/or additional access points located within the second transmission range of each other transmit on the same channel and none of the first and/or additional access points located within a transmission range of the interference source transmits on a channel that interferes with the interference source.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the destination device comprises a television.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the destination device comprises a computer.