Patent · US Expired

Concurrent multiple data rate communications in a wireless local area network

US5912921A · kind A · utility

164Cited by
6References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 20, 1997
Grant dateJun 15, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W84/12
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) provides optimal data throughput by operating at multiple data rates simultaneously. The WLAN includes a network master communicating with a plurality of remote client transceiver nodes. The network master maintains a table of active client transceiver nodes. The table includes a current data rate for each of the active client transceiver nodes. Periodic high-speed and low-speed beacon signals are transmitted from the network master to the active client transceiver nodes. Each of the active client transceiver nodes receives and processes the beacon signals to determine an optimal data rate. Then, each of the active client transceiver nodes transmits a return signal to the network master which designates the determined optimal data rate. Thereafter, the network master updates the table to reflect the optimal data rate for each of the active client transceiver nodes. Subsequent messages from the network master to the active client transceiver nodes are thereby transmitted at the current data rate for each respective one of the active client transceiver nodes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.