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

A first wireless device for coordinating a wireless personal area network (WPAN), comprising:

• a wireless radio circuit configured to communicate over a physical medium of a wireless local area network (WLAN) using a WLAN protocol;
• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the wireless radio circuit and the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
• discover, via the wireless radio circuit, a second wireless device using a WPAN protocol;
• establish, via the wireless radio circuit, an association with the second wireless device to establish a wireless connection, the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol, wherein upon establishment of the association, the first and second wireless devices are each a member of a WPAN network;
• and
• maintain, via the wireless radio circuit, the association with the second wireless device over the wireless connection using the WPAN protocol;
• wherein the WPAN protocol is an overlay protocol that is partially compliant with respect to the WLAN protocol such that the WPAN protocol uses a WLAN protocol frame adapted to support a WPAN power-saving protocol that is different as compared to a power-saving protocol supported by the WLAN protocol;
• wherein the wireless radio circuit is configured to operate in at least one of a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band;
• wherein the WLAN protocol is an 802.11x protocol that uses a frame defined by the 802.11x protocol, and the WPAN protocol uses a WPAN-adapted frame in which at least one field of the frame defined by the 802.11x protocol is adapted to support the WPAN power-saving protocol;
• wherein the WPAN-adapted frame is adapted from a WLAN protocol management frame;
• wherein the WPAN protocol provides for an inactivity time during which the first and second wireless devices can agree to at least partially disable the wireless connection;
• wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are configured to agree on the inactivity time in accordance with the WPAN protocol;
• and
• wherein the first wireless device is configured to disable at least a part of a coordination function of the first wireless device following a start of the inactivity time, wherein the disabling is such that less power per unit time is consumed by the wireless radio circuit relative to a power per unit time consumed by the wireless radio circuit when the at least part of said coordination function is not disabled.