Extending an allowable transmission distance between a wireless device and an access point by communication with intermediate wireless devices

A system for providing a wireless connection to a communication network at a remote location, wherein said system comprises:

• an access point connected to said communication network, including an access point radio device transmitting and receiving wireless communications, wherein said access point receives, through said access point radio device, remote request frames including addresses identifying a mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and a path extending between said mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and said access point, wherein said access point generates, in response to receiving said remote request frames, remote access response frames including said addresses identifying said mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and a path extending between said mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and said access point, wherein said access point transmits said remote access response frames through said access point wireless device, wherein said access point, after transmitting said remote access response frames, receives, through said access point radio device, data frames transmitted along said path from said mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and transmits data from said data frames along said communications network;
• a remote mobile unit at said remote location, including a first radio device transmitting and receiving wireless communications, wherein said first radio device is out of range to transmit wireless communications directly to said access point, wherein said remote mobile unit generates said remote access request frames and transmits said remote access request frames through said first radio device, wherein said remote mobile unit receives, through said first radio device, remote access response frames including addresses identifying said remote mobile unit as said mobile unit generating said remote access request frames and a path extending between said remote mobile unit and said access point, and wherein, in response to receiving said remote access response frames, said remote mobile unit generates data frames including said addresses identifying said remote mobile unit and said path extending between said remote mobile unit and said access point, and transmits said data frames through said first radio device;
• and
• a first intermediate mobile unit at a first intermediate location, including a second radio device transmitting and receiving wireless communications, wherein said second radio device is within range to transmit wireless communications directly to said access point, wherein said first intermediate mobile unit receives said remote access request frames and adds an address of said first intermediate mobile unit to a path in said remote access request frames, wherein said first intermediate mobile unit then transmits said remote access request frames through said second radio device to said access point, and wherein, after transmitting said remote access request frames to said access point, said first intermediate mobile unit receives remote access response frames and data frames through said second radio device transmitted along said path between said access point and said remote mobile unit and retransmits said remote access response frames and data frames through said second radio device to continue along said path between said access point and said remote mobile unit.

A mobile computing system comprising:

• a radio device;
• information storage;
• and
• a microprocessor programmed to cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:
• a) determining whether said radio device is within range to transmit data to an access point and to receive data from said access point;
• b) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is within range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, requesting association with said access point;
• c) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is out of range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, transmitting remote access request frames through said radio device;
• d) in response to receiving first remote access response frames through said radio device, storing in said information storage, from said first remote access response frames, addresses of an access point and of intermediate computing systems providing a first path between said mobile computing system and said access point;
• e) adding said addresses of said access point and of said intermediate computing systems to data frames to be transmitted;
• and
• f) transmitting said data frames through said radio device.

A mobile computing system comprising:

• a radio device;
• information storage;
• and
• a microprocessor programmed to cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:
• a) receiving, through said radio device, remote access request frames transmitted from a remote mobile unit;
• b) following step a), determining if communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system;
• c) in response to determining that said communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system, retransmitting said remote access request frames;
• d) receiving, through said radio device, data frames with an address of said mobile computing system in a path extending between said remote mobile unit and an access point;
• and
• e) transmitting said data frames received in step d) to a next computing system along said path.

An access point comprising:

• a radio device;
• a connection to a communications network;
• information storage;
• and
• a microprocessor programmed to cause said access point to perform steps of:
• a) receiving remote access request frames through said radio device;
• b) in response to receiving said remote access request frames, determining whether to grant remote association to a remote computing system initially transmitting said remote access request frames;
• c) in response to determining to grant remote association to said remote computing system, storing addresses identifying one or more intermediate mobile units received with said remote access request frames in said information storage, generating remote response frames, adding said addresses to said remote response frames and transmitting said remote access response frames through said radio device.

A computer usable medium storing computer readable instructions, wherein said computer readable instructions loaded into a mobile computing system, including a radio device, information storage, and a microprocessor, to execute a program cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:

• a) determining whether said radio device is within range to transmit data to an access point and to receive data from said access point;
• b) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is within range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, requesting association with said access point;
• c) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is out of range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, transmitting remote access request frames through said radio device;
• d) in response to receiving first remote access response frames through said radio device, storing in said information storage, from said first remote access response frames, addresses of an access point and of intermediate computing systems providing a first path between said mobile computing system and said access point;
• e) adding said addresses of said access point and of said intermediate computing systems to data frames to be transmitted;
• and
• f) transmitting said data frames through said radio device.

A computer usable medium storing computer readable instructions, wherein said computer readable instructions loaded into a mobile computing system, including a radio device, information storage, a display unit, and a microprocessor, to execute a program cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:

• a) receiving, through said radio device, remote access request frames transmitted from a remote mobile unit;
• b) following step a), determining if communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system;
• c) in response to determining that said communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system, retransmitting said remote access request frames;
• d) receiving, through said radio device, data frames with an address of said mobile computing system in a path extending between said remote mobile unit and an access point;
• and
• e) transmitting said data frames received in step d) to a next computing system along said path.

A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising computer readable instructions, wherein said computer readable instructions loaded into a mobile computing system, including a radio device, information storage, and a microprocessor, to execute a program cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:

• a) determining whether said radio device is within range to transmit data to an access point and to receive data from said access point;
• b) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is within range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, requesting association with said access point;
• c) in response to determining in step a) that said radio device is out of range to transmit data to said access point and to receive data from said access point, transmitting remote access request frames through said radio device;
• d) in response to receiving first remote access response frames through said radio device, storing in said information storage, from said first remote access response frames, addresses of an access point and of intermediate computing systems providing a first path between said mobile computing system and said access point;
• e) adding said addresses of said access point and of said intermediate computing systems to data frames to be transmitted;
• and
• f) transmitting said data frames through said radio device.

A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising computer readable instructions, wherein said computer readable instructions loaded into a mobile computing system, including a radio device, information storage, a display unit, and a microprocessor, to execute a program cause said mobile computing system to perform steps of:

• a) receiving, through said radio device, remote access request frames transmitted from a remote mobile unit;
• b) following step a), determining if communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system;
• c) in response to determining that said communication bandwidth is available within said mobile computing system, retransmitting said remote access request frames;
• d) receiving, through said radio device, data frames with an address of said mobile computing system in a path extending between said remote mobile unit and an access point;
• and
• e) transmitting said data frames received in step d) to a next computing system along said path.