Switching a network connection from a first network protocol to a second network protocol
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsAlexander Gantman, Yossef Tsfaty
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for switching between communicating according to a first network protocol and a second network protocol are provided. The provided systems and methods multiplex received communications according to the first and second network protocols and select one of the network protocols based on a quality or throughput of the network protocol without terminating any existing sessions established according to either of the first or second network protocols.
Claims26
A method of switching a point-to-point communication between a first station (STA) and a second STA from a first connection to a second connection, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the first STA, packets from the second STA over the first connection;
- receiving, at the first STA, packets from the second STA over the second connection;
- determining, from the packets received over the first connection, connection information for the first connection;
- determining, from the packets received over the second connection, connection information for the second connection;
- comparing the connection information for the first connection to the connection information for the second connection;
- determining, from the comparison, a desired connection between the first connection and the second connection;
- and
- providing the packets received over the desired connection to a protocol stack of the first STA.
A first station (STA) comprising:
- a first network interface to receive packets from a second STA over a first connection;
- a second network interface to receive packets from the second STA over a second connection;
- a processor coupled to the first network interface and the second network interface;
- and
- a machine-readable medium coupled to the processor, the machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the first station to:
- determine, from the packets received over the first connection, connection information for the first connection;
- determine, from the packets received over the second connection, connection information for the second connection;
- compare the connection information for the first connection to the connection information for the second connection;
- determine, from the comparison, a desired connection between the first connection and the second connection;
- and
- provide the packets received over the desired connection to a protocol stack of the first STA.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor of a first station (STA), cause the first STA to:
- determine, from packets received from a second STA over a first connection, connection information for the first connection;
- determine, from packets received from the second STA over a second connection, connection information for the second connection;
- compare the connection information for the first connection to the connection information for the second connection;
- determine, from the comparison, a desired connection between the first connection and the second connection;
- and
- provide the packets received over the desired connection to a protocol stack of the first STA.
A method of switching point-to-point communications between stations, the method comprising:
- coupling, at a first station (STA), a first multiplexer between a first network interface and a first protocol stack, the first network interface communicably coupling the first STA to a second STA via a first connection;
- coupling, at the first station (STA), a second multiplexer between a second network interface and a second protocol stack, the second network interface communicably coupling the first STA to a third STA via a second connection;
- and
- in response to terminating the second connection,
- decoupling the second network interface from the second multiplexer,
- coupling the second network interface to the first protocol stack via the first multiplexer, and
- establishing a third connection between the first STA and the second STA via the second network interface, while maintaining the first connection between the first STA and the second STA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.