Temporary medium handover
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsGuido Robert Frederiks, James C. Cho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method are disclosed that reduce collisions on a wireless medium shared by devices associated with a wireless network, thereby improving throughput on the wireless medium. For some embodiments, a first device reserves access to the medium for a first interval, and then grants medium access to a second device for a remainder of the first interval. If the second device transmits data during the remainder of the first interval, medium access is maintained with the second device and then the second device is prevented from contending for medium access during a subsequent contention period. Otherwise, medium access is returned to the first device and the second device is allowed to contend for medium access during the contention period.
Claims29
A method of sharing access to a wireless communication medium associated with a wireless network, the method comprising:
- reserving access to the medium for a first wireless device for a first interval;
- granting medium access to a second wireless device for a remainder of the first interval by transmitting a first data frame from the first wireless device;
- determining whether a second data frame is transmitted from the second wireless device within a predetermined time period after the granting;
- selectively returning medium access to the first wireless device for the remainder of the first interval in response to the determining;
- and
- preventing the second wireless device from contending for medium access during a subsequent contention period if the second wireless device transmits the second data frame during the first interval.
A system for sharing access to a wireless communication medium associated with a wireless network, the system comprising:
- means for reserving access to the medium for a first wireless device for a first interval;
- means for granting medium access to a second wireless device for a remainder of the first interval by transmitting a first data frame from the first wireless device;
- means for determining whether a second data frame is transmitted from the second wireless device within a predetermined time period after the granting;
- means for selectively returning medium access to the first wireless device for the remainder of the first interval in response to the determining;
- and
- means for preventing the second wireless device from contending for medium access during a subsequent contention period if the second wireless device transmits the second data frame during the first interval.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first wireless device associated with a wireless network, cause the first wireless device to:
- reserve access to a communication medium for a first interval;
- grant communication medium access to a second wireless device for a remainder of the first interval by transmitting a first data frame from the first wireless device;
- determine whether a second data frame is transmitted from the second wireless device within a predetermined time period after the grant;
- selectively return communication medium access to the first wireless device for the remainder of the first interval in response to the determining;
- and
- prevent the second wireless device from contending for communication medium access during a subsequent contention period if the second wireless device transmits the second data frame during the first interval.
A wireless device associated with a wireless communication medium, the wireless device comprising:
- a transmitter to transmit a first data frame to another wireless device;
- and
- a processor to:
- grant medium access to the other wireless device for a remainder of a first interval by transmitting the first data frame to the other wireless device;
- determine whether a second data frame is transmitted from the other wireless device within a predetermined time period after the grant;
- selectively return medium access to the wireless device for the remainder of the first interval in response to the determining;
- and
- prevent the other wireless device from contending for medium access during a subsequent contention period if the other wireless device transmits the second data frame during the first interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.