Wireless communications with primary and secondary access categories

An apparatus comprising:

• circuitry to access a wireless communication interface;
• and
• processor electronics configured to
• determine a primary access category for a transmission opportunity (TXOP) to transmit data to a primary wireless communication device, the primary access category being an access category included in a group of access categories that are associated with different transmission priorities, respectively, the primary access category being determined based on a first back-off timer associated with the primary access category,
• retrieve one or more primary data units belonging to the primary access category to transmit to the primary wireless communication device during the TXOP,
• select a secondary access category for the TXOP, the secondary access category being an access category included in the group of access categories, the secondary access category having a transmission priority different from the primary access category, the secondary access category being selected to have a higher transmission priority than the primary access category if there is an access category that has a higher transmission priority than the primary access category and has data ready to send,
• retrieve one or more secondary data units belonging to the secondary access category to transmit to a secondary wireless communication device during the TXOP,
• control transmission of spatially steered streams during the TXOP via the wireless communication interface, the steered streams embodying (i) the one or more primary data units and (ii) the one or more secondary data units, wherein the steered streams concurrently provide separate data to respective devices comprising the primary wireless communication device and the secondary wireless communication device, and
• control a second back-off timer associated with the secondary access category, wherein the second back-off timer is not penalized for a communication failure associated with the primary access category during the TXOP, wherein the processor electronics are configured to control a contention window associated with the secondary access category, wherein the contention window is not penalized in response to a communication failure associated with the secondary access category during the TXOP, wherein the second back-off timer is not penalized for the communication failure associated with the secondary access category during the TXOP.

A system comprising:

• processor electronics configured to
• determine a primary access category for a transmission opportunity (TXOP) to transmit data to a primary wireless communication device, the primary access category being an access category included in a group of access categories that are associated with different transmission priorities, respectively, the primary access category being determined based on a first back-off timer associated with the primary access category,
• retrieve one or more primary data units belonging to the primary access category to transmit to the primary wireless communication device during the TXOP,
• select a secondary access category for the TXOP, the secondary access category being an access category included in the group of access categories, the secondary access category having a transmission priority different from the primary access category, the secondary access category being selected to have a higher transmission priority than the primary access category if there is an access category that has a higher transmission priority than the primary access category and has data ready to send, and
• retrieve one or more secondary data units belonging to the secondary access category to transmit to a secondary wireless communication device during the TXOP;
• and
• circuitry to concurrently transmit spatially steered streams during the TXOP, the steered streams embodying (i) the one or more primary data units and (ii) the one or more secondary data units,
• wherein the processor electronics are configured to control a second back-off timer associated with the secondary access category, wherein the second back-off timer is not penalized for a communication failure associated with the primary access category during the TXOP, wherein the processor electronics are configured to control a contention window associated with the secondary access category, wherein the contention window is not penalized in response to a communication failure associated with the secondary access category during the TXOP, wherein the second back-off timer is not penalized for the communication failure associated with the secondary access category during the TXOP.