US 9,883,487 B2 · Scalable WLAN gateway

Abstract

A technique for combining transmission bandwidths of several communication devices, such as mobile stations (MS1, MS2) is disclosed. A master mobile station (MS1) establishes (7-0) a WLAN access point communicating with WLAN client terminals (CT). One or more slave mobile stations (MS2) may detect a predefined network identifier and join the WLAN network. The master (MS1) assigns IP addresses for the client terminals (CT) and slave mobile stations (MS2). The master also resolves DNS queries in cooperation with external DNS servers. Traffic, including internet packets (IP1-IP4), between the client terminals and various internet hosts (HO) is tunneled over multiple simultaneous transmission paths (7-6, 7-8; 7-18, 7-22) between the master (MS1) and a multiplexing/demultiplexing computer (SM). The inventive bandwidth combination technique is transparent to the client terminals (CT) and the internet hosts (HO).

Claims12

Dependent claims

A mobile station providing network access over a wireless local area network (WLAN) for a WLAN client terminal with a second mobile station, the mobile station comprising:

a memory for storing applications;
a processor coupled with the memory for executing applications stored thereon;
a WLAN circuitry for establishing the WLAN;
an application stored on the memory including instructions executable to the processor, the instructions that when executed instruct the processor to:
activate the WLAN;
receive, from the WLAN client terminal via the WLAN, a first data packet including address information of an internet host;
forward the first data packet to the second mobile station via the WLAN by sending the first data packet in multicast transmission;
and
instruct the second mobile station to send the first data packet to the internet host according to the address information.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Scalable WLAN gateway

Life of this patent

Scalable WLAN gateway

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12