Patent ID: 7386014
Filing Date: 2008-06-10
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) communication device comprising: a first buffer for queuing first data packets to be transmitted by said WLAN communication device after a transmission channel has been idle for at least a first backoff time; a second buffer for queuing second data packets to be transmitted by said WLAN communication device after the transmission channel has been idle for at least a second backoff time; and a shared hardware backoff generator adapted to generate a first and a second backoff start value used to determine said first and second backoff times, respectively; and a first and a second backoff counter adapted to determine the end of said first and second backoff times, respectively, by decrementing once in a predetermined time slot a first and a second backoff counter value, respectively, starting at said first and second backoff start values, respectively, wherein said shared hardware backoff generator is connected to each of said first and second backoff counters to provide said first and second backoff start values to said first and second backoff counters, respectively; wherein said predetermined time slot is divided into a first and a second backoff generation cycle assigned to said first and second buffers, respectively; and wherein said shared hardware backoff generator is further adapted to: