Patent ID: 8527605

Claim:
A method for performing client to client communication in a wireless local area network comprising; at an ‘n’ tier client in the wireless local area network, wherein the wireless local area network comprises multiple tiers of clients and where n is an integer: receiving a signaling message from an ‘n−1’ tier client wherein the signaling message comprises information relating to a first period, a second period, and a third period wherein the first period is for communicating with the ‘n−1’ tier client, the second period is for not communicating with either the ‘n−1’ tier client or the ‘n+1’ tier client, and the third period is for communicating with an ‘n+1’ tier client; communicating with the ‘n−1’ tier client during the communicated first period allowed for ‘n−1’ tier client and ‘n’ tier client communications; and communicating with the ‘n+1’ tier client during the communicated third period allowed for ‘n’ tier client and ‘n+1’ tier client communications.