Patent ID: 8068470

Claim:
A method for reducing interference between overlapping first and second wireless local area network cells in a medium, each of the first and second wireless local area network cells including a respective plurality of member stations, comprising: coordinating by a first access point station in the first wireless local area network cell a periodic sequence of first contention-free sessions, each of the first contention-free sessions including multiple bursts with other member stations in the first wireless local area network cell, and retaining a control of the medium by the first access point station by using interframe spaces between the multiple bursts such that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium; coordinating by a second access point station in the second wireless local area network cell a periodic sequence of second contention-free sessions, each of the second contention-free sessions including multiple bursts with other member stations in the second wireless local area network cell, and retaining the control of the medium by the second access point station by using interframe spaces between the multiple bursts such that the multiple bursts appear to contending stations to be a single instance of activity in the medium; transmitting by the first access point station a preemptive peg packet to maintain a contiguity of a transmission timing position of the first access point station with respect to a timing position of the second contention-free sessions transmitted by the second access point station; and the preemptive peg packet preventing gaps to be left idle for longer than a distributed coordination function interframe space; whereby other stations are prevented from using the distributed coordination function interframe space to seize the medium, until the first and second access point stations have completed one contention-free session per periodic cycle.