Patent ID: 8009642

Claim:
A method for wirelessly transmitting data directly between two Dual Access Point and Station (“DAS”) enabled devices of a plurality of network devices in a network having an Access Point (“AP”) device separate from the plurality of network devices, in which the network devices also communicate with each other through the AP device, the method comprising: communicating between a first network device and a second network device of the plurality of network devices via the AP device, when the first and second network devices communicate using a station mode, the first and second network devices being DAS enabled devices; receiving a broadcast message at the first network device directly from the second network device, in which the broadcast message uses an Association Configuration Protocol (“ACP”) that includes information indicating network capabilities of the second network device and a data field that identifies if the first network device is to operate as a server or a client of a server and the data field also identifies an ACP window, when DAS enabled and the second network device is operating as an access point, the broadcast message adding an ACP type-length-value (“TLV”) to an Information Element (“IE”) in a broadcast beacon when utilizing layer-2 broadcast messaging and broadcasting a notification when utilizing layer-3 broadcast messaging; determining the network capabilities of the first and second network devices when enabled as DAS devices in response to receiving the broadcast message; setting the first and second network devices as a server and client pair, provided the ACP data field for respective devices allows one of the first or second network device to operate as the server and the other of the first or second network device to operate as the client of the server when enabled as DAS devices; and establishing a direct communication path between the first and second network devices during a period when the ACP window is open to exchange packet information for establishing the server and client between the first and second network devices and to transfer packet data between the first and second network devices, wherein the direct communication path is established without using the AP device and the direct communication path is a signal path that does not include the access point device, but in which the first network device and the second network device also communicate with other devices via the AP device.