Patent ID: 7944897

Claim:
A method of wireless communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) including legacy stations (L-stations) and high-throughput stations (HT-stations), comprising the steps of: initiating a legacy signal field (L-SIG) transmission opportunity protection (TXOP) Extended Physical Layer (PHY) Protection (EPP) sequence; and appending a legacy frame comprising L-station legacy fields to the end of the L-SIG TXOP EPP sequence causing termination of an extended inter-frame space (EIFS) procedure at an L-station such that the L-station resumes normal channel access, wherein probability for the L-station to gain access to a shared communication channel relative to the HT-stations is increased, such that the L-SIG TXOP EPP sequence with the legacy frame reduces channel access unfairness in the WLAN, and the L-station legacy fields comprising legacy training fields (L-TFs) and a legacy signal field; appending another legacy frame to the end of the L-SIG TXOP EPP sequence, wherein the step of appending another legacy frame to the end of the L-SIG TXOP EPP sequence enables L-stations which cannot hear the first legacy frame, to terminate the EIFS procedure, and if the last frame in the L-SIG TXOP EPP sequence is shorter than the EIFS period, then setting the L-SIG TXOP EPP duration in the L-SIG to the end of the second to the last frame.