Patent ID: 8644269

Claim:
A network, comprising: an access point communicating using a first protocol unable to transmit data packets without receiving a poll packet; and a station communicating using both the first protocol and a second protocol, wherein the station uses the first protocol before a first threshold and a second protocol after the first threshold and wherein a first duration between the second threshold and the first threshold is at least of sufficient length for the station to receive one data packet from the access point and send an acknowledgment, wherein the station transmits to the access point a current clear-to-send packet at a current time during a current exchange based on success or failure of a previous exchange during which a previous clear-to-send packet was transmitted to the access point at a previous time wherein the station transmits the poll packet to the access point during the first duration, wherein the station transmits the current clear-to-send packet, before transmitting the poll packet during the first duration, wherein the station receives an acknowledgement to the poll packet during the first duration, wherein a network allocation vector period of the current clear-to-send packet expires at a third threshold before which the station uses the second protocol and after which the station uses the first protocol, and wherein the third threshold is after the first threshold.