Patent ID: 7130586

Claim:
In an antenna device that includes an omni-directional antenna and at least one directional antenna, the omni-directional antenna and the at least one directional antenna utilizing a specified frequency spectrum to facilitate communication with other wireless devices on a wireless network, a method for mitigating interference associated with the wireless reception of program data via the wireless network, the method comprising the following: an act of the omni-directional antenna receiving a data notification signal from a wireless device configured for wireless communication in the specified frequency spectrum on the wireless network, the data notification signal being indicative of the wireless device having program data to send to the antenna device over the wireless network; an act of causing a directional beam of a directional antenna to be directed towards the location of the wireless device in response to the omni-directional antenna receiving the data notification signal from the wireless device such that reception of program data from the wireless device is transitioned from the omni-directional antenna to the directional antenna; an act of the antenna device detecting usage across different portions of the specified frequency spectrum in the direction of the wireless device in response to the omni-directional antenna receiving the data notification signal from the wireless device; an act of the antenna device identifying a portion of the specified frequency spectrum having reduced usage relative to other portions of the specified frequency spectrum in the direction of the wireless device; an act of the antenna device tuning the directional beam of the directional antenna to the identified portion of the specified frequency spectrum to configure the antenna device to mitigate degrading communication effects of interference in the direction of the wireless device; and an act of the antenna device using the tuned directional beam of the directional antennae to receive program data from the wireless device over the identified portion of the specified frequency spectrum in response to the omni-directional antenna having received the data notification signal from the wireless device.