Patent ID: 7836189

Claim:
A method of forming multiple simultaneous active wireless connections between a wireless client and two or more separate wireless access points, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining, by the wireless client, a first primary active affiliation between the wireless client and a first primary wireless access point in a first wireless local area network, the first primary wireless access point providing ongoing communication services to the wireless client on the first wireless local area network by sending data to the wireless client and receiving data from the wireless client on the first primary active affiliation on the first wireless local area network; obtaining, by the wireless client, a second primary active affiliation between the wireless client and a second primary wireless access point in the first wireless local area network, the second primary wireless access point providing ongoing communication services to the wireless client on the first wireless local area network by sending data to the wireless client and receiving data from the wireless client on the second primary active affiliation on the first wireless local area network; simultaneously maintaining and using, by the wireless client, the first primary active affiliation between the wireless client and the first primary wireless access point in the first wireless local area network and the second primary active affiliation between the wireless client and the second primary wireless access point in the first wireless local area network, during a period of operation of the wireless client when the wireless client is not engaging in a handoff process between access points on the first primary wireless local area network; wherein the first primary wireless access point and the second primary wireless access point are both part of the first wireless local area network.