Patent ID: 8223715

Claim:
In a wireless local area communications network comprised of a plurality of access points for transmitting and receiving frames of information over a plurality of channels to and from at least one wireless communications device, at least one of the plural communications channels being shared with a radar signal, a method for the wireless communications device to roam from a first one of the plural access points with which it is currently associated to a second one of the plural access points without interrupting the continuity of the communication session comprising the steps of: calculating a minimum period of time that is necessary for the at least one wireless communications device to scan all of the channels over which the plural access points can transmit and receive frames of information in order to receive at least one of a beacon or a probe response from any of the plurality of the access points; configuring the at least one wireless communications device to scan all of the channels over which the plural access points can transmit and receive frames of information for no longer than the calculated minimum scan period; the at least one wireless communications device establishing a communications session with a first one of the plural access points on one of the plural channels and measuring and storing a signal quality associated with signals received from the first one of the plural access points; the at least one wireless communications device associated with the first one of the plural access points operates during the communication session to scan all of the plural channels over which the plural access points can transmit and receive frames of information for the calculated minimum period of time in order to receive the at least one of a beacon or a probe response from one of the other of the plurality of access points; the at least one wireless communications device receiving the at least one of a beacon or probe response from a second one of the plural access points and measuring and storing a signal quality of the at least one regularly occurring signal; the at least one wireless communications device determining that the signal quality of the at least one beacon or probe response received from the second one of the plural access points is better than the signal quality of the at least last signal the phone receives from the first one of the plural access points; and the at least one wireless communications device disassociating with the first one of the plural access points and associating with the second one of the plural access points.