Patent ID: 7116979

Claim:
A method for use by an access point in a wireless networking communications environment for selecting a channel, the method comprising the steps of: scanning a plurality of radio frequency channels during a scan interval; monitoring each of the scanned channels for indication of utilization of ones of the channels from other access points during the scan interval; maintaining a channel map having an entry for each of the plurality of radio frequency channels, and if one or more messages was received on a channel, the corresponding entry further including an AP-ID for at least one of the access points that sent a message on the channel; selecting a channel from the channel map based at least in-part on whether an indication of utilization of the selected channel was detected; prior to utilizing the selected channel for normal communications, transmitting, on the selected channel during a claim interval, at least one message indicative of an intent to utilize the selected channel; monitoring, from other access points on the selected channel during the claim interval, for a message from another device indicative of an intent to utilize the selected channel; and ascertaining whether the access point should commence communications with other wireless devices on the selected channel based upon characteristics of any messages received on the channel.