Patent ID: 7385961

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising a first wireless device to transmit and receive wireless communications, the first wireless device to: transmit first and second packets, each packet to direct recipients of the packet to operate in a first mode in which contending for a transmission medium by the recipient is not permitted; and transmit a third packet to cause each recipient of the third packet to operate in a second mode in which contending for the transmission medium by the recipient of the third packet is permitted; wherein the first and third packets are formatted to be recognizable by a first type of mobile wireless devices but not recognizable by a second type of mobile wireless devices, and the second packet is formatted to be recognizable by both the first and second types of mobile wireless devices; and wherein the wireless device is further to transmit the first, second, and third packets in a sequence that causes the first type of mobile wireless devices to operate in the second mode and the second type of mobile wireless devices to operate in the first mode simultaneously during a first time period, and causes the first type of mobile wireless devices to operate in the first mode and the second type of mobile wireless devices to operate in the second mode simultaneously during a second time period.