Patent ID: 7944819

Claim:
A method of frame exchange between a first device and a second device in a network, said method comprising: receiving a plurality of blocks of data frames transmitted in succession by the first device: after receiving a last block of data frames transmitted in succession by the first device, the second device returning to the first device a block acknowledgment frame, wherein the block acknowledgment frame including an information indicating a maximum number of data frames in a next block of data frames the first device is allowed to transmit in succession to the second device; before transmitting any block of data frames to the second device, transmitting a data frame from the first device to the second device, the data frame indicating an acknowledgment policy of a block acknowledgment request; and if the second device is not to receive a subsequent block of data frames in succession from the first device for any reason, then transmitting the block acknowledgement frame, the block acknowledgement frame having no frame payload.