Patent ID: 6963289

Claim:
A method for determining the location of an identification tag by a wireless local area network, said method comprising: transmitting a signal from said identification tag on a channel of said wireless local area network, said signal bearing an identification number of said identification tag; receiving said signal from said identification tag at multiple location units within said wireless local area network; in response to said receiving, measuring a characteristic of said received signal at said multiple location units; sending information corresponding to said measured characteristic from each of said corresponding multiple location units to a master unit; and determining, within said master unit, the location of said identification tag by using location information for said multiple location units in conjunction with said sent information to determine said location of said identification tag; sniffing said channel via a sniffer circuit to determine whether or not said channel is clear; in response to said sniffing determining that said channel is clear, performing said transmitting at said predetermined interval; and in response to said sniffing determining that said channel is not clear, transmitting said signal at a subsequent time when said channel is clear.