Patent ID: 7668143

Claim:
A wireless packet communication method for generating a plurality of data packets in a special format in which a plurality of data frames are patched, and transmitting the data packets from one station (“STA”) via a network to another station, characterized by comprising: adding, to each of said plurality of data frames, a subheader including a field indicating a data size, a field indicating an order of a frame, and a field indicating presence/absence of a subsequent frame; generating one data block by connecting the data frames having the subheaders added thereto, and generating a number of data blocks by dividing the one data block so that the data blocks have a uniform packet time length, the number of data blocks corresponding to a number of simultaneous transmissions; adding a main header to each of the number of data blocks corresponding to the number of simultaneous transmissions, and adding a control information field of the data packet before each of the data blocks having the main header added thereto and adding a frame check field of the data packet thereafter, to generate the data packets, the main header including information necessary to restore the patched data frames; transmitting a request packet from an STA supporting the special format before transmitting the data packet, the request packet being receivable only by an STA supporting the special format; managing, by an STA having received said request packet and supporting the special format, a transmit-side STA of said request packet as one supporting the special format, and transmitting therefrom to the transmit-side STA a reply packet which is receivable only by the STA supporting the special format; managing the transmit-side STA of said reply packet as one supporting the special format, by the STA having received said request packet and supporting the special format; and transmitting, according to management information in an own station, the data packet in the special format when a receive-side STA supports the special format, and transmitting the data packet in a standard format generated from one data frame when the receive-side STA does not support the special format.