Patent ID: 7505598

Claim:
A communication device for performing cryptographically secured communication in a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) network, comprising: a security enhancement unit for encrypting plaintext data frames into encrypted data frames and decrypting encrypted data frames into plaintext data frames; and a MAC (Medium Access Control) unit for managing communication between said communication device and other communication devices within the WLAN network by coordinating access to a shared wireless communication medium through which communication signals are transmitted; wherein the security enhancement unit and the MAC unit are adapted to perform an on-the-fly encryption process and on-the-fly decryption process thereby exchanging the encrypted data frames without buffering the encrypted data frames after encryption or prior to decryption, respectively; wherein the communication device further comprises a physical layer unit for providing a physical connection of the communication device to the shared wireless communication medium, wherein the MAC unit is further adapted to forward the encrypted data frames from the security enhancement unit to the physical layer unit during the on-the-fly encryption process and from the physical layer unit to the security enhancement unit during the on-the-fly decryption process, wherein the physical layer unit is adapted to convert the encrypted data frames into transmission signals interchangeable over the shared wireless communication medium and convert the transmission signals into the encrypted data frames without buffering the encrypted data frames after encryption or prior to decryption, respectively.